Wilderness Permits Reservation Window

Sixty percent of wilderness permit reservations are processed by lottery 168 days before the start date of your hike. Submit your reservation application online one day prior (169 days) to the lottery date, as specified in the chart below. The deadline for all lottery entries is 11:59 pm, 169 days in advance. All applications are entered into a lottery; the exact timing of when you apply (if you apply 169 days in advance) has no effect on your likelihood of success.

Forty percent of wilderness permit reservations are processed by lottery 14 days before the start date of your hike. Submit your reservation application online one day prior (15 days) to the lottery date, as specified in the chart below. The deadline for all lottery entries is 11:59 pm, 15 days in advance. All applications are entered into a lottery; the exact timing of when you apply (if you apply 15 days in advance) has no effect on your likelihood of success. (These permits are normally available first-come, first-served at wilderness centers but are being distributed only by online lottery in 2021.)

You can also submit an application any time from 168 days to four days before the start date of your hike to have your application reviewed in the next day's workbooks. However, many popular trailheads fill the first day they become available (168 or 14 days in advance).

We will send an email with your application result within 24 hours of the processing date listed below. If you do not receive the email, check your spam folder. If you still don't receive the results, contact us.

When to Make a Reservation

Entry date	Apply for 2-week-out lottery	Apply 24-week-out lottery

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