Spontaneous visits to U.S. National Parks may be a thing of the past.
In order to control overcrowding and maintain a sustainable visitor count, several National Parks are rolling out timed entry passes for the 2024 seasons, following pilot programs of similar models.
New timed entry tickets will be required for three popular parks in the west: Utah's Arches National Park, Montana's Glacier National Park and Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park.
Reservations will be required for visits starting in spring 2024 at the beginning of peak season. One permit will be necessary per passenger vehicle entering the park, and will be necessary in addition to already required entry passes.
“Our balanced approach for the 2024 pilot reflects feedback from Tribes, the public, partners, and stakeholders, particularly regarding access to the Apgar Village area and Two Medicine,” said Glacier National Park Superintendent Dave Roemer. “We also heard that knowing what park operations and access will look like sooner, rather than later, is important.”
Glacier National Park's implemented pilot vehicle reservation will include permits for the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road and and North Fork on May 24, 2024, and on July 1 for Many Glacier.
At Rocky Mountain National Park, two types of reservations will be available. One permit will be for the Bear Lake Road Corridor, which includes the entire corridor, as well as access to the rest of the park. The second permit will be for the “rest of the park,” excluding the Bear Lake Road corridor. Permits will allow visitors a two-hour window to arrive and no mandated departure time.
Timed entry permits for Arches National Park will be available starting January 2, 2024, for reservations as soon as April 1, 2024.
"We received many positive comments from people who enjoyed the guaranteed arrival time and reduced congestion they experienced during the 2023 vehicle reservation pilot,” said Arches National Park Acting Superintendent Brendan Bray. “A repeat pilot program in 2024 will help us learn more about how such systems can provide visitors with the opportunity for enjoyable experiences while protecting the extraordinary landscapes they come to see.”
Timed entry permits for these parks will cost $2 to cover the processing fee, via recreation.gov.