Your Ultimate Guide to National Parks in 2024: Reservations, Fee-Free Days, and Insider Hacks for an Unforgettable Adventure
National Parks across the United States provide incredible opportunities to explore important natural, historical, and cultural resources. Visiting a park allows you to expand your knowledge, challenge your perspective, and learn new skills. Whether you’re looking to backpack for nights on end, check something off your bucket list, see incredible wildlife, or learn about cultural history, a visit to one of the 400-plus managed National Park Service sites will provide just that. Visiting National Parks does require a bit of upfront planning. However, the information below will allow you to achieve all your National Park dreams and goals in 2024.
Entrance Fee Free Days 2024
January 15th: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday
April 20th: First day of National Park Week
June 19th: Juneteenth
August 4th: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
September 28th: National Public Lands Day
November 11th: Veterans Day
It will come with a price if you plan to visit parks outside the six fee-free days, but the America the Beautiful Pass is the best investment to help you see more National Parks in 2024. The pass costs $80 per year, and I’m giving away an America the Beautiful pass to help your National Park goals for next year. You can enter now until December 15th on my Instagram. This pass provides access to over 2,000 federal recreation areas, including all national parks. Visiting a National Park costs roughly $35 for seven days. So, if you plan to see at least three parks, you will quickly pay back your pass.
2024 Park Reservations
In recent years and continuing into 2024, not every park you can drive to and enter. In 2024, Arches, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, and Yosemite National Parks will require reservations and timed entry passes throughout peak season to enter the park. Yosemite will additionally require reservations during weekends of the Firefall, and Zion will continue requiring permits to hike Scout's Lookout to Angel's Landing. While you think this may throw your 2024 travel plans off, I have all the dates you need to know and some hacks around the system to guarantee you the best park year ever!
How to hack the reservation system
In-Park Accommodations: If you plan to visit Arches, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, or Yosemite National Parks, staying inside the park is one of the best ways to guarantee your park access. Because most accommodations within these parks are located past the guard booths that check timed entry permits, you are not required to have a reservation, as your campsite or in-park accommodation guarantees access. This takes time and stress off of getting timed entry permits and waiting to enter every day at the guard booth. Also, staying within park boundaries provides many more opportunities for incredible wildlife experiences, stars, and sunrises/sunsets.
Enter before or after the required time: While this may require setting the alarm earlier, waking up early before the guard booth attendants clock in for the day is a pretty easy way to avoid the reservation system. Unfortunately, this is not an option in Yosemite in Firefall season and Zion, but for Arches, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, and non-Firefall season in Yosemite if you're out of luck on getting a reservation, get up early.
Obsessively Refreshing: I am the queen of refusing to miss out on great campsites I want. And while this may sound a bit obsessive or unhealthy, people are always canceling plans. Typically, I keep a window open for campgrounds or reservations I am trying to get and refresh it throughout the day, just in case something opens up. I have a 100% success rate of getting the reservations I want from this tactic. While it does take time and energy, it is proven to work!
Reading maps well: Many parks have alternative entrances or backcountry entrances with no guard booth for a ranger to manage. Typically, these can be washed-out roads or require a proper vehicle and confidence driving in all terrain conditions. If you pick up a National Parks map, I prefer the National Geographic ones; you can sometimes find backcountry roads to grant you access. *Please note I have yet to do this since reservation systems have been in effect, so there is no guarantee that the road will not be blocked off.
Parks Requiring Reservations 2024
When are they required:
April 1st to October 31st from 7 am to 4 pm
When to book:
April Reservations (April 1-30) available January 2nd at 8 am MST
May Reservations (May 1-31) available February 1st at 8 am MST
June Reservations (June 1st–30th) available March 1st at 8 am MST
July Reservations (July 1st–31st) available April 1st at 8 am MST
August Reservations (August 1st–31st) available May 1st at 8 am MST
September Reservations (September 1st–30th) available June 1st at 8 am MST
October Reservations (October 1st–31) available July 1st at 8 am MST
Day Before: There are some day passes available the night before, starting at 6 pm MST for the following day
When are they required:
West Entrance/Going-to-the-Sun-Road: required May 24th to September 8th from 6 am to 3 pm
North Fork: required May 24th to September 8th from 6 am to 3 pm
Many Glacier Valley: required July 1st - September 8th from 6 am to 3 pm
Vehicle reservations are not needed to access Going-to-the-Sun-Road from the East.
When to book:
In advance: A portion will be available 120 days or approximately four months in advance starting January 25th, 2024, at 8 am MST on a daily rolling basis.
Day Before: Vehicle reservations are available at 7 pm MST for next-day Entry starting May 23rd, 2024
When are they required:
Bear Lake Road Corridor: May 24th to October 20th from 5 am to 6 pm includes Bear Lake Road Corridor and the rest of the park
Rest of Park: May 24th to October 20th from 5 am to 6 pm, includes all of the park except Bear Lake Corridor, 9 am to 2 pm
When to book:
May and June Reservations (May 24th - June 30th) released 8 am MST May 1st
July Reservations (July 1st to July 31st) and remaining June dates not booked released 8 am MST June 1st
August Reservations (August 1st to August 31st) and remaining July dates not booked released 8 am MST July 1st
September Reservations (September 1st to September 30th) and remaining August dates not booked released 8 am MST August 1st
October Reservations (October 1st to October 20th) and remaining September dates not booked released 8 am MST September 1st
Day Before: Reservations can be made the night before, available at 7 pm MST
Yosemite National Park Ticketed Entry
When are they required:
April 13 - Jun 30 Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays only from 5 am to 4 pm
July 1 - August 16 daily from 5 am to 4 pm
August 17 - October 27 Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays only from 5 am to 4 pm
When to book:
Most reservations for all dates from April 13th through October 27th, 2024 will be available January 5th at 8 am PST.
Additional reservations will be available seven days before arrival date
Timed entry tickets are valid for three consecutive days
* Yosemite just announced timed entries for 2024 and based on their website they are still figuring out when passes will be released.
Yosemite: Horsetail Fall Ticketed Entry
Yosemite has eliminated the peak season timed entry permits we saw over Covid times. However, you will need a reservation if you are trying to see the coveted Firefall. If you're unaware of Firefall, it's a natural phenomenon where Horsetail Fall is backlit just right by the sun, making it look lit on fire. And with this fantastic phenomenon comes an influx of visitors and photographers surrounding one concentrated area. As a result, reservations are required on weekends during peak Firefall season.
When are they required:
February 10-11 At All Times
February 17-19 At All Times
February 24-25 At All Times
When to book:
Day-use reservations are released online via recreation.gov at 8 pm PST two days in advance.
Zion National Park: Angels Landing Permit
Zion National Park does not require reservations or timed entry in 2024. The Angels Landing permit is only needed if you want to complete the hike from Scout's Lookout to Angel's Landing—the famous half-mile section of trail with chains. Since this is a lottery system, just because you apply does not guarantee you the permit.
When to apply for permits:
For hiking in the Spring (March 1st - May 31st)
Apply between January 1st, 2024 - January 20,2024
Notifications send January 25th, 2024
Day Before: February 28th, 2024 - May 30th, 2024
For hiking in the Summer (June 1st - August 31st)
Apply between April 1st, 2024 - April 20th, 2024
Notifications send April 25th, 2024
Day Before: May 31st, 2024 - August 30th, 2024
For hiking in the Fall (September 1st, 2024 - November 30th, 2024)
Apply between July 1st, 2024 - July 20th, 2024
Notifications send July 25th, 2024
Day before: August 31s, 2024t - November 29th, 2024
For hiking in the Winter: dates are yet to be updated for 2024/2025
When applying for permits, you must select when you want to begin the hike from Scout's Lookout to Angels Landing with one of three time slots: Before 9 am, between 9 am and 12 pm, and after 12 pm. Many people believe these time slots are when they begin the entire hike, so please make sure you read the fine print.
That said, it's time to figure out where you want to go this year, mark down those calendars, and be prepared to make recreation.gov your best friend for park planning. Please note that this is only the National Parks with reservation systems for 2024 as of December 2023, which is subject to change based on the National Parks Service discretion. The best way to stay up to date is by checking park websites or park pages on recreation.gov. Additionally, This guide covers National Parks requiring reservations in 2024 and popular trail permits. It does not include backpacking, canyoneering, or wilderness permits—solely the most popular parks and hikes.
