Which US National Parks Need Reservations In Summer 2023?
Anyone planning a visit to the US National Parks this summer should check before leaving for the trip. This is due to the fact that several parks now require advance reservations to visit. If you are looking forward to having fun out in nature this summer, read on to find out which national parks do require an advance reservation.
Which US National Parks require advance reservations?
Of the 63 US National Parks, most do not currently require a reservation to visit. However, several popular national parks do require a reservation to visit the park or even a particular section of the park.
During 2020 and 2021, with the pandemic, it was natural that people wanted to head out into nature, exploring America’s amazing national parks. For this reason, several parks have introduced reservations to limit overcrowding in some of the most popular national parks. Also, less visitors means less damage caused by too many visitors.
Meanwhile, reservation fees are reasonable but must be paid in addition to the national park entrance fee. This fee varies from park to park and is, on average, around $30 per vehicle. Let’s look at which popular national parks require a reservation for the summer of 2023.
Glacier National Park, Montana
While a reservation is not required to enter Glacier National Park itself, it is needed to access some of the most popular locations in the park. These include the popular Going-to-the-Sun Road, Many Glaciers, North Fork and Two Medicine.
A reservation is required from May 26 through September 10 from 6 am to 3 pm. Reservations can be made on this website and the cost per vehicle is $2.
Arches National Park, Utah
Reservations are required to visit Utah’s Arches National Park from April 1 through October 31, between 7 am and 4 pm.
A reservation can be made at Arches National Park on this website and the fee per vehicle is $2.
Acadia National Park, Maine
A reservation isn’t required to enter Acadia National Park itself. However, it is required to drive the popular, scenic Cadillac Summit Road from May 25 through October 22. A fee of $2 is charged per vehicle and a reservation can be made on this website. On top of this, an additional admission fee of $4 is required to access the popular road.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Another highly popular national park that requires reservations this summer is Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. This fee is required to enter the park from May 26 through October 22, from 5 am through 6 pm. A reservation can be made on this website and the cost is $2 per vehicle.
Haleakalā National Park, Hawaii
In the case of Hawaii’s Haleakalā National Park, it sees its largest crowds of visitors during the early hours of the morning. this is due to the fact that the park is a very popular place to watch that gorgeous Aloha sunrise.
This means that visitors planning to arrive between 3 am and 7 am will require a reservation to be able to watch the sunrise from the park. Reservations can be made on this website, while the cost per vehicle is $1.
Zion National Park, Utah
Zion National Park in Utah can be visited without a reservation. However, a reservation is required if planning to do the popular Angels Landing hike. Moreover, this particular site is so popular, it can be hard to get a reservation as so few are available. For this park, reservations can be made on this website and the cost in this case is $6 per person.
Remember always to check ahead to find out the status of your preferred US National Park to ensure you have a trouble-free vacation by visiting recreation.gov.