Are you wondering which National Parks require reservations this year? Here’s the latest update (4/10/25) on park reservations for 2025. Make sure you get your reservations right away so you don’t miss out on an amazing adventure!
We know the pain of trying to get National Park entrance reservations and the joy of successfully booking your dates. So we are here to try to take some of that pain away from your National Park planning. Most National Parks will not require advance reservations to enter in 2025. While several parks have made the process easier this year, there’s still a few critical things you need to know if you are going to get the tickets you want. We are here to help guide you through that process.
Quick disclaimer – all the information in this post is based on the information available at the time of writing. But parks are constantly updating their programs so we will also link to the individual park’s reservation page where you can double check. Make sure you read through the details on each park’s website completely to avoid disappointment.
National Parks Requiring Reservations List
Here’s a quick list of National Parks that require reservations in 2025. You’ll find details about exactly what areas require reservations, how to get your tickets, and what dates and times are restricted further down in this article.
- Acadia National Park, Maine
- Arches National Park, Utah
- Glacier National Park, Montana
- Haleakala National Park, Hawaii
- Mount Rainier National Park, Washington undetermined as of 4/10/25
- Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
- Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
- Yosemite National Park, California undetermined as of 4/10/25
- Zion National Park, Utah
How to get National Park Reservations in 2025 (by park)
I’ve covered the reservation or timed entry requirements for each National Park so you can easily determine if you need one. However, please go to the individual park’s web page as linked in the list for more details and to order your tickets. Just a quick note about a couple of things that might be confusing
- Dates and time of day – if you arrive at the park outside the listed date or time window then you do not need a reservation. For example, if you arrive at Arches National Park at 6:30 am or at 5 pm, both times outside their reservation window, you can enter the park without a ticket.
- Some parks require a pass for the whole park during their reservation period while others only require reservations for specific areas.
- Every park has a different date when tickets become available. It’s important that you note when you can buy your passes. They usually go fast just like tickets to your favorite concert.
Acadia National Park Reservations To Drive Cadillac Summit Road – 2025
You only need a reservation to drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain. While there is a lot to enjoy in the park without visiting this summit, if at all possible I’d highly recommend you give it a try. The sunrise is amazing!
Acadia 2025 System
Dates: From May 21 to October 26, 2025
Location: Only to drive Cadillac Summit Road
Time of Day: All Day
If you wish to drive to the Summit of Cadillac Mountain to see the amazing view, including sunrises Acadia National Park will once again require a reservation for just this drive. There is no reservation required for any other part of the park.
There are two different types of reservations for the Cadillac Mountain Summit.
- The first is for a Sunrise Entry which is in pretty high demand. The time of Sunrise Entry varies as the time of actual sunrise changes. Your ticket will clearly state your entry window if you wish to see the sunrise.
- And the other type of ticket is for entry during the day, after sunrise.
- 30% of the Cadillac Summit Road Sunrise and Daytime vehicle reservations will be available for purchase 90 days in advance of the reservation date.
- 70% of the Cadillac Summit Road Sunrise and Daytime vehicle reservations will be available for purchase at 10:00 am (ET) two days in advance of the reservation date.
What if you don’t have a Reservation to Cadillac Summit?
You can enter the rest of Acadia National Park without reservation. There are tons of other fun things to do so don’t stress over it… just enjoy this gorgeous park.
More about Acadia National Park
Arches National Park Timed Entry Tickets for 2025
Arches National Park will be duplicating the same system they used last year. It seemed to work smoothly.
Dates: April 1 through July 6 and August 28 through October 31, 2025
Location: Whole Park
Time of Day: Between 7 am to 4 pm
From 7 am to 4 pm daily April 1 through July 6 and August 28 through October 31, 2025. The Arches National Park Timed Entry Tickets go on sale in a full month block 3 months in advance. That might be a little confusing so here are the dates tickets become available as shared on the park service website.
- April, May, and June reservations (April 1–June 30) open January 2 at 8 am MST
- July reservations (July 1–6) open February 1 at 8 am MST
- August reservations (August 28–31) open March 1 at 8 am MST
- September reservations (September 1–30) open April 1 at 8 am MDT
- October reservations (October 1–31) open May 1 at 8 am MDT
If you don’t have a ticket, you may enter the park before 7 am or after 4 pm. And from July 7 through August 27, 2025, you do not need a timed entry ticket at all.
And for last minute adventures… a limited number of tickets will be available one day prior to entry at 7 pm MDT.
What if you don’t have a timed entry ticket?
You can enter without a ticket before 7 am or after 4 pm. I want to share a word of caution that on the busiest days of the year the park might still be full at 4 pm and the rangers won’t open the gates until a few people leave. So be patient.
The good news is that in the heat of the summer, you should start your hike well before 7 am as it is boiling by 9 am. And evenings are a great time to explore and stay for the gorgeous sunsets.
More About Arches National Park
Glacier National Park Entry Tickets for 2025
Glacier National Park has once again made several changes for their reservation system for 2025 in an effort to make it easier for you to visit. You will only need an entry ticket if you are entering the park from the West Side or if you are visiting Polebridge on the Northwest side of the park. Visitors entering from the East will not need tickets.
Dates: June 13 – September 28
Location: West entrance to Going to the Sun Road at Apgar and Polebridge entrance
Time of Day: 7:00 am to 3:00 pm
Glacier National Park Entry Tickets will be offered as 2 different tickets this year, one for Polebridge and one for West entrance to Going to the Sun Road. Each ticket is only good for one day in 2025. So it is possible that you might need to book multiple tickets if you are planning to visit every corner of Glacier.
Passes are being released in 2 batches.
- The first batch is a block offered 120 days in advance. That can make it a little confusing to calculate exactly when tickets will be available since not all months have the same number of days. You will need to manually count back to get your date.
- Then another batch will be offered at 7pm MST the day before entry. If you are visiting the park before or after these dates you do not need a reservation.
What if you don’t have a timed entry ticket?
If you can’t get a reservation in advance, be prepared the day before to grab one of those last-minute ones. You’ll have to be online and ready at 8am MT. Be flexible. Although we all have our favorite areas of Glacier National Park, there is so much to see and do in each section. So jump in and enjoy where you can.
If you don’t have a ticket there are plenty of ways to see Glacier National Park:
- Enter the park before 7am or after 3pm.
- Enter Going to the Sun Road from St. Mary Visitor Center where reservations are not required.
- Visit Two Medicine area, it’s gorgeous with some amazing hikes.
- Book a tour, that will give you access to that section of the park.
If you have campground or lodging reservations, that will act as your entry reservation for that particular section of Glacier, but not the whole park. For example, if you have a lodging reservation at McDonald Lake Lodge, that will let you in on Going to the Sun Road. But it would not serve as your reservation ticket to Polebridge.
More About Glacier National Park
- Exploring Going to the Sun Road: A Guide to 27 Best Stops
- North Fork Glacier National Park: Guide to Visiting Glacier’s Wild Side
- 6 Things to Do in Glacier National Park For the First-Time Visitor
- Don’t Miss Out on The Best Hikes in Glacier National Park
Haleakala National Park Sunrise Viewing Reservations for 2025
Nothing is changing with the reservation system if you want to view the sunrise in Haleakala. No reservations are required for the rest of the day or other areas of the park.
Dates: All Year
Location: All Vehicles Entering the Park for Sunrise
Time of Day: 3:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m
If you are planning to see an amazing sunrise, Haleakala National Park requires sunrise entry reservations. Entry into the park after 7 am does not require a reservation.
Tickets for Haleakala are released on a 60-day rolling at 7 am HST. This means that you can book your ticket 60 days in advance of your arrival date at 7 am HST. Another group of tickets is released 2 days in advance. These go within minutes and it is recommended that you are logged in and ready to buy as soon as tickets are released.
TBD: Mount Rainier’s Summer Reservations for 2025
Mount Rainier has not yet announced if they will repeat their timed entry system this year. They tested a program in 2024 with mixed feedback. We will update this as soon as we have the details. Here’s what it looked like last year:
Reservation Area 1
Dates: May 24 through September 2, 2024
Location: Paradise Corridor (south side of the park)
Time of Day: 7:00 am to 3:00 pm
Reservation Area 2
Dates: July 3 through September 2. 2024
Location: Sunrise Corridor (northeast side of the park)
Time of Day: 7:00 am to 3:00 pm
Reservations Mount Rainier are being released in blocks according to this chart at 8am PT.
| Release Date at 8 am PT | For these dates admission |
|---|---|
| February 21, 2024 | May 24 – June 30, 2024 |
| April 1, 2024 | July 1 – July 31, 2024 |
| May 1, 2024 | July 1 – July 31, 2024 |
For last minute vacationers, a portion of reservations will be available the evening before starting at 7pm PT.
If you have lodging or campground reservations, you do not need a separate timed entry pass if you arrive after 1pm. If you plan to arrive before 1pm, you’ll need to get an earlier timed-entry.
More About Mount Rainier National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park Timed Entry for 2025
Rocky Mountain National Park is using the same Reservations plan for 2025 as the last 2 previous years. Here’s the scoop.
Dates: May 23 through October 13
Location #1: Bear Lake Road Corridor plus the Rest of Park
Time of Day: 5:00 am to 6:00 pm
Location #2: All the park except Bear Lake Corridor
Time of Day: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Rocky Mountain National Park has extended their time entry system through the fall season. It is now May 23 through October 13, 2025.
There are 2 types of passes for Rocky Mountain National Park. The first is a pass that lets you enter everywhere except the Bear Lake Corridor. And even if you can’t get one of these passes, the restricted hours are only 9 am to 2 pm so it’s pretty easy to enter before or after that window.
The second pass is the Bear Lake Corridor Pass between 5 am and 6pm. Bear Lake is the most popular area in the park and even though it can handle a lot of cars and people, it’s always overcrowded on peak days. So these tickets are harder to get. My advice is to be flexible and you can likely get a ticket for this area. And if not? There are many more areas worth exploring in the park.
Passes are released in advance on a rolling schedule (below) at 8 am MT.
Last year there was a second release of tickets at 5 pm MT the day prior, but at this point it’s not clear if RMNP will continue that practice. We’ll keep an eye on this and update when we learn more.
| Release Date at 8 am MT | For these dates admission |
|---|---|
| May 1, 2025 | May 23 through June 30 |
| June 1, 2025 | July 1 through July 31 |
| July 1, 2025 | August 1 through August 31 |
| August 1, 2025 | September 1 through September 30 |
| September 1, 2025 | October 1 through October 13 |
More About Rocky Mountain National Park
- 9 Amazing Things to Do in Rocky Mountain National Park for First Time Visitors
- The Ultimate Guide to Rocky Mountain National Park
- Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park: The Most Scenic Road in the Country!
- Best Time to Visit Rocky Mountain National Park
- One Day in Rocky Mountain National Park: A Detailed Itinerary
Shenandoah National Park: Old Rag Day Use Tickets (2025 TBD)
While the park service has not updated their page for the Old Rag Day Use area yet for 2025, it looks like it will continue the same program that they’ve used for several years. If you want to hike this trail, you must get a reservation in advance.
Dates: March 1 to November 30
Location: Old Rag Area Only
Time of Day: All Day
The only reservations for Shenandoah National Park are for Day Use Tickets for the Old Rag Area between March 1st and November 30th. If you are planning to hike Old Rag, one-half of the day-use tickets become available 30 days prior and the other half is released 5 days prior at 10:00 am ET.
TBD: Yosemite National Park Reservations for 2025
Yosemite has not yet released their reservation plan for 2025, but all indicators are that there will be a plan for the summer to keep traffic manageable. Here’s the link to their page Yosemite reservation system . The passes for February’s Horesetail Falls event have been released, so if you plan to attend here’s the scoop.
For the February Horsetail Falls event only:
A day use reservation is required for the whole day for the following dates. You will not be able to enter any part of Yosemite without this pass, even if you arrive early or late in the day.
- February 8-9
- February 15-17
- February 22-23
The day use pass is good for 7 days. If you arrive on a weekday, you will receive a 7 day pass that is still good over the weekend without needing a reservations. So for example if you arrive on Thursday, you’ll be able to use that pass to get into Yosemite over the weekend without a reservation. A reservation is only required if your first day arriving in the park is on one of the above dates.
How to Get Your Reservation Pass
1/2 of the reservations went on sale last November. The other half go on sale at 8am PT two days prior to the date of the reservation. You can get your passes at Recreation.gov.
Also if you have reservations for lodging or camping in the park you do not need to get an additional reservation for day use. Just show your reservation confirmation when you enter.
Zion National Park: Angels Landing Permit for 2025
Dates: All Year
Location: Angels Landing
Time of Day: All Day – Specific Time Slots will be Allotted
Hiking Angels Landing is the only activity in Zion National Park that will require a reservation. Reservations for Angels Landing are awarded through a lottery system. There are 2 types of lotteries.
The first is the day-before lottery which you can enter between midnight (12:01 AM) and 3:00 PM MT. You will be notified of the results by email by 4:00 PM. Applicants may apply for a permit for up to six people (including the applicant).
The other lottery is the Seasonal Lottery, where you can enter months in advance. The advantage of the seasonal lottery is you can request up to 7 dates or times giving you a greater chance of getting a reservation. Each season has a unique window to enter the lottery which is clearly defined on the Zion Reservations Page on Recreation.gov.
Our advice? Enter the seasonal lottery as soon as you know you want to go to Zion!
More About Zion National Park
- Utah National Parks Road Trip: 5 Utah National Parks in 5 Days
- Why You Should Hike Zion Observation Point Trail (Instead of the Popular Angel’s Landing)
- How to Create the Best Zion National Park Itinerary
- Zion Mt Carmel Highway – A Magnificent Entry to Zion National Park
- Zion Canyon Shuttle Makes it Easy to Enjoy Zion National Park
Why Do National Parks Require Reservations?
Many National Parks have been struggling with overwhelmed resources for over a decade. Overcrowding puts wear and tear on the land National Parks are designed to protect. A few parks put limits in place, but park entry reservations weren’t very widespread until 2020.
It wasn’t until the pandemic that parks were forced to find creative ways to reduce the number of visitors in the park at one time in order to continue to stay open. Since then, the busiest National Parks have been testing a variety of reservation systems. Over the past few years, those parks have continued to tweak their systems trying to find a balance that works for everyone.
National Park Reservation Systems are definitely a work in progress. For us, as visitors, it creates several challenges. First, with the rules changing each year it’s hard to know exactly which parks require reservations. And second, we have the challenge of getting that reservation, especially if we aren’t super organized travel planners!
Other Fees in National Parks for 2025
Great Smoky Mountain National Park is continuing their parking fee of $5 per day, $15 per week or $40 annually this year. It’s not a reservation for a specific time, it’s just a simple fee to park in the park to hike or picnic. You can order your Great Smoky Mountain National Park Parking Tags in advance or purchase them at the visitor’s center upon arrival in the park.
Because a major highway runs right through the park, there has never been an entrance fee to GSMNP. If you are just passing through and not stopping in any one spot for more than 15 minutes you won’t need a parking tag. Fees from the new parking tag will support park maintenance and trail improvements.
What about Camping and Lodging Reservations?
A big change over the last few years has been the conversion of campgrounds within National Parks from First Come First Serve (no reservation required) to Reservation Campgrounds. At this point assume you need reservations. Go to the park’s website or Recreation.gov to confirm. There are a lot of inaccurate articles out on the web about reservations for camping in the parks because this has changed so fast. We update our campground information every spring to ensure you have the most accurate info.
Hotels within the parks have long required reservations far in advance. The demand far outweighs the number of hotel rooms available.
FAQs for National Park Reservations
Be ready to buy your passes or tickets on the day and time they become available. Many are in such high demand that they sell out immediately. Create your Recreation.gov account in advance and log in. For our road trips, I mark my calendar for each park with notes about reservations both for entry passes and for campgrounds to ensure I don’t miss out.
Each park is different so check their recreation.gov page. However, most set aside a portion of their passes to offer 1-5 days in advance. Very few have a same-day option.
No, if the park has an entry fee that needs to be paid separately.
You will need a copy of your confirmation email with the reservation number and a photo ID that matches the reservation. Reservations are not transferrable. The best practice is to print out your reservation since internet access is very limited or non-existent in most National Parks.
More to come as I get updates! I hope you have an amazing National Park adventure. Use these charts to make sure you know which National Parks require reservations.
