With winter still in full swing, it can be hard to think ahead to dry trails and mild nights camped out in the alpine. But if you’re not already planning your 2024 adventures, you might miss the boat on being able to visit some of the most sought-after hiking destinations in the country this year. Backpacking permit lotteries open as early as the first week of January, and the window for securing your ticket to backcountry bliss closes fast. Here’s how to make sure you get your chance to visit the following popular destinations in 2024.
If you want to reach one of the southwest’s most iconic views from this perch above Zion Canyon, you’ll need a permit. This gives you access to hike the chains from Scout Lookout to Angels Landing.
A seasonal lottery takes place on recreation.gov—there are four different drawings for each time of year. This is a pilot program, meaning adjustments still being made annually by the Park Service. Zion currently uses a ranked choice system for allocating permits, and you can choose up to 7 days and times you’d like to hike. You can list up to six people on your permit application. Be sure to list your dates in order of preference. There’s a $6 application fee plus $3 per person if you score a permit. Applications for spring hikes (March 1 through May 31) close tomorrow January 20th. The seasonal lottery for summer hikes (June through August) opens on April 1, with notifications sent out on April 25. Select day-before lotteries also take place during the high season for last-minute reservations. The fall hike lottery (for hikes September through November) will open on July 1.
Access to Scout Lookout, just a half mile below Angels Landing via the West Rim Trail, does not require a permit. There are plenty of other non-permitted hikes within Zion that are well worth the effort: A bottom-up hike through the famous Virgin River Narrows requires no advance planning (other than bringing the proper gear, of course).
This permit grants you day-use access to the Instagrammable geologic sandstone formation in Coyote Buttes North on the Utah-Arizona border.
Four months before the start of your dream trip, visit recreation.gov and apply for a $9 permit. If you need a permit for May, for example, apply in January. A maximum of 64 people are granted permits each day. If you’ve won the lottery and will receive a permit, you’ll get notice the first day of the month after you applied. So, if you applied in January, you’ll receive an acceptance notice February 1 for your permit in the month of May.
You may only submit one application per lottery. You can apply for multiple months in a year, but not multiple permits in a month.
There are lots of scenic trails in the area that you can just show up and hike. Check out Mars-like rock formations in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, no paperwork or permit required.
Minnesota’s crown jewel for canoe campers and hikers alike offers life list trip opportunities for those who plan ahead.
Permits are required year-round for both overnight hiking and paddling in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The wilderness area employs a quota system during the high season, where entries are limited at access points. There’s no lottery—permits are granted on a first-come, first-served basis.
From May through September, overnight hikers and paddlers must obtain a quota permit through recreation.gov. Free, self-issue day use permits are available year round to dayhikers, and for overnighters during the off-season (October 1 through April 30). A permit is for one group, but there are limits to group size: no more than nine people and four watercraft per party (this includes camping together, on the water, and at portages).
Permits for all entry points will become available on the last Wednesday of January at 9 AM central.
During quota season, a per person recreation fee of $16 ($8 for children under 17). Advanced reservations require a deposit of $32 (if the recreation fee for your party is less than $32, the difference will be reimbursed when the permit is issued). There is also a non-refundable $6 reservation fee.
The Timber-Frear canoe route, also in Superior National Forest, is a popular paddling alternative to the Boundary Waters. The route links a series of lakes with seven portages, and there are plenty of backcountry camping opportunities.
This trail runs approximately 11 miles along Kauai’s north shore from Keʻe Beach to the Kalalau Valley. It’s been named one of the most beautiful—yet most dangerous—hikes in the country. The trail is steep and narrow, with adrenaline-spiking dropoffs and natural hazards, such as falling rocks and strong water currents. But being able to see Hawaii’s blue oceans, dense forests, tall mountain peaks, and rushing waterfalls—all within one hike—make it all worth it.
Permits are available 90 days out from your trip date and sell out quickly, especially during peak times of the year. The permit’s governing entity only allows 60 hikers on the trail at one time, so you might have to throw a few elbows when reserving your spot.
As early as 90 days before you want to hit the trails, reserve your permit on the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resource online reservation system. Select your date and reserve your spots. Important note: The permit also serves as your entry reservation into Hā’ena State Park.
You don’t need one for the first two miles of the trail. Without a permit, you can still go on a lovely out-and-back 4-mile hike that will show you some of the best views of Kauai. For hikers wanting to stay within the 2-mile boundary, find more information here.
For some of the best beach hiking California has to offer, you’ll need to plan ahead.
Permits are required all year for overnight use, with a quota system in place during parts of the year. May 15 through September 15, 60 people will be granted entry. For the rest of the year, only 30 permits are available each day. As of October of last year, “Permits are sold on a 3-month rolling window reservation system. Each day, new permits will become available for 3-months in advance,” according to the Bureau of Land Management. The daily reservation window opens at 7:00 a.m. pacific. A single walk-up permit is available daily at the King Range Visitor Center. There is no recreation fee for individuals and families, but you will need to pay a $6 reservation fee.
Head north to the Oregon Coast Trail, whose 400 miles along the Pacific don’t require a permit for backpackers. Not up for a thru-hike? Check out one of 10 sections which each have a character all their own. Just keep in mind that since the vast majority of the trail is frontcountry, you’ll need to keep an eye on campsite reservations or alternative lodging options.
It’s not surprising that the trail to the highest point in the Lower 48 is a popular one. In 2022, 26,750 hopeful hikers submitted applications to summit Whitney. With 100 dayhikers and 60 backpackers allowed on the trail every day from May to October, you’ll need to fight for your spot.
It doesn’t matter if you’re dayhiking or backpacking this trail—all hikers between May 1 and November 1 have to apply in the lottery for a permit within that time frame. Applications for the lottery are open between February 1 and March 1, and results are posted March 15. From then, you have until April 21 to confirm your winning lottery and to pay the $15/person reservation fee. Apply for the lottery here. When applying, you rank your top 10 favored trip dates, which gives you the best chance at snagging a spot on this bucket-list hike. Consider your fitness and expertise level when selecting dates: If you don’t have much experience hiking in snow or ice, don’t try this trail before late June or after mid-October.
If you didn’t win the lottery the first go-around, dates from unclaimed lotteries are put online for web reservation at 7 a.m. PT April 22. Unfortunately, there are no walk-up permits for this trail. If you want to try some high-altitude hikes in 2023, there are lots of 14ers within driving distance of Whitney that don’t require a permit. Try White Mountain Peak, and if you’re dayhiking, you don’t need a permit for Split Mountain, Mt. Langley, Mt. Sill, Middle and North Palisade, or Mt. Williamson.
North Carolina’s Liville Gorge, home to cascading waterfalls and viridescent mountain vistas, limits overnight permits within the wilderness boundary on weekends from May to October.
Recreation.gov issues 50 permits per night on Fridays and Saturdays during the high season, 35 of which become available one month in advance. Permits are also required for Sunday nights during select long weekends, such as Memorial Day, Juneteenth, and Labor Day. The window for booking permits ahead of time opens on the first day of the previous month at 10 a.m. eastern. The remaining 15 permits become available three days ahead of time.
Camping on Table Rock, one of Linville Gorge’s most scenic summits, does not require a permit. Looking for a slightly longer hike? You don’t need a permit to hike the 30-mile Art Loeb trail, which offers some of the most strenuous climbs to long views over Pisgah National Forest.
If you’ve seen a picture of Yosemite, you’ve Half Dome. Each year, thousands of people reach this famous summit, which was at one point considered impossible to scale because of the sheer slope of the granite. The park installs cables each spring and takes them down each fall.
You don’t need the permit to be on the trail itself, but you do need a permit for the final cable ascent. The preseason lottery application occurs throughout March, and you’ll find out if you won a spot on the cables on April 11. If you want to hike on the date you’ve selected, you have until May 19 to accept the preseason lottery. Apply here.
Only 225 hikers are allowed beyond the base of the subdome every day, so permits are hard to acquire. There are daily lotteries available between May 22 and October 13 of this year (dates might adjust based on conditions on the bookending dates). Apply here for a permit two days before your desired hike.
If you aren’t able to get any permit whatsoever, the 14-to-16 mile round-trip hike to the base of the cables is still worth it. Even without a permit, you’ll be able to pass Vernal and Nevada falls and soak in panoramic views of Yosemite Valley from above.
From 2024
