US NATIONAL PARKS THAT REQUIRE RESERVATIONS IN 2025

/ NATIONAL PARKS, USA / By

There have always been a lot of people visiting national parks. But after COVID, several of the most popular US national parks saw an even greater surge in visitors, which resulted in crowding and lengthy lines to enter the park, traffic on the hiking trails, and parking lots full of automobiles and RVs. 

 

As a result, parks have begun implementing reservation systems to manage traffic and crowds in order to maintain control, and it appears that these systems are here to stay in 2025. 

 

There are 3 types of reservations: time entry reservation (to visit the park during a designated time frame ), vehicle reservation (a reservation is required for a specific route, however the majority of the park is open for visitation) or hiking permit (while reservations are not needed in advance to visit the park, they are for a specific hiking track).

Table of Contents

US PARKS THAT REQUIRE RESERVATIONS

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, MAINE

  • RESERVATION TYPE: Vehicle Reservation for Cadillac Summit Road (Choose between Sunrise Reservation OR Daytime Reservation).  You DO NOT need advance reservation for the rest of the Park.
  • DATES REQUIRING RESERVATION IN 2025: May 21 through October 26.
  • COST: $6 on top of park entrance fee.
  • PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE: recreation.gov
  • TIP: 70% of the reservations are released at 10 a.m. EST two days in advance, while 30% are made 90 days in advance.
  • MORE INFO: nps.gov

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, UTAH

  • RESERVATION TYPE: Time Entry Reservation
  • DATES REQUIRING RESERVATION IN 2025: From April 1 to July 6, and August 28 to October 31, 2025, between 7 am and 4 pm.  You DO NOT need reservation if you enter the Park before 7am or after 4pm.
  • COST: $2 on top of park entrance fee.
  • PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE: recreation.gov
  • TIP:  Most tickets for timed entrance are made available six months in advance. In other words, tickets for visits to Arches National Park in April, May, or June go on sale on January 2 at 8 a.m. MST. Tickets go on sale on February 1 at 8 a.m. MST for visitors who intend to visit Arches National Park from July 1 through July 6. And so it continues until October.  Only a small quantity of tickets will be available at 7 p.m. MDT on the day before admittance.
  • MORE INFO: nps.gov

CARLSBAD CAVERNS NATIONAL PARK, NEW MEXICO

  • RESERVATION TYPE: Time Entry Reservation
  • DATES REQUIRING RESERVATION IN 2025: ALL YEAR except when the Park is closed.
  • COST: $1 on top of park entrance fee.
  • PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE: recreation.gov
  • TIP: Reservations are 30 days in advance and are required year-round.
  • MORE INFO: nps.gov
NATURAL ENTRANCE-CARLSBAD CAVERNS

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA

  • RESERVATION TYPE: Vehicle Reservation for Going-to-the-Sun Road (West Entrance), and North Fork.
  • DATES REQUIRING RESERVATION IN 2025: Going-to-the-Sun Road– West Entrance (June 13 to September 28, 7am to 3pm);  North Fork (June 13 to September 28, 7am to 3pm).  NO RESERVATIONS required if you enter Going-to-the-Sun Road from the East Entrance or Two Medicine, and if you are staying in the park, which include camping or if you take a commercial tour.
  • COST: $2 on top of park entrance fee (even if you have an America the Beautiful Pass).
  • PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE: recreation.gov
  • TIP:  Some tickets are made available 120 days ahead of time, beginning at 8 a.m. MST on February 12, 2025, and the rest at 7 p.m. MDT on the day prior to the effective date. Word of caution, make your reservation in advance because there aren’t many available!
  • MORE INFO: nps.gov

HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK, MAUI HAWAII

  • RESERVATION TYPE: Vehicle Reservation to watch sunrise (3am to 7am).
  • DATES REQUIRING RESERVATION IN 2025:  Everyday the Park is open.  You can’t enter the park before 7 am without reservation.  NO RESERVATIONS required if you take a commercial tour which include the sunrise or you go after 7am or if you go for sunset, which is still beautiful from what I read.
  • COST: Free with $1 reservation fee.
  • PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE: recreation.gov
  • TIP: To drive to the peak before daybreak, you must make a reservation for a vehicle any time of the year. Online reservations may be made starting at 7 am HST 60 days in advance. A second batch of reservations is issued 2 days beforehand.
  • MORE INFO: nps.gov

MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, WASHINGTON

  • RESERVATION TYPE: Time Entry Reservation for Paradise Coridor and Sunrise Coridor.
  • DATES REQUIRING RESERVATION IN 2024: Paradise Coridor (May 24 to September 2; 7am-3pm ) and Sunrise Coridor (July 3-September 2; 7am-3pm) NO RESERVATIONS needed if you enter either coridor before 7am or after 3pm.  Reservation is also not required for the part of the park you are staying in for lodging; if you stay in Paradise Coridor part of the park, then you do not need a reservation for Paradise Coridor, but you will need reservation for Sunrise Coridor.
  • COST: $2 on top of entrance fee.
  • PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE: recreation.gov
  • TIP: Tickets for timed entrance are required from May 24 to September 2. Approximately ninety days in advance, permits are issued; the first batch become available on February 21. 
  • MORE INFO: nps.gov

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, COLORADO

  • RESERVATION TYPE: Time Entry Reservation;  Park Access + Bear Lake Road (Access to everything in the Park from 5 am to 6pm) OR Park Access (Access to everything in the Park except for Bear Lake Road from 9am to 2pm)
  • DATES REQUIRING RESERVATION IN 2025: May 23 to October 19.  
  • COST: $2 on top of entrance fee.
  • PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE: recreation.gov

  • TIP: Tickets for timed entrance are required from May 23 to October 19. With the first release on May 1, these tickets go on sale around a month in advance.  June 1st marks the release of July tickets. And so forth, with the last day of release (for tickets in October) being September 1.

  • MORE INFO: nps.gov
rocky mountains

SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, VIRGINIA

  • RESERVATION TYPE:  Hiking Permit: Old Rag Day-Use Ticket.  NO RESERVATION required for the rest of the park.
  • DATES REQUIRING RESERVATION IN 2025: May 1 to November 30 
  • COST: $2 on top of entrance fee.
  • PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE: recreation.gov
  • TIP: From May 1 through November 30, a day-use permit is required to hike Old Rag.

    There are 800 tickets available every day. The first half is issued five days before the reservation deadline, and the remaining 400 are released thirty days beforehand. At 10 am EST, tickets go on sale.

    available. 
  • MORE INFO: nps.gov

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA

  • RESERVATION TYPE: Time Entry Reservation and Hiking Permit Half Dome (Lottery system)
  • DATES REQUIRING RESERVATION: February, 2025 Reservations: (8th, 9th, 15th, 17th, 22th and 23th);  April through October Reservations  (The dates for 2025 have not yet been announced; these are still for 2024): April 13 to June 30 (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays (May 27 and June 19) between 5 am and 4 pm;  July 1-August 16 (everyday between 5am-4pm);  August 17-October 27 (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays (September 2 and October 14) between 5 am and 4 pm.  You do not need a reservation to access the park if you are a guest of a Wawona, Yosemite West, or Foresta vacation home, or if you have a wilderness or Half Dome permit or if you enter the park before 5 a.m. and after 4 p.m.
  • COST: $2 on top of entrance fee.
  • PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE: recreation.gov
  • TIP: Reservations for Yosemite in February, when Horsetail Fall becomes the park’s main draw, open on December 1 at 8 a.m. Pacific time, with the remaining spaces becoming available two days prior to the reserve deadline.  Reservations for the peak season, which runs from mid-April through October, open on January 5 at 8 a.m. Pacific time. Additional reservations open seven days prior to the arrival date. For Half Dome, enter the lottery from March 1, 2024, to March 31, 2024. By mid-April, the fortunate lottery winners are notified.
  • MORE INFO: nps.gov

ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH

  • RESERVATION TYPE:  Hiking or Wilderness Permits for Angels Landing, Subway & hiking the Narrows (top-down). NO RESERVATION required to visit the rest of the park or to take the park shuttle.
  • DATES REQUIRING RESERVATION IN 2025: All the time when the park is open.
  • COST: $6 for application and $3  if you win, on top of entrance fee.
  • PURCHASE YOUR TICKET/APPLY HERE:  Angels Landing: nps.gov;  Subway & Narrows (top-down): nps.org

MUIR WOODS NATIONAL MONUMENT, CALIFORNIA

  • RESERVATION TYPE:  Parking Reservation
  • DATES REQUIRING RESERVATION IN 2025: All year when the park is open.
  • COST: Standard car at $9.50 
  • PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE: muirwood
  • TIP: You can make reservations up to three months in advance.

RED ROCK CANYON NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA, NEVADA

  • RESERVATION TYPE:  Time Entry  Reservation for the Scenic Drive 
  • DATES REQUIRING RESERVATION IN 2025: All year when the park is open.
  • COST: $2 (in addition to the entrance fee)
  • PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE: recreation.gov
  • TIP: You will need to choose a time slot, and you will have a window of 30 minutes before or after your time slot ends.
red rock canyon