Bright Angel Campground. (NPS Photo/M. Quinn)
GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — Grand Canyon National Park plans to move its overnight backcountry reservation system to Recreation.gov for all calendar year 2024 and later permits. This move will help streamline the backcountry permitting process by allowing around 80% of backcountry permits to be directly reserved and paid for online.
The new system will provide applicants with greater control and add additional transparency. Applicants will no longer need to submit applications by fax and wait up to a month for the thousands of requests to be considered manually by park staff.
“Moving our backcountry permits to Recreation.gov has many important advantages. We are pleased to be able to modernize our permit process while keeping visitor safety and resource preservation our top priority,” said Park Superintendent Ed Keable.
Backcountry use areas available online will include above rim areas, popular campgrounds along the Bright Angel and North Kaibab Trails, and for the Fall through Spring, all areas between the Hermit Trail and the Grandview Trail including Clear Creek. Remaining use areas and dates will be requested by working directly with staff at the Backcountry Information Center.
Backcountry reservations will initially be offered via an early access lottery on Recreation.gov. Applicants can apply for the early access lottery online over a two-week period that ends on the 1st of the month and matches the current deadline (e.g., Jan 1 for all May start dates; Feb 1 for all June start dates; March 1 for all July start dates, etc.). Through this lottery, up to 750 applicants will be awarded a date and time when they will be eligible to log in to their Recreation.gov account, check availability, and have an opportunity to reserve an itinerary and pay for their reservation.
On the 1st of the subsequent month (e.g., Feb 1 for May start dates) everyone will have immediate access to check availability and reserve any remaining camp space.
Grand Canyon’s Backcountry Permit Charge in the Recreation.gov system will be: $10 per permit or lottery application plus a nightly charge of $12 per person for all below rim areas and $4 per person for all above rim areas.
Refunds of nightly charges will replace Grand Canyon’s Hiker Credit system. To be eligible for a refund, partial or full cancellations will need to be made via Recreation.gov before the backcountry permit is printed and at least 30 days before the permit start date. This 30-day deadline is intended to encourage cancellations to occur in time for others to claim and make use of the cancelled space.
Please visit the Backcountry Permit webpage at www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/backcountry-permit.htm for further information on backcountry permits and the transition to Recreation.gov
— Grand Canyon National Park, in northern Arizona, encompasses 278 miles (447 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. Located on the ancestral homeland of 11 Associated Tribes, Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world—unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers visitors on the rim. Grand Canyon National Park is a World Heritage Site. The National Park Service cares for the special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.