In the United States, most backpacking require a permit, and there are often limits on the number of hikers per day, so booking in advance is crucial.
I wish I could summarize it simply as “Here’s how to do it” but unfortunately, the reservation methods and rules vary by location. So, I’ll give examples using both government-operated sites and private sites.
- Sierra Nevada 🏔️
- Havasupai 💧
1. Sierra Nevada 🏔️
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range boasting three national parks and includes the John Muir Trail (JMT), one of the world’s three great trails.
🖥️ Where to Make Reservations
Reservations are made on the government-operated website recreation.gov. Within the site, the reservation pages are divided by area, so you should make your reservation on the page for the park where your starting point is located. Even if you cross park boundaries while hiking, reservations are based on your starting point.
- 🔗 Yosemite National Park Wilderness Permits
- 🔗 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness Permits
If you’re starting outside a national park, you can reserve here:
Click the blue Explore Available Permits button at the top right to start your reservation.
⏰ When to Make Reservations
If you try to reserve now, the permits for your desired dates are likely already gone, or the reservation window hasn’t opened yet. To know when reservations open, read the Overview section of each park. Rules differ by park, so check carefully for the exact start time.
For example, Inyo National Forest has simple rules: reservations open 6 months before your desired date at 7 a.m. It’s easy to miss if you don’t read carefully. It’s explained in the red-highlighted section of the screen below.
Yosemite is more complex. Reservations are made via a lottery 24 weeks in advance, with applications accepted for an entire week. You don’t need to watch the clock—just mark the date on your calendar. You’ll be notified of the lottery results by email the following Monday.
Even if you lose the lottery, you still have a chance. If winners don’t pay or if the quota isn’t filled, remaining permits become available. This happens Friday at 9 a.m.. This information can only be found by reading the lower sections closely. 👇
💡 Many leftover permits are surprisingly available on Fridays. Here’s why: you can list preferences from 1 to 8 when applying. The cost is the same whether you list just your top choice or all eight.
A person of great integrity might only enter their initial plan, but people like me often fill in options they are even slightly considering.
When one of those lower-priority options is selected, people sometimes abandon the reservation process when they have to answer extra questions and pay the fee corresponding to the group size to finalize the permit. That’s likely why these permits become available.
📝 How to Make Reservations
Clicking the blue Explore Available Permits button introduced above will prompt a few questions. After answering them, it displays a table of available trailheads and dates.
If you know the trailhead’s name, you can find it directly in the table on the left, or you can click on the starting point on the map on the right to confirm its name.
Selecting your start date at the trailhead will take you to the next page.
After answering a few more questions, you’ll be asked to enter the Exit Date (the day you finish backpacking). Then, you’ll indicate where you plan to camp each night.
The first night is a mandatory entry, and only places reachable within a day from the trailhead are listed, making it easy.
From the second night onward, all locations in the Sierra Nevada are listed, which can be a bit tedious. Filling in accurate information isn’t mandatory, but it can help in emergencies.
⚠️ Important Notes
The permit page will indicate whether you can print your permit yourself or must pick it up at a designated location. If you don’t print or pick up your permit within the specified time, your reservation may be canceled.
If you can print at home, you can start hiking any time in the afternoon. If you must pick it up in person, failure to pick it up by the designated time may result in cancellation, and the permit could be given to someone else.
2. Havasupai 💧
Havasupai is a bucket-list destination for many. Some people even start backpacking just to visit here. The combination of turquoise waterfalls and red rocks is famous, and it borders the Grand Canyon.
Summer is too hot to hike in, winter is too cold for swimming, and getting a permit during the ideal season is very difficult.
🖥️ Where to Make Reservations
Reservations are made through the 🔗 Havasupai Reservations website. The design is a bit confusing—you must log in first—but it is the official site. This site only provides minimal reservation info. For updates and useful news, check the official Facebook page frequently.
🗓️ When to Make Reservations
The entire year’s worth of reservations are released all at once at 8:00 a.m. Arizona time on February 1. It’s simple but inflexible. Since it’s not government-operated, the rules can change, so please check every season.
In 2024, they introduced a new ‘Presale’ system during Jan 5–18. For an additional fee of $15, this gave applicants a chance to choose their preferred dates in advance. Those who won the lottery received the benefit of purchasing permits before the general reservation opened.
If you can’t wait until next year and want a permit, you can buy cancellations. Click the red-highlighted Cancellations / Transfers List button, and new permits are updated every morning at 8 a.m. Arizona time.
Two months before my desired date, I set alarms and checked every morning for 14 days and eventually got a permit from cancellations.
📝 How to Make Reservations
Here’s the reservation button:
Click it, enter the number of people, and a calendar shows available dates.
Dates without a number are unavailable. (At a glance, it looks like a page error. Numbers are hidden instead of grayed out! 🤦)
Permits are fixed at 3 nights, 4 days, and you can only book four consecutive days. If days aren’t consecutive, you can’t reserve.
Once you select a date with four consecutive days available, a Continue button appears at the bottom of the page, allowing you to finalize the reservation.
⚠️ Important Notes
- It’s best to register an account and enter personal/payment info in advance. This will save time during the reservation process later.
- Permits are expensive and non-refundable. If you cancel, you must sell it to someone else. If nobody buys it, no refund is given. Even if sold, a significant fee is deducted.
💬 If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment!
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