PermitSnag is one person and a scanner
Me. That’s the whole team.
No investors, no co-founder, no company. I have a day job. I started PermitSnag after missing the Enchantments lottery two years running, and it got bigger than I planned.
How it started
The first version was a script. It checked one permit page every few minutes and texted me when something opened. It worked.
Friends asked if they could use it. Then their friends. It grew into a scanner that watches every permit on this site, and all of that goes on my personal card before anyone pays me.
In summer it roughly works out. In winter it doesn’t come close. Nobody books a summer permit in December, and the scanner still has to be alive in February when the lotteries open.
Our Mission
Make backcountry permits accessible to everyone who wants to experience America's wilderness, regardless of whether they can monitor availability all day.
Speed
Alerts within seconds of availability, not minutes
Trust
We never store your credentials or book on your behalf
Access
Equal opportunity regardless of schedule or tech savvy
How PermitSnag Works
24/7 Monitoring
Our system checks permit availability across Recreation.gov, California State Parks, Utah State Parks, and BLM lottery systems. Pro and $19 single-permit watches are checked about every minute; free watches are checked hourly.
Instant Alerts
When a permit you're tracking becomes available, we notify you immediately via push notification, SMS, or email. You choose how you want to be alerted.
Fast Lane Booking
Fast Lane takes you to the official page for that exact permit and names the starting area and site that opened, so you spend your seconds booking instead of searching.
What We Track
We cover permits across National Parks, National Forests, California, Utah, and more.
Who builds this
One engineer who kept losing lotteries
Day job on weekdays, permits the rest of the time
I write software, and I spend most of my free time trying to get into places that make you apply first. After a couple of seasons of lost lotteries and missed cancellations I built PermitSnag to solve my own problem, and it grew from there.
Get in Touch
Based in California
PermitSnag is headquartered in California, USA. We serve outdoor enthusiasts across the United States who are seeking backcountry permits and campsite reservations.
Ready to Snag Your Next Permit?
Join thousands of outdoor enthusiasts who use PermitSnag to secure hard-to-get permits.