Absolutely true, Tom, and I’ve visited and written about many of them (as I know you are aware). Also worth pointing out that permit systems help prevent degradation of public lands that would otherwise be heavily overused (as I know you are aware).

That is a cool area of the park, Tom. Have a great time. Bring your mosquito repellent, long sleeves, and pants!

Well said. Also worth pointing out that you can backpack on the vast majority of public lands with no permit, and this includes many stunningly beautiful areas.

We are heading to the Shoshone Lake area of Yellowstone in July. I remember day hiking to Lone Star Geyser with my kids years ago and thinking, this would be a cool place to backpack when they are older. They’ve since fledged the nest, but that doesn’t mean their mom and I can’t do it.

That’s awesome, Tom. Congrats! Where are you going and when?

Thanks, Elise, and good luck with your Grand Canyon permit.

Thanks, Alec, and good luck with your permit applications.

I’m going to firmly disagree with most of your assertions. The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service are not justifying their existence through fees: Their existence is justified by the existence and beauty of our national parks and forests.

I think most people understand that charging a cost for a product or service, no matter who is selling it, does not constitute a “power and money grab.” Building and maintaining trails, managing visitors and backcountry access, paying the salaries of employees, etc., all cost a huge amount of money. You can’t walk into a store or restaurant and demand free products and service.

If you’re suggesting all people should be able to enter national parks for free and get free backcountry permits, I’d agree, but that would require Americans paying a lot more in taxes and history has demonstrated repeatedly that Americans are far more comfortable with users paying for what they use than they are with higher taxes for everyone.

I’m not sure what you’re suggesting about how you will “take your chances” if you don’t get a backcountry permit, but it sounds like you’re saying you’ll hike anyway, illegally, and that means you’re likely to create an added impact on natural resources by camping illegally in a place where you shouldn’t; you will also impact the experience of other people because one reason for the permit system is to control the numbers of people in the backcountry and provide some degree of solitude. Hiking without a permit only worsens the situation and adds to the costs behind backcountry permits.

There’s an underlying selfishness and contradiction in your argument. I suggest you simply accept the reality that protecting and preserving America’s National Park System—which the writer Wallace Stegner famously called “America’s best idea,” and which remains cherished and beautiful precisely because we protect and preserve these places—costs money and we all have to pay for it somehow. And please don’t add to that cost by ignoring the rules and laws.

Hi Ethan,

You ask a legitimate, good question. I have done exactly what you describe a number of times, often with success. Still, I’ve learned to plan months ahead and make a permit reservation if at all possible, for a few reasons. First of all, parks all have different rules and procedures for walk-in/first-come permits; in some parks, especially those where a high percentage of all available permits are held for walk-ins, you have a good chance of success. In other parks, you might have to return and stand in line two or even three days in a row. That strategy demands a lot of flexibility on your part and that you’ll be satisfied with whatever you get.

Which leads to the best reason to get a reservation if you can rather than making a walk-in permit your Plan A: The trails you want to hike may be among the highest-demand trails in that park. Those permits get scooped up very fast. You may not get the trip you want.

I’ve reached the point where I’ve seen a lot of many parks and have specific hikes/trails in mind when I’m planning a trip; I prefer the security of having a permit reservation in hand. If you’re really flexible on where you hike and the time you have, and for whatever reasons can’t plan months in advance, a walk-in permit can be a good strategy.

Good luck.

To be more specific, have you ever tried just skipping the online system entirely, booking a flight to the national park and getting to the ranger station at, say 4 a.m. on the day before the intended start date and waiting until opening time (like those iPhone people). I would get there as early as I needed to, armed with a preferred itinerary and several backups, if it was a good strategy. Are there any drawbacks to this/any way you could somehow still not get the permit you wanted?

You’re welcome, Chloe. You’re correct about GTNP holding two-thirds of permits for walk-ins, so there’s a better chance, but there will be many people trying to get one. Check out my stories “How to Get a Permit to Backpack the Teton Crest Trail” (scroll down in it) and “The 5 Best Backpacking Trips in Grand Teton National Park” and my e-guide “The Complete Guide to Backpacking the Teton Crest Trail in Grand Teton National Park.”

Good luck!

That is super helpful, thanks! We’re shooting for the Tetons and I believe 2/3rds are set aside for walk-ups, so I am a little more hopeful haha. I will be sure to check out your other post on last minute permits! Thanks again for the help!

Hi Chloe,

Thanks for the good question, I think that can be confusing. You didn’t mention a specific park, but U.S. national parks all set their own procedure and regulations for issuing backpacking permits and they even use different terms: some parks call them wilderness permits, some call them backcountry permits. They are the same thing and for backpacking, you need just one permit (whatever the name).

The chances of getting a walk-in permit, as you plan to attempt, vary from park to park—they all even differ in the percentage of all permits issued that they set aside for walk-ins. This story provides some details about that for individual parks and you can search at my blog for stories about specific parks to get more details. And August is probably the highest-demand month in most parks.

With patience and flexibility in your schedule, it’s possible to get a walk-in permit. Check out my story “How to Get a Last-Minute National Park Backcountry Permit.”

I can give you a personalized trip plan for any trip you’ve read about at The Big Outside, including tips specific to most parks for getting a walk-in permit. See my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can help you plan your trip and email me at info@thebigoutsideblog.com if you want to discuss that before deciding on it.

Good luck!

Thanks for the comment, Kayla, and good luck planning your trip.

Terrific, good luck, Melissa. I’m considering a Glacier trip this summer, too.

You may already know, but with a subscription to The Big Outside, you get full access to all of my blog’s stories, including the trip planner section at the bottom of stories about trips, where I share details of the itinerary and other logistics and tips on planning this trip. I also have two e-guides to backpacking trips in Glacier, which offer much more detail on planning those trips than blog posts; see my E-Guides page.

Lastly, with my Custom Trip Planning, I’ll help you plan any trip you read about at my blog.

Thanks for the comment. Keep in touch.

Hi Megan,

Thanks for the compliment, I’m glad my tips are helpful to you. Only one person needs to pick up the permit for the party. I’m sure GTNP, like many parks, is seeing unusually high visitation and probably demand for walk-in backcountry permits. Show up at the visitor center at least a couple of hours before it opens to get a spot near the front of the line. I’ve gotten a walk-in permit at Colter Bay before by getting there very early. Bring a hot drink, a warm down jacket, a chair and a book.

I’ve backpacked in the Tetons many times, most recently a year ago this week (an excellent time to be there). If you’d like my personal help planning your trip, including a detailed route that’s ideal for your group and tips on the best campsites, see my Custom Trip Planning page.

Good luck!

Excellent suggestion, Paula, thanks. I always do the same. In fact, I’m planning a September trip to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in Washington, or possibly the Pasayten, because I didn’t get a permit for the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier this year (a rare denial when I follow my own strategies outlined in this story—but the Wonderland is always difficult to get). Of course, given that many parks require applying for a permits at least a few months in advance, you usually have plenty of time to come up with a backup plan. I’ve also maintained a list of trip ideas (for decades now) that I add to whenever I have a new one. I regularly turn to that list when I’m looking to plan my next trip.

Thanks for writing and your nice compliment about my stories in Backpacker.

Thanks, Shannon, I’m glad you found my blog, too. Good luck with your Zion plans and keep in touch.

Thanks, Naomi. Try starting with an easy backcountry trip and experiment with pushing your comfort zone.

Good luck, Howard. And keep trying.

Thanks, Julia, and good luck with your trip planning.

Smart strategy, Tom, and thanks to that you have a great trip ahead of you. Congrats. Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve been to several spots in the Winds, including the Cirque of the Towers several times (https://thebigoutsideblog.com/tag/cirque-of-the-towers/), but not Titcomb yet; and I’ve hiked Buckskin Gulch, although on my most recent backpacking trip of Paria Canyon, we didn’t hike Buckskin because it was flooded (https://thebigoutsideblog.com/the-quicksand-chronicles-backpacking-paria-canyon/). I backpacked through Chicago Basin in the Weminuche some years back and would like to return.

Great advice! 3 weeks ago I applied and got a permit for 8 for July 29th to do a 4-day loop above Yosemite Valley including Cloud’s Rest, only because I decided to start up the Yosemite Falls TH, rather than Happy Isles.

Btw, you must do Buckskin Gulch, and in the Winds, Titcomb Basin and Cirque of the Towers! And in the Weminuche Wilderness, Chicago Basin.

Happy trails, Tom

Hi Faylinn, August is hot in Zion, but the high country like the West Rim Trail will be less hot. See this Ask Me post about backpacking there: https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-whats-your-favorite-backpacking-trip-in-zion-national-park/.

Good luck.