If you’re looking to visit some of the most popular national parks in the United States this summer, you may need to make a reservation to get in. AFAR reports that six national parks in the United States will be requiring reservations for this summer. Like the Great Smokey Mountain or Yellowstone, most national parks are not requiring you to book early. Here are the six American national parks that requiring a reservation…
Acadia National Park: Cadillac Summit Road is the only road at Acadia that requires a reservation. Reservations will be required for two-time spots: The 4-6 am sunrise drive and the 6:30 am-8 pm that are stretched out via thirty-minute entry windows. A park pass is required for entry, and it must be displayed on the vehicle’s windshield. The reservation fee is $2, and the vehicle fee is $4.
Glacier National Park: There is only one portion of the park that requires a reservation: Going to The Sun Road. Since Memorial Day Weekend, reservations have been required to enter the road. The road isn’t fully open yet, as snow clearing is commonplace up until Late June or July. From May 28 to September 6th, a $2 reservation fee will be required to access the road, along with a park entry pass. A park pass costs $35 for a four-wheeled vehicle and $30 for a motorcycle and gives you seven days at Glacier. 75% of the reservations are available sixty days before the scheduled date at 8 am Mountain Time, and 25% of tickets are made available 48 hours before the date at 8 am. Reservations can be made here.
Haleakalā National Park: Reservations are only required for entering the park at a specific time frame: 3 to 7 am. The reason for this is sunrise viewings at Maui’s highest points, Puʻu ʻUlaʻula, are extremely popular. This reservation system has been around since 2017. Reservations are made available up to sixty days and advance, and some are made available as well 48 before the date at 7 am Hawaii Time. Getting in is free, but the reservation fee is $1.
Rocky Mountain National Park: Rocky Mountain has the most nuanced system of the National Parks Setups for this summer. At the start of each month at 8 am Mountain Time, reservations will be available for the month(aka July 1’st reservations will cover the month of July). They will also sell 25% of the permits each day before 5 pm Mountain Time.
Two types of reservations can be made: Soley for Bear Lake Road and the rest of the park, and one for everywhere except Bear Lake Road. A limited amount of tickets go on the day before at 5 pm Mountain Time. Vehicle entry is free, but there is a $2 reservation fee. Reservations go on sale on these dates:
- May 1 to enter the park from May 28 through June 30
- June 1 to enter the park during July (and any remaining days in June)
- July 1 to enter the park during August (and any remaining days in July)
- August 1 to enter the park during September (and any remaining days in August)
- September 1 to enter the park during October (and any remaining days in September)
Yosemite National Park: From May 21 to September 30th, reservations will need to be made before your visit. Some limited tickets are available to guests a week before their expected arrival date. There are not many days available in June and July, but August and September are still generally open. Reservations are not required if you have already booked a night at one of the campgrounds or lodging properties at the park. These reservations can be made through recreation.gov. Guest admission for cars/trucks costs $33, motorcyclists $28, along with a $2 reservation fee.
Zion National Park: From March until November, private vehicles are banned from driving on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, and you can only travel around this portion of the park with a shuttle. Reservations are not mandatory to access the Zion-Mont Carmel Highway, Kolob Terrace Road, or the Zion Canyon Visitors Center trails. Reservations will become available on the following dates:
- May 16 for shuttle tickets for June 1 through June 15
- May 31 for shuttle tickets for June 16 through June 30
- June 16 for shuttle tickets for July 1 through July 15
- June 30 for shuttle tickets for July 16 through July 31
- July 16 for shuttle tickets for August 1 through August 15
- July 31 for shuttle tickets for August 16 through August 31
If you are looking to make a last-minute reservation, limited tickets go on sale online at 5 pm, along with in-person tickets being sold the day before at the Zion Canyon Visitors Canyon starting at 3 pm and lasting until 5 pm if they haven’t sold out. Taking the shuttle costs $2($1 is allocated to reservation fees.)
