The National Park Service (NPS) in the United States announced on the 18th that during the summer of 2026, the three most popular national parks in the country will no longer require reservations for entry.
Visitors planning to visit Yosemite National Park in California, Arches National Park in Utah, and Glacier National Park in Montana will no longer need to book their trips in advance.
The Acting Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks at the US Department of the Interior, Kevin Lilly, stated in a press release, “Our national parks belong to the American people, and our priority is to keep the parks open and accessible.”
This decision was made by the NPS after reviewing the infrastructure of each park, visitor demand, and coordinating plans with local governments.
Lilly mentioned, “Where conditions allow, we will increase access to the parks and only take targeted measures when necessary to ensure visitor safety, maintain emergency access, and preserve these extraordinary places for future generations.”
Officials at Yosemite are planning to increase staffing at key intersections during peak times to quickly address congestion hotspots. They will also implement “dynamic parking management” in Yosemite Valley to improve parking issues. Dynamic parking management often involves active coordination, guidance, and control of parking flow.
Yosemite National Park Superintendent, Ray McPadden, expressed, “While the reservation system has been a valuable management tool, our data shows that requiring reservations for the entire season may not be the most effective approach for the upcoming tourist season.”
Glacier National Park plans to implement a shuttle system with fees starting on July 1 to transport visitors from the parking lot to Logan Pass. Private visitor parking at Logan Pass will be limited to three hours.
Park Superintendent Dave Roemer said, “Through these new trial measures, we aim to enhance the convenience for visitors to tour Logan Pass in a short time while ensuring that the shuttle system can carry out transportation tasks more stably and clearly.”
He added, “These measures reflect our continuous learning and listening attitude. In the process of optimizing park traffic and access, we can better serve the public and maintain the integrity of park resources.”
Arches National Park still requires visitors to have a valid entry permit before entering.
Park Superintendent Lena Pace noted, “We encourage visitors to arrive early, explore less crowded areas if some locations are congested, and maintain flexibility while visiting the park.”
“Arches National Park is an International Dark Sky Park, and we highly encourage visitors to explore during the night,” she said. “We look forward to working closely with local and state government partners to continuously optimize management while implementing these adjustments, finding a balance between serving visitors and protecting park resources.”
Several national parks, including Yosemite, began widely implementing a reservation system in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions.
According to statistics, in 2024, US national parks collectively received over 331 million visitors. Visitor data for 2025 has not been released yet. ◇