Which national parks need an entry reservation
Rocky Mountain National Park is the only U.S. national park in this catalog that requires a timed-entry permit to drive in.
Arches National Park, Glacier National Park, and Yosemite National Park do not.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park sells a park-wide parking tag on Recreation.gov. It is not an entrance reservation, and driving through without parking needs none.
These requirements are set season by season. A page that still tells you to book Yosemite, Glacier, or Arches timed entry is repeating a programme those parks retired.
Park-wide timed entry
| Park | What it is | What the park says | Park page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountain National Park | Timed-entry permit to drive in | Rocky Mountain National Park requires a timed-entry permit to drive in during its permit season, booked on Recreation.gov rather than bought at the gate. | Timed entry and tours |
| Arches National Park | Not required | Arches National Park does not require a timed-entry reservation, though Devils Garden Campground and Fiery Furnace hikes still do. | Timed entry and tours |
| Glacier National Park | Not required | Glacier National Park does not require a vehicle reservation, though Logan Pass has ticketed shuttles and time-limited parking. | Timed entry and tours |
| Yosemite National Park | Not required | Yosemite National Park does not require an entrance reservation, after the park retired its timed reservation system for the season. | Timed entry and tours |
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.
A park-wide booking that is not entry
Required to park for longer than 15 minutes anywhere in the park. Entry itself is free, and driving through without parking needs no tag.
Great Smoky Mountains parking tag can be bought up to six months ahead, and is not a contested release.
Parking and tour bookings at Great Smoky Mountains National Park
By state
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- Which national parks in Montana need a reservation
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- Which national parks in Ohio need a reservation
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- Which national parks in South Dakota need a reservation
- Which national parks in Tennessee need a reservation
- Which national parks in Texas need a reservation
- Which national parks in U.S. Virgin Islands need a reservation
- Which national parks in Utah need a reservation
- Which national parks in Virginia need a reservation
- Which national parks in Washington need a reservation
- Which national parks in West Virginia need a reservation
- Which national parks in Wyoming need a reservation
Related lists
Common questions
Which national parks need an entry reservation?
Rocky Mountain National Park. Great Smoky Mountains National Park sells a parking tag that does not gate driving in.
Does Yosemite National Park need a timed-entry reservation?
No timed-entry permit is required to drive into Yosemite National Park. Campground and trailhead bookings there are a separate system.
Is the Great Smoky Mountains parking tag an entrance reservation?
No. Visitors who simply drive through Great Smoky Mountains National Park do not need one. The tag is only for parking more than 15 minutes.