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Four fan-favorite national parks in the West have announced their plans for how people can visit them this year.
Arches, Glacier, Rocky Mountain and Yosemite national parks have all implemented vehicle reservation systems for at least the summer visitor season for a few years in order to maintain visitor safety during their busiest time of year.
This year, two of the four national parks are not requiring advanced time vehicle reservations at all, including during the summer.
Arches National Park
Arches National Park in Utah said visitors may enter the park at any time during operating hours for the year.
“We encourage visitors to arrive early, explore lesser-traveled areas if certain locations are busy, and be flexible when enjoying the park,” Arches Superintendent Lena Pace said. “Arches is an International Dark Sky Park, and visiting after hours is highly encouraged. We look forward to working closely with local and state partners as we implement these adjustments and refine our approach to serve visitors while protecting park resources.”
The national park said during their peak season in the summer, vehicle lines at the entrance may occur and park visitors should plan ahead, especially on weekends and holidays.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park in California, similarly, will also not require timed vehicle reservations for 2026.
“Park analysis found that most weekdays maintained available parking, stable traffic flow and visitation levels within the park’s operational capacity. These findings indicate that a season-wide reservation requirement is not the most effective approach for 2026,” Yosemite National Park Superintendent Ray McPadden said.
Visitors are encouraged to come to Yosemite on weekdays instead of weekends and check real-time conditions on the national park’s website before visiting.
Glacier National Park
Montana’s Glacier National Park is scaling back its vehicle reservation for parts of the park this summer.
The national park said vehicle reservations will not be required in Many Glacier, Two Medicine or the North Fork in 2026.
Glacier National Park will continue targeted congestion management in high-demand corridors, including active management of Going-to-the-Sun Road, parking limits at Logan Pass and temporary vehicle diversions if safety thresholds are reached.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado will continue its timed vehicle reservations for summer, beginning May 22.
The reservation system will be similar to 2025, with two types of reservations available, the national park said.
One permit will be for the Bear Lake Road Corridor, which includes the entire corridor, as well as access to the rest of the park.
The second permit will be for the rest of the park, excluding the Bear Lake Road corridor.
The Bear Lake Road Corridor timed entry reservation system will end on Monday, Oct. 19. The rest of the park reservation system will end on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
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