2020 OUTDOOR ADVENTURE PERMIT CALENDAR

Source: https://www.outdoordetour.com/permits

UPDATE JANUARY 29, 2020 - Added Mount Rainier dates and permit/camping info. Also adding a “Rolling Permit” section at the top for all permits with no specific dates (ex: apply 6 months before your desired trip date).

UPDATE JANUARY 14, 2020 - Corrected Zion dates and added separate dates for Subway permits.

UPDATE JANUARY 13, 2020 - Half Dome Cables dates for 2020 announced and updated below.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota

BOUNDARY WATERS // PHOTO: © JIM BRANDENBURG

Jan 29: Boundary Waters reservations for all permits open 9:00am ET

Boundary Waters contains over 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 12 hiking trails and over 2,000 designated campsites.
Permits are required for any overnight trip between May 1 and September 30.
For any overnight trips between October 1 and April 30, simply fill out a self-issued permit at any of the Boundary Waters entry points.
Walk-up permits may be obtained at any permit issuing station on the entry date or one day prior, however reservations are highly recommended.
All permits for all entry points are available January 29 at 9:00am CT and can be booked online via Recreation.gov

Quick Links:

Brooks Camp Bear Watching, Katmai National Park, Alaska

BROOKS CAMP BEAR BRIDGE // PHOTO: MARK MEYER

Jan 05: Brooks Camp reservations open for the entire season (Jun 1 - Sep 17) Camping

Brooks Camp is only open June 1 to September 17.
I know camping sounds crazy, but the Brooks Camp Campground is surrounded by an electric fence and it’ll be about $1,000 less than any of the lodges available up there. They provide most standard campground amenities. They do have fire rings but visitors are not allowed to cook any food over the fire, because, ya know, BEARS!
There are lodges available through Bristol Adventures but they’re expensive and they do a lottery for the chance to reserve a lodge 1.5 years out.

Quick Links

Brooks Camp Campground (Website // Permits // Map)
Brooks Camp Live Webcams!
Brooks Camp Hiking Trails
Fantastic write-up of a couple’s Brooks Camp experience at RandomCurrents.com

Conundrum Hot Springs, Colorado

CONUNDRUM HOT SPRINGS // PHOTO: FLICKR USER WANDERSTRUCK

2020 dates for Conundrum Hot Springs permits have not been announced yet.

The Conundrum Hot Springs are located about 8.5-miles (17mi. RT) from the Conundrum Creek Trailhead at 11,200ft above sea level. (Hike info on AllTrails). There are 20 campsites available for advance reservation on Recreation.gov.
The best time to visit Conundrum Hot Springs is July-September. From early October through the end of June the campsites and trail are snow-covered, the trailhead is inaccessible to vehicles, avalanche hazards exist in the valley and route finding is difficult.
These hot springs have been historically overused and abused in the past, leading to the current permit system. PLEASE do not abuse this area or any others and be sure to LEAVE NO TRACE!
The trail starts at 8,800 feet elevation and crosses Conundrum Creek 3 times along the way. Primitive log bridges span the first and the second crossings, but the third crossing requires wading through the creek which can be extremely difficult depending on the time of year and snowpack.

Quick Links

Denali Road, Denali National Park, Alaska

DENALI ROAD // PHOTO: NIC MCPHEE

May 01: Denali Road lottery application period opens for the entire month May 31: Denali Road lottery application period ends.

For 4 days in September, lucky permit winners are given the chance to purchase a single day-long permit which lets them drive as much of the Denali Park Road as the weather conditions allow. If the park has seen early snow, the Park Road might only be open as far as Savage River (mile 15). Otherwise, you will typically be able to drive all the way out to Wonder Lake (mile 85). Only 1,600 permits are awarded (400 per day), and last year there were 12,600 applicants.
Lottery applications are accepted from May 1 – May 31 on this Recreation.gov website.

Quick Links

Denali Road Permit Lottery Registration at Recreation.gov

Enchantments, Washington

ENCHANTMENTS // PHOTO: CLEVERHIKER.COM

Feb 15: Enchantments permit lottery registration opens 7:00am PT Feb 29: Enchantments permit lottery registration closes 11:59pm PT Mar 7: Enchantments lottery results published 1:55am PT Apr 01: Enchantments unclaimed permits returned to reservation system 7:00am PT

A permit is required for all overnight trips in the Enchantments between May 15 and October 31. Permits allow your group to camp overnight in one of the five permit zones within the Enchantments Permit Area (map).
If you plan on day-hiking or thru-hiking, simply fill out a free day-use permit at your starting trailhead.
The five permit area zones are (map):
Core Enchantment Zone: 5 groups per day
Snow Lake Zone: 3 groups per day
Colchuck Lake Zone: 5 groups per day
Stuart Lake Zone: 5 groups per day
Eightmile/Caroline Zone: 4 groups per day

Camping

Eightmile Campground is the best campground in the area to stay at the night before or after your trek.
Advance reservations are available online 6 months prior to your arrival date. Book your campsite here.

Bridge Creek Campground just down the road from Eightmile, but it’s first-come first-served and they only have six single campsites.

Quick Links

Glacier National Park, Montana

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK // PHOTO: ME! (RANDY JOHNSON)

2020 dates for Glacier Nat’l Park backcountry permits have not yet been announced.

NEW FOR 2019: All permit applications received on March 15 ONLY will be entered into a random lottery, and ALL applications received after March 15 will be processed in the order that they were received in.

Overnight Permits

ALL permits applications received on March 15 ONLY will be entered into a random lottery, and ALL applications received after March 15 will be processed in the order that they were received in.
Official Glacier website for backcountry reservations. Read the info and then follow their link to Pay.gov to complete your applications.

Camping Advance Reservations (ALL other campgrounds are first-come first-served)

Fish Creek Campground
Many Glacier Campground (half of campsites are first-come first-served)
St. Mary Campground

Quick Links

Glacier backcountry wilderness permits

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

GRAND CANYON NORTH RIM // PHOTO: ME! (RANDY JOHNSON)

Jan 20: Grand Canyon backcountry permit applications accepted for June trips Feb 20: Grand Canyon backcountry permit applications accepted for July trips Mar 20: Grand Canyon backcountry permit applications accepted for August trips Apr 20: Grand Canyon backcountry permit applications accepted for September trips May 20: Grand Canyon backcountry permit applications accepted for October trips Jun 20: Grand Canyon backcountry permit applications accepted for November trips Jul 20: Grand Canyon backcountry permit applications accepted for December trips Aug 20: Grand Canyon backcountry permit applications accepted for January trips Sep 20: Grand Canyon backcountry permit applications accepted for February trips Oct 20: Grand Canyon backcountry permit applications accepted for March trips Nov 20: Grand Canyon backcountry permit applications accepted for April trips Dec 20: Grand Canyon backcountry permit applications accepted for May trips Rim-To-Rim Quick Links

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Jan 08: Grand Tetons Nat’l Park permit applications accepted 8:00am MT Feb 11: Grand Teton backcountry permit reservations go live Overnight Permits

Backcountry reservations go live on the January 8, 2020 at 8:00am MT. Reserve your backcountry permits here.
A third of all backcountry reservations become available January 8, 2020 via Recreation.gov.
The backcountry brochure has pretty much all the information you could ever need to plan your trip.

Teton Crest Trail The Teton Crest Trail covers 38-miles through the Teton Range, but there are many different options to hike it. Normal backcountry wilderness permits are required if you plan to hike the trail. Utilize the Grand Teton backcountry brochure to plan your trip. The Clymb has a great guide for different hiking routes and obtaining permits. Camping There are a handful of campgrounds within the park that you can book here, but the neighboring Bridger-Teton National Forest offers the best free dispersed camping areas in the entire country, in my opinion. Winter Camping Primitive winter camping is allowed in the plowed parking lot adjacent to the Colter Bay Visitor Center for $5 per night from December 1 to April 15. Camp on the snow covering the parking lot. Pay at the self-pay station by the restroom. Backcountry camping is allowed throughout the year. You must obtain a backcountry permit, free of charge. Call the permits office 307-739-3309 for more information, or check the backcountry brochure.

2020 OUTDOOR ADVENTURE PERMIT CALENDAR

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