Mount Rainier National Park is the most recent unit of the National Park System to announce that you’ll need a reservation to enter the most popular areas of the park during the busy summer months. At the same time, Shenandoah National Park has announced that a pilot program it’s been running for two years for access to Old Rag will be permanent going forward.
Reservation systems to get into national parks are controversial. Many folks argue they hinder spontaneity in travel, others like the assurance of knowing they can get into a national park such as Arches, or Rocky Mountain, or Glacier, at a specific time on a specific day.
To explore the issue of reservations systems in the parks, we’re joined today by Cassidy Jones, the senior visitation manager for the National Parks Conservation Association who keeps an eye on these programs, how they’re operating, and whether they make a difference.
0:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
0:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
0:51 Blue Mist - Randy Petersen - The Sounds of Shenandoah
1:13 Interior Federal Credit Union
1:41 Great Smoky Mountains Association
2:07 Episode 258 - National Park Reservation Systems
24:43 Vista Verde - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of Peaks, Plateaus and Canyons
25:02 NPT Promo
25:43 Episode 258 - National Park Reservation Systems Continues
42:41 No’Easter - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
43:17 Episode Closing
43:40 Orange Tree Productions
44:13 Splitbeard Productions
44:24 National Parks Traveler footer
- By Jess Repanshek - January 21st, 2024 7:00am
Comments
Unfortunately it sounded like Ms. Jones had never had the privilege of attempting to enter a National Park using a permit issued by recreation.gov. Ms. Jones sounded like a promoter of daily permits and not representing an organization that works to make National Parks better.
I with Kurt had asked her if she had ever tried to purchase or use a daily entry permit. I suspect her comments would have been significantly different.