Three Major National Parks Implement New Reservation Entry System Requirements
Three more National Parks are implementing timed reservation system starting next year, after previous experiments proved successful and popular.
In the past week, Arches National Park in Utah, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, and Glacier National Park in Montana have all revealed how they will implement timed reservations next year, as National Parks Traveler reports.
Glacier National Park will require reservations from June 13–Sept. 28, 2025, from 7 a.m.–3 p.m., with online reservations opening February 12, 2025. Visitors arriving before 7 a.m. or after 3 p.m. will not need reservations. Those with pre-existing reservations for lodging, camping, tours, or other activities will not require a separate entry reservation.
Rocky Mountain National Park's reservation system will begin May 23, 2025 and run through either October 14 or 20, depending on the type of permit. Rocky Mountain offers two permit types; one that covers the Bear Lake Road Corridor (inclusive of the rest of the park) from 5 a.m.–6 p.m. and one that covers the rest of the park minus Bear Lake Road Corridor from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Reservations begin on the recreation.gov website on the first day of the previous month.
Arches National Park will make some changes next year after an initial timed entry pilot system in 2024. Timed entry reservations will be required starting April 1, although no longer needed between July 7 and August 27, 2025. Park officials found that visitor numbers fell off significantly during this time. Tickets go on sale on January 2, 2025 through recreation.gov. As with other parks, you will not need an entry ticket if you have camping, tour, or other special permits.
