Reservations anxiety the new norm at US national parks as beauty spots battle crowding
Welcome to Yosemite — do you have a booking?Travelers to the legendary California beauty spot and other popular national parks from coast to coast will need to remember to snag a reservation before hitting the road this summer — or risk being denied entry upon arrival.The gate-keeping system, which for a number of years has been the norm during peak season for hotspots like Montana’s Glacier National Park, continues to expand in 2024, as park officials say record levels of visitation threaten too many of our pristine natural habitats.“The timed entry system reservation system is not to limit visitation but to spread it out more equitably throughout the day,” Mount Rainier National Park ranger Terry Wildly told USA Today.But while park officials might be tempted to downplay the changes, the extra step can turn into a giant hurdle — or even force road-trippers to strike a park from their wishlist, if they can’t squeeze a timed-entry visit into an already delicately-balanced itinerary.Then again, said Wildly, without the timed tickets, visitors were waiting up to three, delay-causing hours to enter the popular park near Seattle and Portland — leading to all sorts of problems.Rainier is just one of the parks signing up to take advance bookings this year — some are requiring tickets to get in, while others are offering limited numbers of permits for popular activities. For those looking to plan ahead, here’s the complete list for 2024.
In all listed instances, visitors will pay the regular park access charge of $30 or $35 per visit, on top of their entry fee or permit.(The annual passes, at $80 per vehicle load, are a great value for those who plan to visit more than one or two parks per year.
You can buy online, or at any national park gate.) Maine’s crown jewel requires timed-entry reservations for cars looking to drive Cadillac Mountain between May 24-Oct.22.
Reservations are available for both Sunrise drives and Daytime drives, each with th...