Next application windows
—days
—hrs
—min
Application windows open on fixed dates and close fast. We email you seven days before each one opens, and again on the morning it does.
Find your permit
Pick a park, or tell us what you are planning to do, and we will narrow the tables below to what actually applies to you.
Every national park permit and reservation window we have verified for 2026, in one table — plus the 4 systems that were quietly cancelled or suspended this year. Each row links to the official source. Rules change, sometimes mid-season, so check the source before you plan around a date.
Last verified against official sources on 2026-08-09. 13 systems still required, 4 cancelled for 2026.
About the “provisional” tag: those dates are confirmed for one season and we are assuming the agency repeats them. Agencies do move them. We would rather show you the tag than let you plan around a date we cannot stand behind.
Cancelled for 2026 — you no longer need these
Four reservation systems that were in force last season have been dropped or suspended for 2026. Plenty of guides still tell you to book them. You don’t need to.
| Arches National Park — Timed Entry Ticket | Advance timed-entry reservations are no longer required in 2026. A valid entrance pass is still required. Official announcement |
|---|---|
| Yosemite National Park — Peak-Hours Entry Reservation | The timed reservation system was dropped for 2026, replaced by real-time traffic monitoring, active parking management, and better visitor information. Official announcement |
| Glacier National Park — Going-to-the-Sun Road Vehicle Reservation | Vehicle reservations are not required anywhere in the park in 2026. A ticketed shuttle system and three-hour timed parking at Logan Pass replaced them. Official announcement |
| Denali National Park & Preserve (Alaska) — Denali Road Lottery | The road lottery is suspended for the foreseeable future. There is no 2026 application period. Official announcement |
Still required in 2026
| Permit | When to apply | Fees | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half Dome Cables Permit Yosemite National Park |
Advance lottery: March 1 – March 31 (Eastern time) Day-before lottery: two days before the hiking date, midnight Pacific |
application: $10 per application, non-refundable permit: $10 per person, refundable if cancelled by 11:59 pm Pacific the day before |
Official |
| Angels Landing Permit Zion National Park |
Seasonal lotteries, one per quarter Day-before lottery: 12:01 am Mountain time the day before the hike |
application: $6 non-refundable permit: $3 per person |
Official |
| Timed Entry Permit Rocky Mountain National Park |
Released May 1, June 1, July 1, August 1, September 1 at 8:00 am MDT | processing: $2 Recreation.gov processing fee, non-refundable | Official |
| Coyote Buttes North Permit (The Wave) Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness (BLM, Arizona) |
Advance lottery: Apply any time within a calendar month; you are applying for permits four months later Day-before lottery: Mobile-based daily lottery, submitted from within a set geofence |
permit: $7 per person per day dog: $7 per dog (dogs must be listed on the permit) |
Official |
| Enchantment Permit Area Overnight Permit Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (Washington) |
Advance lottery: February 15 – March 1 each year Day-before lottery |
application: $6.00, non-refundable even if you are not selected | Official |
| Wilderness Camping Permit Glacier National Park |
Applications open large group 9 to 12: March 1, standard group 1 to 8: March 15 | reservation: $10 camping: $7 per person per night |
Official |
| Mount Whitney Trail Permit Inyo National Forest (California) |
Advance lottery: February 1 – March 1; all applications go into one random draw run after March 1 | per person: $15 per person permit after lottery: $6 per permit plus $15 per person when booking outside the lottery |
Official |
| Old Rag Day-Use Ticket Shenandoah National Park (Virginia) |
Required March 1 – November 30. No ticket needed in December, January or February 800 tickets per day, released on a daily rolling window |
ticket: $2 per person, in addition to a park entrance pass | Official |
| Summit Sunrise Reservation Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii) |
Released 60 days ahead, 2 days ahead at 7:00 am HST | reservation: $1.00 per vehicle | Official |
| Havasupai Campground / Lodge Permit Havasupai Indian Reservation (Arizona) |
Applications open on sale: February 1, 2026 at 8:00 am Arizona time, at havasupaireservations.com | campground: $455 per person for the 3-night reservation, inclusive of permits, fees and taxes lodge: $2,277 for the 3-night reservation, up to 4 people pack mule: $400 round trip per mule |
Official |
| Rim-to-Rim Day Hike — no permit required Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona) |
No permit required. Day hikes need no permit of any kind, and that explicitly includes overnight-hours ‘day’ hikes. Rim-to-rim in a single push is a day hike. The permit only enters the picture if you sleep below the rim. | — | Official |
| Backcountry (Overnight) Permit Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona) |
Advance lottery: Opens on the 16th of the month, closes 5:00 pm MST on the 1st | permit or lottery application: $10 per permit or lottery application, non-refundable below rim: $15 per person per night above rim: $4 per person per night |
Official |
| Noncommercial Colorado River Trip Permit Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona) |
Advance lottery: February 2 through noon MST on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, for launches in calendar year 2027 | — | Official |
How to use this
- Lotteries do not reward speed. Applying at 8am on the first day of an application window gives you no advantage over applying on the last day. Apply once, within the window, and stop worrying about it.
- Timed entry is not a lottery. Those release on a fixed schedule and do go to whoever clicks first, so for those the clock matters.
- Missing the advance window is not the end. Most of these systems hold back a portion of inventory for a day-before or day-of release.
- An entrance fee is not a permit. They are separate charges and having one does not get you the other.
What this page does not cover yet
We would rather tell you what is missing than let you assume it is complete.
- Angels Landing Permit: Exact open and close dates for each seasonal lottery are not yet confirmed
- Going-to-the-Sun Road Vehicle Reservation: Shuttle ticket details are not published yet — the NPS pages for the 2026 Logan Pass system are still offline
- Coyote Buttes North Permit (The Wave): Exact monthly open and close dates for the advance lottery are not yet confirmed
- Enchantment Permit Area Overnight Permit: Per-zone quotas and the daily lottery mechanics are not yet confirmed
- Wilderness Camping Permit: Results announcement date is not yet confirmed
- Havasupai Campground / Lodge Permit: Whether permits sell out on opening day, and any resale or transfer rules, are not yet confirmed
- Noncommercial Colorado River Trip Permit: Application fee and results announcement date are not stated in the official announcement
We track these so you don’t have to
Most of these windows open once a year, months before the trip. The usual way people miss one is not forgetting the date — it is never having known it. Give us your email and we will do the remembering.