Our beloved US national parks are a treasure for millions of people across the world . These preserved places of historical and natural wonder are just waiting to be discovered . The only problem is that it can often feel like millions of people have arrived on the same day you have and are crowding the same parking lots and trails .
In fact , national park visitation has seen a huge uptick in visitors since 2016 and a 30 % increase in just the past three years . With staggering growth such as this , the National Park Service ( NPS ) needed to make some changes . Their solution for crowd control became a reservation and permit system . Whether you love national park timed entry reservations or hate them , the fact is they ’ re here to stay , at least for a few more years .
The good news is that most national parks and monuments do not need any type of reservation or permit for entry . With over 400 parks and monuments without reservation systems — like Grand Canyon , New River Gorge , and Yellowstone — there are plenty of places for exploration and adventure . But if you are headed to some of the most popular parks ( think Rocky Mountain , Yosemite , Acadia , or Glacier ) then you will absolutely need to plan ahead for your visit .
With each national park having its own set of rules and regulations , the reservation systems vary quite extremely from place to place . With changes happening almost daily , it ’ s important to visit each park ’ s official NPS website for the most updated information before you plan to visit in 2022 . If you ’ re not a computer wiz , many parks are happy to answer any questions you have over the phone as well .
Here are a few of the park reservation systems and updates you ’ ll need to know for 2022 :
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