Where do you want to go?
Set your dates and party, and we'll lead with the destinations whose permit windows open soonest — what you need, when to act, and where to apply.
Soonest to act
The Subway
Apply byAug 25, 2026 · today
Left Fork of North Creek permits cover the bottom-up Subway hike and top-down canyoneering route through seasonal and daily lottery systems.
Angels Landing
Apply byAug 30, 2026 · in 5 days
High-demand day-use access managed through seasonal and day-before lotteries.
Glacier Wilderness Camping
Apply bySep 30, 2026 · in 36 days
Advance wilderness camping reservations and walk-up permits for overnight backcountry itineraries in Glacier.
Half Dome
Apply byOct 11, 2026 · in 47 days
Cable route access with preseason and daily lottery windows for one of Yosemite's highest-demand day hikes.
Conundrum Hot Springs / Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Overnight Permits
OpensOct 15, 2026 · in 51 days
Zone-and-site-specific overnight permits for the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, including the high-demand backpack to Conundrum Hot Springs near Aspen.
Rogue River Wild Section Float Permit (Grave Creek to Watson Creek)
Apply byOct 15, 2026 · in 51 days
Iconic Wild & Scenic multi-day float from Grave Creek capped at 120 launchers per day in the May 15-Oct 15 control season, allocated via the recreation.gov lottery.
Grand Teton Backcountry
Apply byOct 31, 2026 · in 67 days
Backcountry camping permits for Teton Crest and other overnight itineraries, with a limited advance reservation pool and walk-up inventory.
Yellowstone Backcountry
Apply byOct 31, 2026 · in 67 days
Backcountry campsite reservations for Yellowstone overnight trips, with an early-access lottery ahead of the general on-sale.
Salt River Canyon Wilderness Permit (Upper Salt River rafting)
OpensDec 1, 2026 · in 98 days
Arizona's premier desert whitewater run through a remote wilderness canyon. Spring control-season launches (Mar 1-May 15) are allocated by a Dec-Jan weighted recreation.gov lottery.
Dinosaur Green & Yampa River Permits
OpensDec 1, 2026 · in 98 days
Noncommercial multi-day river permits for the Green River through Gates of Lodore and the free-flowing Yampa, awarded through a December-January high-use lottery.
Fiery Furnace
Apply byDec 31, 2026 · in 128 days
Self-guided day-use permits for Arches National Park's sandstone Fiery Furnace labyrinth.
Mount Whitney
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Quota-controlled access for day hikes and overnight trips on the Mount Whitney Trail.
The Enchantments
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Zone-based overnight permits for the Alpine Lakes Wilderness with lottery, unclaimed inventory, and daily options.
The Wave
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Small daily quota split between advanced lottery and geofence daily lottery access.
Mount St. Helens Summit
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Quota-season summit permits for travel above 4,800 feet on the slopes of Mount St. Helens.
RMNP Timed Entry
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Timed Entry and Timed Entry+ Bear Lake Road reservations manage peak-season vehicle access to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Boundary Waters
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Entry-point quota permits for overnight paddle, motor, hiking, and motorized day trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Grand Canyon Backcountry
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Early Access Lottery and reservations for overnight backcountry camping below the rim.
Cadillac Summit Road
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Vehicle reservations for sunrise and daytime access to Cadillac Summit Road during Acadia's peak season.
Old Rag
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Day-use tickets manage access to Old Rag Mountain's Ridge, Saddle, and Ridge Access trails.
Lost Coast Trail
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Overnight wilderness permits for the northern Lost Coast Trail through the King Range Wilderness.
Coyote Buttes South
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Day-use permits for Coyote Buttes South, separate from The Wave/Coyote Buttes North.
Olympic Wilderness
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Wilderness camping permits for Olympic's coast, rainforest, and alpine backcountry zones.
Haleakala Sunrise
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Sunrise vehicle reservations for entering the Haleakala summit district between 3:00am and 7:00am.
Sequoia-Kings Wilderness
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Quota-season wilderness permits for overnight trips from Sequoia and Kings Canyon trailheads, including popular High Sierra routes.
Mount Rainier Wilderness
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Wilderness and climbing permit reservations for Wonderland Trail, high-use climbing corridors, and overnight backcountry camps.
Canyonlands Backcountry
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Overnight backcountry permits for hiking, 4WD, and bike itineraries across Canyonlands districts.
Yosemite Wilderness
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Trailhead-quota wilderness permits for Yosemite backpacking trips, including John Muir Trail starts and the Donohue Pass exit quota.
North Cascades Backcountry
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Backcountry campsite permits for the North Cascades, allocated through an early-access lottery, a general on-sale, and walk-up inventory.
RMNP Wilderness Camping
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Wilderness overnight camping permits for Rocky Mountain National Park, with the full May-October season released on March 1.
The Narrows (Top-Down)
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Wilderness permits for the 16-mile top-down Virgin River Narrows from Chamberlain's Ranch, including limited overnight campsites.
Paria Canyon & Buckskin Gulch
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Overnight permits for Paria Canyon and Buckskin Gulch, limited to 20 people per day across all four trailheads.
Eastern Sierra Wilderness
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Trailhead-quota wilderness permits for John Muir, Ansel Adams, Golden Trout, and Hoover wilderness entries, including Big Pine Lakes and Kearsarge Pass.
Desolation Wilderness
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Year-round overnight permits for Desolation Wilderness southwest of Lake Tahoe, with limited destination-zone reservations during the high-use season.
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness
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Advance-reservation overnight permits for Conundrum Hot Springs, the Four Pass Loop, Crater Lake, and Capitol Lake zones.
Indian Peaks Wilderness
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Backcountry-zone overnight permits for the Indian Peaks Wilderness west of Boulder, required June 1 through September 15.
Mount Adams Summit
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Climbing passes for travel above 7,000 feet on Mount Adams, required May through September for the South Climb and other routes.
Mount Hood Summit
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Climbing permits for travel above 9,500 feet on Mount Hood, required year-round with no daily limit.
Mount Shasta Summit
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Summit passes for travel above 10,000 feet on Mount Shasta, self-issued at trailheads and ranger stations with no quota.
Middle Fork of the Salmon
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Four Rivers Lottery launch permits for multi-day float trips on the Middle Fork of the Salmon during the summer control season.
Central Cascades Wilderness Overnight Permits
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Quota-limited overnight wilderness permits at 19 trailheads across the Three Sisters, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Washington Wilderness areas, with about 40% of each day's quota released the first Tuesday in April and the rest on a 7-day rolling window.
Central Cascades Wilderness Day-Use Permits (Obsidian, Pamelia, Green Lakes, etc.)
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Limited-entry day-use permits for 19 of the busiest Three Sisters, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Washington Wilderness trailheads, released on a 10-day and 2-day rolling window.
Selway River Permit (Four Rivers Lottery)
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The Selway is one of the hardest river permits to win in the U.S.: only one party may launch per day during the control season, allocated through the recreation.gov Four Rivers lottery.
Main Salmon River Permit — River of No Return (Four Rivers Lottery)
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Multi-day wilderness float on the Wild section of the Main Salmon from Corn Creek to Long Tom Bar. Control-season launches (Jun 20-Sep 7) are issued by the recreation.gov Four Rivers lottery and are extremely competitive.
Hells Canyon — Snake River Float Permit (Four Rivers Lottery)
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Permit-only float through North America's deepest river gorge. Primary-season Wild and Scenic launches are allocated via the recreation.gov Four Rivers Lottery.
Desolation/Gray Canyon — Green River Permit
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Classic multi-day Green River wilderness float from Sand Wash to Swasey/Nefertiti through Desolation and Gray Canyons. High-use launches (May 1-Sep 30) are allocated by the Dec 1-Jan 31 recreation.gov lottery.
Westwater Canyon — Colorado River Permit
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Rolling-release private river permit for the most popular whitewater run on the upper Colorado, with launches available two months ahead at 8 a.m. Mountain Time.
Ruby-Horsethief Canyons — Colorado River Permit (McInnis Canyons NCA)
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Year-round overnight camping permits for the scenic Loma-to-Westwater flatwater float, released daily on a 60-day rolling window at 8am MT for 34 limited campsites.
Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness Permits
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Perennial desert stream canyon capped at 50 permitted visitors per day, released on a rolling 91-day window through Recreation.gov.
Linville Gorge Wilderness Overnight Permits
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Quota-limited overnight permits for the rugged 'Grand Canyon of the East,' released on a full-month and 3-days-in-advance rolling schedule for May-October weekends.
Great Smoky Mountains Backcountry Permits
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Site- and date-specific backcountry camping and Appalachian Trail shelter permits for the most-visited U.S. national park, reservable up to one month in advance.
Mount Timpanogos — Timpooneke Trailhead Timed Tickets
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Weekend and holiday timed-entry vehicle tickets are required to enter the Timpooneke Trailhead, the gateway to the Mount Timpanogos summit, during the peak summer season.
Glacier National Park — Logan Pass Express Shuttle Tickets
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New 2026 ticketed shuttle to Logan Pass on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, supporting day-use access for alpine hikers (Highline, Hidden Lake) after Glacier dropped vehicle reservations.
Sequoia & Kings Canyon Wilderness Permits (Rae Lakes, Mt. Whitney exit, Bishop Pass)
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Gateway to the High Sierra including the Rae Lakes Loop and southern JMT. Quota-season permits release daily on a rolling six-month window at 7am Pacific.
Wind Cave National Park Cave Tours
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Ranger-led cave tours (Garden of Eden, Natural Entrance, Fairgrounds) booked on recreation.gov from 120 days to 2 days out; about half of each tour's daily capacity is held for same-day visitor center sales and tours regularly sell out.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park Timed Entry & Cave Tours
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Self-guided Big Room and Natural Entrance timed-entry reservations plus ranger-guided cave tours (Lower Cave, King's Palace) booked on recreation.gov; reservations open 30 days ahead and are required to enter.
Lehman Caves Tours (Great Basin National Park)
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Year-round ranger-guided Lehman Caves tours plus a new Introduction to Wild Caving tour, capped at small groups and regularly sold out; ticketed on recreation.gov up to 30 days in advance.
Mammoth Cave National Park Cave Tours
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Ranger-guided tours of the world's longest cave system, with up to 18 tour types bookable on recreation.gov up to 6 months in advance and frequently selling out.
Jewel Cave National Monument Tours
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Ranger-guided cave tickets are the only way into Jewel Cave; Scenic and Discovery tours plus seasonal Historic Lantern and Wild Caving routes are reserved on recreation.gov roughly 30-60 days out.
Timpanogos Cave National Monument Tours
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Strenuous 1.5-mile paved trail to a ranger-led tour through three connected limestone caves, capped at 16 people per tour and sold daily on recreation.gov up to 30 days out.
Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve Tours
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Marble cave access is only available on a ranger-guided tour; reservations on recreation.gov are highly recommended given limited same-day walk-ups.
Shenandoah National Park Backcountry Permits
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Year-round overnight backcountry camping permits for Shenandoah's 198,000+ acres, including nearly 80,000 acres of designated wilderness, now issued on Recreation.gov.
Death Valley National Park Wilderness Permits
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Overnight wilderness backpacking permits for the Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop, reservable up to six months ahead on Recreation.gov with same-day online permits available.
Lassen Volcanic National Park Wilderness Permits
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Year-round overnight wilderness permits for the volcanic backcountry of Lassen, reservable on a rolling 90-day window through Recreation.gov.
Buckskin Gulch & Wire Pass Day-Use Pass
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BLM day-use pass for one of the longest continuous slot canyons in the world, accessed from the Wire Pass or Buckskin Gulch trailheads. Day-use only, sunrise to sunset.
Cedar Mesa Backpacking Permits (Bears Ears National Monument)
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BLM overnight backpacking permits for Grand Gulch and the surrounding Cedar Mesa canyons in Bears Ears, with daily per-trailhead quotas released on a rolling basis up to three months ahead.
Hoover Wilderness Overnight Permits (Humboldt-Toiyabe NF)
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Year-round overnight wilderness permits for the Eastern Sierra's Hoover Wilderness, with trailhead quotas (Twin Lakes, Virginia Lakes, Green Creek and more) from June 15 to October 15, reserved on recreation.gov.
Sierra National Forest Wilderness Permits (Ansel Adams & John Muir)
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Year-round trailhead-quota overnight permits for the Sierra National Forest side of the Ansel Adams and John Muir Wilderness, with 60% of each trailhead quota reservable six months ahead and the rest held for walk-ups.
Indian Ridge Lookout
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Historic 1958 fire-lookout cabin rented overnight at 5,405 ft above the tree line, with views of the Three Sisters and the Cascade Crest. Reserved through Recreation.gov.
Evergreen Mountain Lookout
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Historic 1935 hike-in fire lookout at roughly 5,587 ft in the Wild Sky Wilderness, rentable by reservation through recreation.gov during a short late-summer season.
Calpine Lookout
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Historic 1934 drive-up fire-lookout rental in the Tahoe National Forest, booked almost every night and reserved about six months out on recreation.gov.
Hirz Mountain Lookout
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Historic 1937 fire lookout with a 1949 steel tower above Shasta Lake, rented overnight on recreation.gov for two with 360-degree views of Mt. Shasta and Mt. Lassen.
San Gabriel Canyon OHV Area Vehicle Timed Entry (Angeles NF)
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Same-day vehicle timed-entry tickets to manage heavy weekend demand at the 160-acre San Gabriel Canyon OHV Area off Highway 39 north of Azusa.
Denali Park Road Lottery
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Lottery for a private-vehicle drive down the Denali Park Road in fall, historically run on recreation.gov each May. Currently suspended for the foreseeable future due to the Pretty Rocks landslide closure.
Bryce Canyon National Park Backcountry Permits
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Overnight backcountry camping on the Under-the-Rim Trail and Riggs Spring Loop, with designated campsites released on a rolling three-month window through recreation.gov.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP Wilderness Permits
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Permit-controlled access to the steep, unmarked South Rim wilderness routes into the inner canyon, with rolling Recreation.gov reservations for the May-October peak season.
Great Sand Dunes National Park Backcountry Permits
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Overnight backcountry camping in the dunefield and along the Sand Ramp Trail, reservable on a rolling basis up to three months ahead.
Joshua Tree National Park Wilderness Backpacking Permits
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Overnight wilderness backpacking across designated zones in a high-visitation desert national park; permits release on a rolling basis up to six months ahead.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park Wilderness Permits
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Overnight wilderness camping at designated primitive campgrounds in the Guadalupe Mountains, home to the Texas high point. Reservations open three months in advance with daily walk-up permits available.
Everglades Backcountry Wilderness Camping
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Chickee, ground, and beach wilderness campsites across the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness, including the Wilderness Waterway canoe-camping route. Permits reserve on a rolling basis up to 90 days out.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Backcountry Permits
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Volcanic-summit and coastal backcountry overnight permits in a flagship Hawaii national park, released on a rolling 90-day window.
San Juan River
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Classic multi-day Utah river trip from Sand Island through the goosenecks to Clay Hills, allocated by a competitive preseason lottery.
Rio Chama Wild and Scenic River
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Overnight float trips through the El Vado Ranch to Big Eddy canyon section, with a winter lottery for high-demand Friday and Saturday weekend launches.
Tuolumne River Permits
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Permit-required Wild and Scenic whitewater below Yosemite, with first-come launch reservations for the Class IV+ Main Tuolumne and Class V+ Cherry Creek runs.
Forks of the Kern River Permits
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Permit to launch non-motorized watercraft on the designated Wild and Recreational Kern River, a 17-mile Class V Sierra run with a strict 15-person daily quota.
Cedar Creek Falls
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High-demand San Diego-area waterfall day hike in the San Diego River Gorge with a daily permit cap; permits released a year out and often sell out.
Soldier Pass
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Day-use motorized access permit for the unpaved Soldier Pass Road (FR 9904) past the trailhead into Sedona's red-rock country, capped at 12 permits per day.
Valles Caldera National Preserve Backcountry Vehicle Timed Entry
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Timed-entry vehicle pass for the backcountry route through this New Mexico volcanic caldera preserve; passes release monthly with a small first-come allotment.
Dog Mountain Trail System
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Spring wildflower hike in the Columbia River Gorge requiring a weekend vehicle reservation to park at the trailhead during the balsamroot bloom.
Mount Margaret Backcountry
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Overnight backcountry camping at eight reservation-only sites in the Mount St. Helens blast zone, with ridges and lakes overlooking the crater and Spirit Lake.
Multnomah Falls and Waterfall Corridor Timed Use Permits
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Oregon's most-visited waterfall corridor requires a summer timed-use permit to access the Multnomah Falls lodge and parking off I-84 Exit 31.