The Ultimate Guide to National Park and Wilderness Lotteries

The bottom of the Grand Canyon offers a unique outdoor experience, no doubt about it. 

There’s no motorized transportation to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. You either hike in, ride a mule, or take a raft down the Colorado River. Day trips are simple, but overnight stays at Phantom Ranch? That’s where the lottery comes in.

Cabins and meals at the Ranch require reservations, and the lottery helps ensure fair access. Backcountry camping outside reservation campgrounds is also on the lottery system. Applications open well in advance, and leftovers are sometimes released closer to your desired visit. 

Translation: plan early and cross your fingers.

While most of the park isn’t on a lottery system, there are certain high-demand campgrounds and trails that are. In 2022, the park decided to test the method for North Pines Campground and received more than 22,000 applicants for the 640 time slots available. The result was that almost half of all sites and dates were reserved before general access booking.

The early access lottery for North Pines Campground takes place in late November, with applicants being notified near the end of December. Successful lottery applicants will have an opportunity to make a reservation during the early access period. Any remaining availability will be released on the usual on-sale dates (five months in advance on the 15th of the month) beginning February 15. The lottery system is still new, and changes may be made as time goes on. Be sure to check Yosemite’s page for dates and official information. 

Half Dome hiking permits are another highly sought-after prize now relegated to the lottery system. The Half Dome cables are put up each spring and taken down each fall, typically from the Friday before Memorial Day through the Tuesday after Columbus Day. These dates are condition-dependent and may vary from year to year.

The pre-season lottery relies on two processes. The first application occurs throughout March, with results announced mid-April. The goal of hiking permits is to hit the right volume of traffic. So what about cancellations, you ask? Well, Yosemite has a second lottery to grant access to people who didn’t make the cut in the pre-season drawing. You can apply for these passes 2 days in advance of your desired hiking day, and you will hopefully get your good news the same evening.

If bears are your thing (they should be), a visit to Katmai National Park is probably on your bucket list. An afternoon overlooking Brooks Falls during a summer salmon run will provide plenty of entertainment. 

Staying in Katmai National Park runs the gamut from a permitless backcountry experience, to lottery-free campground reservations, to a stay at Brooks Lodge… but only if you’re lucky on that last one.

The application period generally begins on December 1 and runs through December 31. Winners are contacted by the end of January in the order they are drawn. 50% of your booking fees will be due within 7 days of confirmation, so have finances in order when you apply.  

Another canyon river that draws a crowd is the Snake River, which forms the boundary between Idaho and Oregon. Multi-day float trips are common, given the length of the river, and designated first-come, first-served campsites are scattered along the way. 

Snake River in Hells Canyon participates in the 4 Rivers Lottery Float Reservation System. Application periods begin on December 1 and end on January 31 to issue permits for the following Primary season, which begins on the Friday before Memorial Day and ends on September 10. Dates with extra openings are released to the public in March.

Be sure and communicate a cancellation if you need to! Failing to do so will result in ineligibility for future lotteries.

The Snake River Floaters’ Guide is full of information to make sure your trip is thoughtfully planned.