The Trump administration will ditch reservation systems this summer at three of the most visited national parks, scrapping an effort made in recent years to reduce pressure on natural resources and staff at the nation’s crown jewel parks.
Park advocates have championed reservations as tools to protect national parks amid rising public interest. But the move, announced Wednesday, echoes criticism from some Republicans that reservations hobble tourism as well as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s stated goal of elevating access to public lands.
“Our national parks belong to the American people, and our priority is keeping them open and accessible,” said Kevin Lilly, acting assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, in a statement. “We’re expanding access where conditions allow and using targeted tools only where necessary to protect visitor safety, maintain emergency access and preserve these extraordinary places for future generations.”
Arches, Glacier and Yosemite national parks are affected by the decision. All three are among the top 10 most visited national parks and have seen high tourism numbers over the last decade.
A timed entry program at Rocky Mountain National Park will remain in place, according to the park service. The agency said Wednesday the Rocky Mountain program “aligns vehicle entry with available parking and roadway capacity and has operated for multiple seasons in coordination with Colorado officials and gateway communities.”
Reservations are a relatively new approach by some major parks to ease congestion.
Arches National Park started a pilot reservation system in 2022 to address skyrocketing tourism to the desert in Utah. Visitation rose by 73 percent between 2011 and 2021, according to National Park Service data. Overall, visitation at parks has been climbing, hitting a record high in 2024 with 331 million visitors.
Montana’s Glacier National Park launched its reservation program in 2021. In Yosemite, leaders piloted reservations for three years before launching a wide-scale peak hours reservation system in 2024. The park has used reservations during the summer season as well as during Firefall, a busy period in the early spring when one of Yosemite’s waterfalls glows bright orange in the setting sun.
Park advocates, who’ve trumpeted reservations as a success, condemned the changes Wednesday.
Cassidy Jones, senior visitation program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, said it was a rejection of conservation measures.
Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, said the elimination of the reservation system was a “hazardous” call that could create long lines and crowded facilities as well as delay emergency response this summer.
Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), who served as Interior secretary during the first Trump administration, called the Glacier reservations a “vehicle rationing system” that bars people from their public lands.
NPS said Wednesday that it will bolster seasonal staffing at the parks to meet summer high periods as well as use “short-term traffic management measures” to keep parks safe for visitors.
It also advised visitors to take advantage of non-peak hours for visiting. At Arches, the park service recommended night visits. Arches is a “dark sky park,” meaning there are limited man-made lights in the vicinity to reflect back from the sky and blur the night sky.
Cassius Cash, president and CEO of the nonprofit Yosemite Conservancy, on Wednesday urged park visitors to be prepared for the reservation change this year.
“With record visitation in recent years and no reservation system in place this year, we’re asking visitors to come prepared, be patient, and treat the park — and each other — with respect,” Cash said in a statement.
