National Park Reservation Guide for Road Trips

A great day in a park could begin at dawn at a trailhead. It could end with pie at a diner two counties over. Or it could begin with a closed gate because a timed entry rule was not followed. In this guide to reservations at national parks, the goal is to help decide what reservations may be needed, when to get them and how to build in the odd and wonderful into a road trip through a park.

Many of the most visited parks now require reservations. That’s especially true on holiday weekends, in fall color season and over the summer. But each park has its own rules. One park might require a reservation for a road in its backcountry. Another might use timed entry at its entrance. A third might require a permit for a wilderness campsite or a hike.

Before mapping out roadside attractions or choosing a campground, ask whether access to some part of the park depends on a reservation. Think of reservations as layers. They aren’t a single, all-encompassing reservation for the park.

Start with the reservation that controls your day

With a timed-entry reservation, entry occurs at a specific point in the day. Some parks use this kind of reservation to spread out visitors over the course of the day. So if a 9 a.m. reservation is held, arriving at 2 p.m. probably would not work.

A reservation for a vehicle might be required on a road, district or on a peak season date at a park. And if a park runs shuttles, a shuttle ticket might be needed to reach a desired trailhead. And then there are permits for specific activities. To hike Angels Landing in Zion, to enter the Wave near Vermilion Cliffs or to enter some backcountry areas, a permit or winning a lottery might be required.

None of these reservations would be covered by a pass to enter the park. And a reservation for a campsite wouldn’t necessarily open up every activity or road in the park.

The suggestion: first decide what is absolutely wanted from the trip to the park. That could be: the park, the date, the entrance, a trail or road and a place to sleep. Before finalizing a trip to each park, look at the park’s reservations and alerts for that park. Seasonal requirements, release dates and rules can vary from year to year.

Prioritize bookings in order of difficulty of replacement. Often, on a summer trip to a popular park, that would be a lodge or campground in the park. If the goal is to do a permit-required hike in the park, the permit should be booked first. And if driving in off-season, sometimes the only thing to set an alarm for and have quick fingers for is a timed-entry reservation.

National park reservation guide: book in the right order

If booking a campsite or lodge in the park, check whether the reservation affects the rules for entering the park. In some parks, a reservation for a campsite or lodge in the park would count as proof of entry for the dates of the visit. In others, it wouldn’t. Check the details. And don’t rely on everything in the confirmation email.

And if driving an RV, this is especially important. A campsite may have a length limit, no hookups, a scheduled time for using the generator or a road that’s too tight for the rig. And a reservation would only be helpful if the rig could reach that site and fit in it.

Look at road limits, size of the site, availability of a dump station and whether the arrival time would work under the campground’s check-in policy.

Once the most difficult piece of the trip is booked, the rest of the route can be built around it.

A trip in Roadtrippers could include, for example, the pie shop, scenic byway, campgrounds, fuel, park gates and other points of interest in the park. That way, the reservation could anchor the trip, rather than risk becoming a killer detour.

Know when inventory appears

Many people miss out on reservations not because they act too late, but because they guess when they might become available. Sometimes reservations will open up on a rolling calendar months in advance. Other times they’ll all open on one date. Sometimes they’ll open up in stages as the day approaches. Lotteries have their own timing. They may open weeks or months before a hike.

Add the time and date of reservations to your calendar. And before that date, set up an account with the booking site. Have your first choice of dates, campgrounds and alternate dates ready. If your group could instead go midweek, a day later or in a different time window, you’ll have much better odds.

Don’t assume that “sold out” means no more chance of getting a reservation. People cancel their trips for changing weather, changing plans or because they discover their trailer doesn’t fit. Check often in the two weeks before your trip. But don’t plan much of your trip on a cancellation. And if you can, consider a refundable reservation outside the park.

Build a Plan B that is worth taking

A good backup to your first choice isn’t some consolation prize. It’s another fun day on the road.

If your first choice of entrance or corridor is full, consider nearby state parks, national forests, scenic drives, wildlife refuges and towns. A sunrise overlook outside the main boundary could well be less crowded than the big one inside. And some parks have more than one district. A different entrance could give you a very different day. But don’t assume there wouldn’t be a reservation requirement. Check the rules for the district.

When it comes to campgrounds, consider three rings. First ring: camp in the park. Second ring: private or public camping outside the park. Third ring: a town within a reasonable drive in the morning.

Which ring is best for you depends on your travel style. Families might prefer hookups and showers, while tent campers might happily trade amenities for a dark-sky site and a closer drive to the trailhead.

Build some flexibility into your trip. Park roads often slow down for bison, construction, summer storms, shuttle buses and the fact that everyone wants to see the bison. Let’s say you have a 10 a.m. window to enter the park. Don’t book breakfast 90 minutes away and expect traffic to be easy.

Pack your confirmation and your patience

Before your phone loses service, screenshot or print your reservation confirmation. Cell service is spotty on high-elevation roads, in canyons and at trailheads. And an email sitting in your inbox won’t do much at the gatehouse. Bring your vehicle details and ID from your reservation, plus your entrance pass or payment.

Plan to have water, food, fuel and time for your day. With a timed reservation, you’ll get through the gate. But it doesn’t guarantee a shaded parking spot, a gas station or an open restaurant. If you’re driving an RV, check ahead of time whether there will be fuel and space on the park road. Often the last convenient place to turn around is far behind you.

Often weather will change your plans. An afternoon hike out in the heat may not be wise. A rainstorm could shut down a road or turn a dirt road into a hazard. More important than your reservation is the advice of rangers at a closure or on a trail. And more important still is your own safety.

A reservation is a starting line, not the whole trip

National parks are best when you plan ahead, but they’re also best when you’re curious. Book the access you need, build some time into your day between points of interest and leave a few map pins for places that aren’t included on your reservation.

Maybe it’s a fruit stand on the roadside, a neon sign on a motel, or a pullout where you can see the whole valley spread out below. Your reservation time is important. But it’s in the miles around that time that a road trip can come alive.