Ever since the pandemic, the number of visitors to the country's 63 national parks has been on a serious incline — 297 million in 2021, 311 million in 2022 and 325 million in 2023.
But while the National Park Service (NPS) encourages people to get to know the nature that surrounds them, the rising numbers of visitors have also brought with it certain problems. Many have been reporting crowding in popular areas while there is not always enough staff or resources to keep up with the garbage and environmental decay that large numbers of visitors also bring.
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As a result, a number of national parks have been experimenting with a slot entry system in which visitors have to register online ahead of time.
After testing the system in 2023, Arches, Yosemite, Glacier, and Rocky Mountain National Parks have all brought it back during the busy summer period in 2024. To secure entry for one's vehicle between May and October, one needs to book a slot on Recreation.gov. If the number of registrants surpasses the park's capacity, it will come up as a pop-up on the site.
Government sites are often challenging, but this should be an improvement
Recreation.gov, which also represents government agencies like the U.S. Forest Service and National Archives and Records Administration, just announced that it has set up phone push notifications that can let one know when a desired time slot opens up (at most parks with a reservation system, booking becomes possible a few weeks before the entry date) or if a booked-out slot is suddenly freed. The push alerts can also be set up for campsite reservations, tours and other activity tickets.
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"You are now able to set Availability Alerts across all reservable camping, ticket, and timed entry reservation locations on Recreation.gov," the government platform wrote in an Instagram (META) post. "Remember, setting an alert does not guarantee a reservation; alerts simply let you know when inventory becomes available that meets your criteria."
The reservation system remains unchanged — as before, one goes on the site and selects what one wants to book out of a drop-down menu — but the push alert will prevent one from needing to refresh the site or check back if something is not available.
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'If there is no availability, select the bell icon to set an alert'
"Find your ideal campsite, ticket, or timed entry reservation, and add your dates," the NPS writes further. "If there is no availability on the dates you selected, select the bell icon on desktop or mobile to set an alert."
Whether or not one will need a reservation will depend on the park one is visiting — most still do not require them — and the time of the year, as those that do it will once again make it possible to pay the entry fee just by driving up once it's past October.
"Mount Rainier National Park has experienced an approximate 40% increase in visitation over the last 10 years, leading to overcrowding during the summer and damage to fragile ecosystems," the Washington National Park Service said earlier this year when explaining reasons for the new system.
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