When national park reservations open
Sourced release rules for 23 facilities at 5 parks. Most of the Recreation.gov facilities in this catalog have no sourced window here; those are omitted rather than guessed.
Every sentence below is a cadence, not a calendar year. Work backwards from the night you want.
Sourced release rules
| What opens | Park | Cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountain National Park timed entry | Rocky Mountain National Park | Rocky Mountain National Park timed entry is released a whole month at a time, on the 1st of the month one month earlier, at 8:00 a.m. Mountain time. |
| Angels Landing permits for spring hikes | Zion National Park | Angels Landing permits for spring hikes is drawn once a year: applications open 13 February and close 25 February, Mountain time, covering hikes from 1 March to 31 May. Results follow on 26 February. |
| Angels Landing permits for summer hikes | Zion National Park | Angels Landing permits for summer hikes is drawn once a year: applications open 1 April and close 20 April, Mountain time, covering hikes from 1 June to 31 August. Results follow on 25 April. |
| Angels Landing permits for autumn hikes | Zion National Park | Angels Landing permits for autumn hikes is drawn once a year: applications open 1 July and close 20 July, Mountain time, covering hikes from 1 September to 30 November. Results follow on 25 July. |
| Angels Landing permits for winter hikes | Zion National Park | Angels Landing permits for winter hikes is drawn once a year: applications open 1 October and close 20 October, Mountain time, covering hikes from 1 December to 28 February. Results follow on 25 October. |
| Zion canyoneering daily lottery | Zion National Park | Zion canyoneering daily lottery runs a same-day draw: apply the day before you want to go, between 12:01 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Mountain time. |
| Half Dome day-hiker permits | Yosemite National Park | Half Dome day-hiker permits is drawn once a year: applications open 1 March and close 31 March, Eastern time, covering hikes from 22 May to 15 October. Results follow in mid-April. |
| Seawall Campground at Acadia | Acadia National Park | Seawall Campground at Acadia is released a whole month at a time, on the 1st of the month six months earlier, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. That release covers 90% of sites; the remaining 10% opens 14 days before arrival. |
| Great Smoky Mountains parking tag | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Great Smoky Mountains parking tag can be bought up to six months ahead, and is not a contested release. |
| Upper Pines Campground | Yosemite National Park | Upper Pines Campground is released a whole month at a time, on the 15th of the month five months earlier, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. |
| Lower Pines Campground | Yosemite National Park | Lower Pines Campground is released a whole month at a time, on the 15th of the month five months earlier, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. |
| North Pines Campground | Yosemite National Park | North Pines Campground is released a whole month at a time, on the 15th of the month five months earlier, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. |
| Wawona Campground | Yosemite National Park | Wawona Campground is released a whole month at a time, on the 15th of the month five months earlier, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. |
| Hodgdon Meadow Campground | Yosemite National Park | Hodgdon Meadow Campground is released a whole month at a time, on the 15th of the month five months earlier, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. |
| Tuolumne Meadows Campground | Yosemite National Park | Tuolumne Meadows Campground is released a whole month at a time, on the 15th of the month two months earlier, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. That release covers 50% of sites; the remaining 50% opens 14 days before arrival. |
| Bridalveil Creek Campground | Yosemite National Park | Bridalveil Creek Campground opens 14 days before your arrival date, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. |
| Crane Flat Campground | Yosemite National Park | Crane Flat Campground opens 14 days before your arrival date, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. |
| Tamarack Flat Campground | Yosemite National Park | Tamarack Flat Campground opens 14 days before your arrival date, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. |
| White Wolf Campground | Yosemite National Park | White Wolf Campground opens 14 days before your arrival date, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. |
| Yosemite Creek Campground | Yosemite National Park | Yosemite Creek Campground opens 14 days before your arrival date, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. |
| Porcupine Flat Campground | Yosemite National Park | Porcupine Flat Campground opens 14 days before your arrival date, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. |
| Camp 4 | Yosemite National Park | Camp 4 opens seven days before your arrival date, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. |
| Half Dome daily lottery | Yosemite National Park | Half Dome daily lottery runs a same-day draw: apply 2 days before you want to go, between 12:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Pacific time. |
Related lists
- Which national parks need an entry reservation
- First-come, first-served national park campgrounds
- Which national parks in Alaska need a reservation
- Which national parks in American Samoa need a reservation
- Which national parks in Arizona need a reservation
- Which national parks in Arkansas need a reservation
- Which national parks in California need a reservation
- Which national parks in Colorado need a reservation
- Which national parks in Florida need a reservation
- Which national parks in Hawaii need a reservation
Common questions
When do national park reservations open?
There is no single date. Each sourced facility publishes its own cadence — a rolling number of months, a monthly block, an annual lottery, or a day-before draw.
When do Yosemite camping reservations open?
Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, Wawona, and Hodgdon Meadow Campgrounds are released a whole month at a time, on the 15th of the month five months earlier, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. Other Yosemite campgrounds open on a two-week or one-week rolling window. Half Dome day-hiker permits are a separate lottery.
When does Seawall Campground at Acadia open?
Seawall Campground at Acadia is released a whole month at a time, on the 1st of the month six months earlier, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. That release covers 90% of sites; the remaining 10% opens 14 days before arrival.