While the number of visitors to the country’s 63 national parks in 2024 has not yet been released, the general trend shows a sharp increase over the last five years — from just over 237 million in 2020 to just under 326 million in 2023.
This is an increase of 13 million recreational visitors (4%), from the year before and a nearly 30% difference from 2020.
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Coming to Glacier in 2025? This is what you need to know
Amid such a large spike in visitors, numerous national parks in remote areas, in particular, have been struggling with everything from staffing to clean up. As a result, parks like Acadia, Yosemite, Mount Rainier, Rocky Mountain, and Glacier have all experimented with a 2024 timed-entry system in which vehicles coming during peak times of year need to book their visit online ahead of time.
Glacier, which sits at the U.S.-Canada border in northwestern Montana, stopped requiring reservations last September. While wintertime is a great time to experience the snow-capped peaks and alpine lakes the park is primarily known for, the vast majority of visitors come during the spring-to-early-fall period.
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For 2025, reservations will be required from mid-June until late September, but the online booking portal will open on Feb. 13, 2025. This is exactly 120 days before the start of the seasonal requirement and allows those who are planning trips in advance to secure their spot early.
Reservations for cars — anyone coming by bicycle or being dropped off without the vehicle driving in can skip this step — will be required until Sept. 28, 2025. Spots for each day will open on a rolling basis 120 days before the visit.
‘A good option for people who are already in the local area’
The spots can be secured on Recreation.gov at any period point in the 120-day period but will stop being available once visitor numbers surpass a certain threshold; another window of reserved spots will also open up for booking the night before each day.
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“The 120-day advance booking window is ideal for people who need to plan their park visit in advance to coordinate with other plans or services in the area,” the NPS writes, “[…] Next-day booking is a good option for people who are already in the local area or are more spontaneous with their plans.”
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The reservation will also differ based on the entrance through which one comes into the park. When booking, one chooses from either the Going-to-the-Sun Road or North Fork road and selects a two-hour increment through which one will drive in: 7 to 9 a.m., 9 to 11 a.m., 11 to 1 p.m. and 1 to 3 p.m.
In past statements, the NPS has justified the time-slot system as necessary both to minimize crowding for visitors and allowing authorities to manage the impact of heightened numbers of visitors.
“The [program]Â helps us maximize the number of people who make the hike and minimize crowding and congestion on the route,” a representative for Zion, another national park that has had a timed-entry system, said in a statement. “We know this from what visitors are telling us, and from rangers have observed since 2022.”
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