A Guide to Washington’s Backpacking Permit System
Updated: February 5, 2025
Let’s talk wilderness permits in Washington. It’s sore of the bane of all backpackers and while I am usually one to miss deadlines for permit applications, I have many friends who are always on top of it. Part of the problem is every region has a different system, so this is my attempt to make a succinct one-page summary of all Washington permits that you might need to know to plan a summer trip.
Generally if a lottery system is available, you apply during an open period where you get entered into a random drawing. What camps and dates you list pay a factor, though so it’s not 100% random. This is because every region has its own capacity for how many overnight groups or people can be there on a given night. Once the lottery system closes and people have declined or picked their reservations, the rest go out to the public. Then it’s first come first served. Some regions have walk-up permits and others are entirely online, so check it first! And sometimes permits get released back into the system when people can no longer use them.
A note: There are plenty of other places that don’t require a permit where you can still hike to beautiful destinations and lots of walk-up permits that you don’t get them in advance. Sometimes that’s best because weather is not consistent in Washington and you could get rained on for your reservation, so don’t fret too much if you don’t get the permit lotteries.
The cheatsheet
| Location | Summer Permit Lottery | General Online Reservations | Walk-ups | Summer Permit Season | Winter Permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enchantments | Feb 15 - 29 | Starting Apr 1 | Mon-Sat at Leavenworth Ranger Station | May 15 - Oct 31 | None |
| North Cascades NP | Mar 3 - 14 | Starting Apr 29 | Daily at Wilderness Info Center at Marblemount | May 16 - Oct 11 | Self-issued at WIC |
| Olympic NP | N/A | Starting Apr 15 | Same as online | May 15 - Oct 15 | Yes - starting Oct 15 |
| Rainier NP | Feb 10 - Mar 3 | Starting Apr 25 | Same as online | May 26 - Oct 12 | Yes - at Carbon River Ranger Station one Longmire Museum |
| Mount Margaret Backcountry | N/A | Released on the 1st of each preceding month | N/A | May 1 - Nov 30 | None |
| Mt St Helens Climbing Permit | N/A | Released on the 1st of each preceding month | N/A | Apr 1 - Oct 31 | Self-issued at trailhead |
Enchantments
- Overnight Permit Required: May 15 – October 31
- Lottery
- Opens: February 15, 2025 7:00am
- Deadline: March 1, 2025 11:59pm
- Results: March 17, 2025
- Confirmation Deadline: March 31, 2025
- General Sale
- Unclaimed Permits Available starting April 1 at 7:00am, first come first served
- Walk-up permits: Available Mon-Sat starting May 15 at Leavenworth Ranger Station
- Zones: Limited by party: Eightmile, Stuart, Colchuck, Snow
- Limited by person: Core (special privilege to camp in other zones, like a wild card)
- Parking: Northwest Forest Pass for day hiking, included for overnight permits
- Fees: $6 lottery nonrefundable, successful permits $5/person/night
- Forest Service Info
- Reserve at recreation.gov
North Cascades National Park
- Overnight Permit Required: year round
- Summer Reservations Available: May 16 – October 11
- Winter Permits: self-issued at WIC or by email
- Early Access Lottery
- Opens: March 3, 2025
- Deadline: March 14, 2025 9:00pm
- Results: March 21, 2025
- Confirmation Deadline: April 21, 2025 9:00pm
- General Sale
- Opens: April 29, 2025 7:00am
- Online Reservations: available up to 2 days before trip
- Walk-up Permits: first come first served, available within 24 hours in advance at the WIC
- Zones: cross country zones and specific camp sites – see the Wilderness Trip Planner
- Parking: Northwest Forest Pass for most trailheads
- Fees: $10/person permit + $6 transaction fee
- National Park Info
- Reserve at recreation.gov
Olympic National Park
- Overnight Permit Required: year round
- Summer Reservations Available: May 15 – October 15
- Higher Elevation Camps (Glacier Meadows/Elk Lake, Lake Constance, Flapjack Lakes): June 15 – October 15
- Alpine Camps (Grand Valley, Royal Basin, Upper Lena Lake): July 1 – October 15
- Seven Lakes Basin/High Divide Season: July 15 – October 15
- Winter Permits: Available starting Sept 15 online
- General Sale: April 15 at 7:00am online only
- Campsites: see the Wilderness Trip Planner
- Entry: National Park Pass covers parking
- Fees: $8/person/night + $6 reservation fee
- National Park Info
- Reserve at recreation.gov
Mount Rainier National Park and Wonderland Trail
- Overnight Permit Required: year round
- Climbing Permit: additional to overnight, required for travel above 10,000 ft on glaciers (Camp Muir excluded)
- Summer Reservations Available: May – October 12
- Winter Permits:
- Online reservation available for groups of 13+
- Walkups for groups 12 or fewer at Carbon River Ranger Station or Longmire Museum
- Climbing permits October – April self register at Paradise Old Ranger Station
- Early Access Lottery
- Opens: February 10, 2025 7:00am
- Deadline: March 3, 2025 7:00pm
- Results: March 14, 2025 (individual access window to reserve)
- General Sale
- Opens: April 25, 2025 7:00am
- Online Reservations: available up to 2 days before trip
- Walk-up Permits: first come first served, available within 24 hours in advance at the WIC
- Campgrounds: For Ohanapecosh and Cougar Rock $20/night
- First-come, first-served season: May 28, 2025 – June 24, 2025 and September 7, 2025 – October 13, 2025
- Peak season (online reservation require – on a 6-month rolling basis): June 24, 2025 – September 6, 2025
- Campsites: see the Wilderness Trip Planner
- Entry: National Park Pass covers parking
- *NEW* 2024 Timed Entry Reservations:
- Paradise Corridor: Required for May 24 – September 2, 2024 every day 7am – 3pm
- Sunrise Corridor: Required for July 3 – September 2, 2024 every day 7am – 3pm
- No additional reservation needed if you have reservation with any of the following:
- For Paradise Corridor: National Park Inn at Longmire, Paradise Inn, Cougar Rock Campground (entry after 1pm)
- For Sunrise Corridor: White River Campground
- Wilderness Permit or Special Use Permit (check permit for details)
- Booking windows: Reservations open at 8am
- Starting February 21, 2024 for May 24 – June 30, 2024 (Paradise only)
- Starting April 1, 2024 for July 1 – July 31, 2024 (Paradise and Sunrise – starts July 3)
- Starting May 1, 2024 for August 1 – September 2, 2024 (Paradise and Sunrise)
- Fees: $6 lottery/reservation non-refundable fee, $20 recreation fee for online reservation (free in person), $26/trip for Wonderland up to 13 consecutive nights.
- National Park Info
- Backcountry Reservations at recreation.gov
- Timed Entry Reservations at recreation.gov (different than backcountry)
Mount Margaret Backcountry
- Overnight Permit Required: May 1 – November 30
- Permits Released: 7:00 am on the 1st of each preceding month (i.e. April 1 permits released for May 1-31)
- Parking: Northwest Forest Pass
- Fees: $7/person/night + $6 reservation, non-refundable fee
- Mount Margaret Info
- Reserve at recreation.gov
Mount Saint Helens Climbing Permit
- Climbing Permit Required: year round
- Limited quota enforced: April 1 – October 31
- Permits Released: 7:00 am on the 1st of each preceding month (i.e. April 1 permits released for May 1 – 31)
- Winter Permits: Free, self-issued at trailhead
- Parking: Washington State Sno-Park Pass in winter, Northwest Forest Pass (or National Park Pass) in summer
- Fees: $20/climber/day
- Mount Saint Helens Info
- Reserve at recreation.gov
*all times are PST
WIC = Wilderness Information Center
Final Thoughts
You’ll also need to check group sizes, they vary from region to region but the permits will specifically say how many people it covers. Sometimes for the National Parks, it might be smart to request the full permit size since many are group limited as opposed to person limited. If it ends up you can’t go anymore, please remember to release/return your permits so someone else has a chance to get out there!
National Park Annual Pass also works on all National Forest land as well. Discover Pass (state) is not interchangeable with any of the national forest/park passes. Sno-park (state – winter only) pass is also not interchangeable with any other passes. Check before you go to see which pass is required.
Photos shot on Canon 5D Mark IV