As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several national parks are utilizing reservation systems to spread out the flow of visitors and reduce crowding in facilities. Some parks require reservations for specific areas and attractions, such as Acadia’s Cadillac Summit Road and Glacier’s Going-to-the-Sun Road. Rocky Mountain National Park is offering 2-hour time blocks for visitors to enter with reservations, and Yosemite is limiting the number of visitors who can enter each day. While these new procedures require advanced planning, ultimately, you’ll still be able to enjoy these public lands.
If you’re planning your next national park road trip or hiking holiday, you might have noticed news articles talking about required reservations in some national parks in 2021.
Last year was the perfect storm for many parks, a combination of pandemic-related closures and reopenings, and a huge influx of (often first-time) visitors looking for a getaway in nature.
Famously, Yosemite National Park implemented a temporary ticketed entry system, as did Rocky Mountain. Other parks found other ways to limit visitor use during peak times and in popular areas. In 2021, too, there are several national parks that require reservations of some kind. We’ve outlined them for you below.
Note that these advance reservation requirements often apply to just a certain time period, window and/or location in the specific park. All are aimed to manage visitation, spread out visitors across larger areas, and protect natural resources.
We also have to point out that, in addition to these advance reservations in the national parks, you will also need to pay the regular entrance fee. You can do that either when you arrive at the park or get an America the Beautiful Pass beforehand.
We’re a huge fan of the latter, which gives you access to all public lands in America, including national parks, forests, BLM lands and other federal recreation areas, for a full year. Especially if you regularly visit national parks, or even if you’re going on just one national parks road trip each year, it can save you hundreds of dollars.
Okay, so let’s take a look at which national parks require advance reservations in 2021. For more detailed information about each park and its reservation policies, requirements and system, We’ve included a link to the national park’s website.
Which National Parks Require Reservations in 2021?
- Acadia National Park Reservations.
- Rocky Mountain National Park Reservations.
- Glacier National Park Reservations.
- Haleakala National Park Reservations.
- Zion National Park Reservations.
- Yosemite National Park Reservations.
Apr 9, 2021
