How to Get the Most Competitive Wilderness Permits

Yosemite National Park, CA

Climb the iconic cables on Yosemite's most famous landmark. The preseason lottery fills in minutes.

~15% odds12 min read

Rim-to-Rim

Very High

Grand Canyon NP, AZ

Cross the Grand Canyon from North Rim to South Rim through two billion years of geology.

~25% odds13 min read

Zion Narrows

High

Zion National Park, UT

Wade 16 miles through the Virgin River in America's most famous slot canyon.

~30% odds9 min read

Glacier NP

High

Glacier National Park, MT

Explore the Crown of the Continent with grizzlies, glaciers, and pristine alpine lakes.

~40% odds10 min read

Bright Angel

Grand Canyon, NPS

Sleep at the bottom of the Grand Canyon where the Colorado River has carved a mile-deep gash through 2 billion years of Earth's history.

🌲Wilderness & Canyons(46 guides)

Protected backcountry and slot canyons requiring advance permits

The Wave

Vermilion Cliffs, AZ/UT

Otherworldly sandstone formations at Coyote Buttes North. Only 64 people per day allowed.

~5% odds10 min read

Enchantments

Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA

Turquoise alpine lakes, golden larches, and granite peaks. The Core Zone lottery has 3-5% odds.

~4% odds12 min read

Havasupai

Havasupai Reservation, AZ

Turquoise waterfalls in a hidden Grand Canyon tributary. Reservations sell out in seconds.

N/A odds10 min read

Four Pass Loop

Maroon Bells, USFS

Cross four 12,000+ foot passes in 28 miles through Colorado's most photogenic wilderness, where the Maroon Bells and Snowmass Peak frame every vista.

Conundrum Hot Springs

Maroon Bells, USFS

Soak in natural hot springs at 11,200 feet after a 17-mile round trip through one of Colorado's most beautiful valleys.

Conundrum Hot Springs

Maroon Bells, USFS

Soak in natural hot springs at 11,200 feet after a 17-mile round trip through one of Colorado's most beautiful valleys.

🥾Thru-Hikes & Rivers(4 guides)

Multi-day trails and river trips requiring permits

JMT

Sierra Nevada, CA

211 miles from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney. The Donohue Pass lottery is one of the most competitive in the country.

~10% odds15 min read

Wonderland Trail

Very High

Mount Rainier NP, WA

93 miles circling Mount Rainier through alpine meadows and glacial valleys.

~20% odds11 min read

Middle Fork

Idaho Rivers, WSR

Float 100 miles through the largest roadless wilderness in the Lower 48, where hot springs steam beside the river and the only sounds are rapids and elk calls.

GC Rafting

Colorado Rivers, WSR

Run 226 miles of the Colorado River through the deepest gorge in North America, past 2-billion-year-old rock and over 160 rapids.

⛰️Mountaineering(4 guides)

Technical peaks requiring climbing permits

Mt. Whitney

Inyo National Forest, CA

Climb the highest peak in the Lower 48 (14,505 ft). The day hike lottery is brutal.

~15% odds11 min read

Denali

Denali, MTN

Stand on the roof of North America at 20,310 feet, where the mountain's raw scale and arctic conditions create the most demanding mountaineering objective in the Western Hemisphere.

Rainier

Mt. Rainier, MTN

Climb the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 states, where crevasse-laced ice fields and 9,000 feet of vertical gain test your mountaineering skills within sight of Seattle.

Whitney Mountaineer's

Mt. Whitney Mountaineer's, MTN

Climb the highest peak in the contiguous United States via its steep, technical winter route, where 2,000 feet of snow and ice replace the summer trail crowds.