The novelist Wallace Stegner called them America’s best idea, and given their outstanding natural beauty, it’s no surprise that US National Parks are drawing more nature lovers than ever before. It’s also unsurprising, then, that the National Parks Service is being forced to act to reduce congestion on some of the parks’ roads and trails. As a result, a number of popular National Parks have implemented reservation systems to act as crowd-control measures during the busy summer months, which unfortunately means you may not be able to just jump in the car and drive to Acadia or Yosemite on a whim this summer.
To help you navigate the until-now-uncharted waters of the National Parks reservation system, we spoke to outdoor travel expert Alex Schnee, who has traveled extensively in the National Park system. Schnee grew up in Montana where she regularly explored the best hikes in Glacier National Park, and loves the park so much she even got married there. She has also kayaked down the Amazon and hiked to Everest Base Camp, so we figured if anyone can take on the tricky world of permitting, it’s her.
