My most recent experience with timed-entry national park reservations was sitting in a diner in Columbia Falls, Montana. I had a phone in each hand, and as soon as 7:00 p.m. hit, I was constantly refreshing the Going-to-the-Sun Road reservation page.
With each refresh, I watched the number of tickets drop from 530 to 400 to 250 . . . Finally, I got into the page and secured our reservation. At 7:05 p.m. the tickets were gone.
Some of the nation’s most popular parks are enforcing or experimenting with timed-entry systems as a way to mitigate congestion and the accompanying consequences. When you’re lucky enough to snag a reservation, you get the benefit of less crowded parking lots and trails. When you miss out, it can ruin your trip.
Here are some tips to master the timed-entry system:
1. Research, Research, Research
It’s important to know whether the park you’re traveling to has any timed-entry restrictions.
While some parks require a timed-entry ticket to get past the entry gate, other parks are still partially accessible and have only a certain road or trail restricted by timed entry.
Glacier National Park requires a vehicle permit to drive on Going-to-the-Sun road and the North Fork and Many Glacier areas of the park between 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the spring and summer. But other popular areas of the park, such as Lake McDonald, are accessible without a permit.
Permits for Carlsbad Caverns National Park are required throughout the year and are released 30 days in advance. It’s also possible to purchase them at the visitor center upon arrival, but availability is not guaranteed.
Visit your desired park’s information page to see details on how they run their timed-entry system. Each park’s system is unique, so it’s important to know how far out you can plan or when to snag a last-minute ticket.
2. Know Your Options
Planning ahead works in your favor when dealing with timed entry. Many parks will release a portion of the tickets on a rolling basis a few months in advance. Getting a reservation early will help you avoid the frantic countdown to when the rest of the tickets are released for the day you want to visit.
Rocky Mountain National Park requires a timed-entry ticket for the park and also offers a timed-entry option for the famous Bear Creek Corridor. The majority of tickets are made available one month in advance, but reservations become available daily at 7 p.m. MT for next-day entry.
If you’re headed out on a spontaneous adventure to a national park, your best bet is to know when tickets become available for your desired date and time.
In Acadia National Park, a timed-entry vehicle reservation is required for Cadillac Summit Road, a popular spot for sunrise and sunset. Here, the majority of reservations are released on a rolling basis two days in advance at 10 a.m. EST.
If your trip relies on getting a timed-entry ticket, you can enter before or after the timed-entry period.
Yosemite National Park has timed entry from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. but you can enter the park before 6 a.m. or after 4 p.m. without a reservation. This option can help you beat the crowds or visit after peak hours and find somewhere fun to watch the sunset.
3. Have a Back-up Plan
So you’ve made it to the park and discovered that you needed a ticket-entry ticket to get in. Been there.
After arriving at Arches National Park, my friend and I realized that we hadn’t done enough research or planning to know that we needed a timed-entry ticket. We managed to get one for the next day, but it did leave us wondering, “What now?”
Luckily, national parks are often surrounded by national forests and public land that boast some of the same attractions as the park. At some parks, there are gateway communities near the entrances to the parks that are hubs of activity where you can shop, eat and find fun things to do.
Arches National Park is situated only a few miles away from the city of Moab, Utah, and the entrance to Canyonlands National Park (one of my personal favorites), which doesn’t require timed-entry. There are also popular hikes outside of the parks, including Corona Arch and Mill Creek Waterfall.
Whether you love it or hate it, it seems that timed-entry is here to stay. Take advantage of the decreased crowds by planning ahead to snag a ticket. If you’re not able to get a ticket during your trip, know that there are often plenty of options outside the park that will give you similar experiences without the crowds.
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