Bearhat Mountain (right), Reynolds Mountain (left) and Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park / Wikipedia

Glacier, Arches, and Rocky Mountain National Parks have announced they will require timed entry reservations in 2025. So far, reservation systems have proven popular with park goers as the system tends to reduce congestion in some of the country's most heavily visited parks. 

Details are below.

Glacier National Park is bringing back its pilot vehicle reservation system for 2025. From June 13 to September 28, reservations will be required to access the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road and the North Fork from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors can start making reservations on February 12, 2025. As in past years, you can still enter these areas without a reservation outside of those hours.

West Entrance
Starting June 13 through September 28, 2025, a timed entry reservation will be required for vehicles traveling Going-to-the-Sun Road beyond Apgar Village between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. You can still enter without a reservation before 7 a.m. or after 3 p.m. If you have a reservation for lodging, camping, transportation, or other commercial activities within the Going-to-the-Sun Road area, you’ll be able to access these services with proof of your reservation. Only commercial reservations that start beyond the Apgar checkpoint and west of Logan Pass will count as entry passes.

Note that lodging, camping (including Fish Creek and Apgar campgrounds), and commercial activity reservations within Apgar will not grant access beyond the Apgar checkpoint.

North Fork
A timed entry reservation will also be required at the Polebridge entrance from June 13 to September 28, 2025, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can still enter without a reservation before 7 a.m. or after 3 p.m. No reservation is needed to access the community of Polebridge, which is outside the park.

Two Medicine Valley and St. Mary
Vehicle reservations won’t be required to enter Two Medicine Valley or the St. Mary entrance to Going-to-the-Sun Road in 2025. However, entry may be limited during peak hours (usually 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) when areas are too crowded. Visitors with reservations for services like boat tours, lodging, horseback rides, or guided hikes in these areas will be allowed entry during temporary restrictions.

Many Glacier Valley
As previously announced, the Swiftcurrent area in Many Glacier Valley will be closed to public access during summer 2025 due to ongoing construction, which will significantly limit parking availability in the valley. The park is exploring alternative access options for Many Glacier Valley in 2025, with more details to come in a future announcement.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Starting May 23, 2025, Rocky Mountain National Park  will launch its timed-entry reservation system to manage day-use access. This system helps protect natural resources while ensuring visitors enjoy a high-quality experience.

The 2025 timed-entry reservation system will be similar to 2024, offering two types of permits. One permit covers the Bear Lake Road Corridor (including access to the rest of the park) from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., while the other is for the rest of the park (excluding Bear Lake Road Corridor) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations allow entry within a two-hour window, with no set departure time. A $2 processing fee on recreation.gov is the only cost.

The Bear Lake Road Corridor reservation system runs until October 20, while the rest of the park ends on October 14.

Reservations open on www.recreation.gov on the following schedule:

• May 1 at 8 a.m. MT: Reservations for May 24 to June 30.
• June 1: Reservations for July and any unbooked June dates.
• July 1: Reservations for August and any unbooked July dates.
• August 1: Reservations for September and any unbooked August dates.
• September 1: Reservations for October and any unbooked September dates.

Arches National Park 

Arches National Park will roll out its 2025 pilot vehicle reservation system with timed entry starting April 1. The setup will be similar to the 2024 pilot, but no reservations will be needed between July 7 and August 27, 2025 (from right after July 4th weekend until just before Labor Day), when visitor numbers typically drop.

When the timed entry system is active, visitors arriving between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. will need a ticket (unless they have camping, tour, or special permits; concessions contracts; commercial use authorizations; or academic or volunteer fee waivers). No ticket is needed if you arrive before 7 a.m. or after 4 p.m.

Tickets can be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis through Recreation.gov online or by phone, starting at 8 a.m. MST on January 2, 2025. Reservations will be available in three-month blocks.