What you need to know

At 7:59am, 7:59am, the first day of March, people from all over the world floated on keyboards and smartphones, releasing coveted blocks of reservations for Glacier National Park to enter the park in July I took a few seconds to do so. The clock hits at 8am and starts a crazy race to click “Book Now” on the vehicle reservation page on Recreation.gov. The fastest fingers earn a pass and explore Montana Park's pristine lakes, thin peaks and beargrass dot meadows in the summer season.

Those spots have become faster. The remote North Fork area, located on the northwest corner of the park, sold out within 10 minutes. The stunning main boulevard of the glacier, the Sun faction roads were completely filled in 30 minutes. The day was fortunate, but many people were disappointed, including Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke.

Backcountry hikers and river runners have long dealt with the challenges of obtaining a permit for high-demand destinations, but casual travelers need to work on bookings to enter the national park recently There were none.

A solution to overcrowding?

After years of struggling with record-breaking visits and crowds, the three parks deployed pilots of so-called managed access systems to squeal the squirt. We will establish a one-day reservation system in 2020, and will release details on the 2025 reservation process from February 26th. Visit the park's website.

Glacier and Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park introduced an intraday reservation system in 2021. Many other parks require reservations to visit certain locations, such as the Cadillac Summit in Acadia and Angels Landing in Zion.

The rules at each park are different and confusing for many. Pass requirements vary depending on the date and location within the park and are valid for one day and elsewhere for three days. Parks releases pass percentages a few months in advance, but book some of the previous day (see box below). The successful summer trip planning was an experience that comparables Alex Kim, the founder of an outdoor group for people of color called Montana, “cracking the code.”

But few people dispute that these parks had to do something. Starting with the National Park Service Centennial in 2016, park visits have risen to record numbers as they have skyrocketed due to the community pandemic. “We see an unprecedented level of sustainable demand in many of these parks,” says Will Rice, assistant professor of parks, tourism and recreational management at the University of Montana, who is studying the booking system. .

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“The parks belong to Americans, and there's no substitute for being in a national park,” says Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman. But “when I'm waiting for 2.5 hours, when I get there, the shuttle bus is packed and there is a long line for food. It's not a good experience.” Foot and illegal parking, and problems Adds environmental damage caused by the compounds. Enter what Rice calls “recreation distribution.”

For those who make a booking, most people say managed access leads to better travel. Park representatives quickly realize they are not trying to reduce visits. Spread it all day and throughout the season. All three parks were successful. Since implementing the system, Glacier, Rocky Mountain and Yosemite have reduced boundaries with entrance stations and shuttle buses, with competitive parking, traffic jams and people enjoy more experiences I stopped doing that.

“We did a survey of those who got the reservation,” says John Hannon, management specialist at Rocky Mountain. “They are very supportive of timed entries once they experience it,” Yosemite visitors reported similar sentiments. “And anecdote, a lot of people were seeing more wildlife,” Gedimann points out.

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Disadvantages of ticketed entry

However, restricting access, even during peak times, inevitably excludes some people. With these systems, certain types of visitors are more likely to hook a golden ticket. At least that's someone who plans ahead of time. But it's someone with high-speed internet and credit cards, a job that allows for vacation planning for the coming months, and someone who is familiar with both the Recreation.gov booking platform and the English language. (Recreation.gov is available in English only, but it provides instructions for using Google Translation.)

Advocates, who mean historically marginalized communities, face challenges when accessing public lands, from lack of resources for leisure travel to fears for outdoor physical safety. It means there is a possibility. For some, the reservation system is “a deterrent over deterrent when it comes to our national parks,” co-founder of outdoor list Oath Diversity Initiative, advocating for outdoor inclusion. says Theresa Baker.

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Make the park accessible to everyone

Part of the solution may be to create more ways to grab a reservation. “We need to expand our ideas on how to distribute these things,” says the University of Montana. “People have different preferences and needs when it comes to how they want to access these highly demanded recreational resources.”

Park officials are well aware of these issues and say they will continually adjust the system to help all potential visitors experience a fair shaking. This year, Rocky has increased the number of bookings that existed 24 hours before it was months ago, making it better for travelers at the moment. And since all three parks only required reservations at the busiest times, anyone can enter without advance reservations after 9am or 3pm

There are also more strategy ideas at the table. Hannon says Rocky Mountain is considering reducing its system's reliance on Recreation.gov by putting aside tickets for local retailers to sell directly. Hotel operators near Yosemite are requesting guests a similar setup.

Rice said that, as Yellowstone did in 2022 after flooding the park's shutdown, the park would use lottery implementations and license plates to determine who can enter on a particular day. We suggest considering:

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And both Kim and Baker highlight the importance of outreach to groups that may struggle with booking systems. “We just need to make some effort to help people know how to apply,” Kim says. Baker adds: It's an opportunity to ask some of the questions I've always had about visiting national parks. ”

Visitors can be grateful that they do not consider at least one other crowd control tactic: an entry fee increase. Unlike amusement parks and ski resorts, which use demand-based systems to raise prices, especially during popular times, national parks belong to everyone.

Like it or not, the days of voluntary driving to any of these national parks on Saturday summer mornings are probably over. “I wish there was this magical utopia with a lake and an empty parking lot,” says Patterson.