Arches is another good example, Mike, thanks for spotlighting that.

Finally, a few minutes later one became available again (I suspect someone else who had two people trying to make reservations released one) so we got extremely lucky and got one site. By two minutes after the reservation system opened everything was long gone. In contrast, booking campsites for our hike across the Grand Canyon was, as you mentioned, much easier (although it did take 3 years to get an October reservation), while hiking the Olympic coast was blissfully easy.

Thanks for sharing that, Robert. I agree, some of the other parks and wilderness areas have a rec.gov page that’s easier to navigate and use. In fact, your observations and those from other people make a cogent argument for having more consistency between permit reservation systems across all parks.

Thanks for sharing the details of your experience with the GTNP permit system, Joseph. Yours is a common story, from what I’ve seen and heard. It is sometimes feasible to add nights to an itinerary walk-in, but that obviously poses the risk of being disappointed after you’ve committed time and expense to get there.

I’m glad that my Teton Crest Trail e-book was helpful to you.

You bet, Brian. Good luck.

Thank you, Michael!

Thanks for your observations about your experience with GTNP’s permit system, Brevin. I suspect that many people agree with your thoughts on it.

Hi Brian, thanks for sharing your experience; it seems very common. To answer your question, because about two-thirds of backcountry camping zone space is held for walk-in permits, it’s disproportionately easier to get a walk-in permit than to reserve one in advance: Far more people are trying to make a reservation with far less a percentage of permits available to reserve. For walk-in permits, I’m sure demand is greatest in August and it tapers off through September. So the number of people lining up at the visitor center before it opens to be near the front of the line for the backcountry desk will taper into September. The earlier you get there, long before the visitor center opens, the better your chances of getting what you want. But I think you’d still be able to get a permit for a nice hike, even if it’s not for the exact itinerary you’d like.

That same year, I reserved a permit to dayhike Mount St. Helens, and it worked the same way. Fortunately, demand for that permit apparently isn’t as high, so I was able to reserve the permit when I logged in. Out of curiosity, I checked later in the day and there were still permits available. They do sell out, but not in the first few minutes.

I am thinking of going out to Grand Teton in August or September, but I didn’t try to obtain a permit because I don’t know for sure if/when we are going to go. I know (from reading your blog) that a lot of backcountry permits are held back for walk-ins. Do you think it’s possible to walk in and get a permit for a 4-day, 3-night itinerary on the TCT?

Thanks for sharing your experience, Brian.