America’s national parks are among the country’s greatest treasures, offering an accessible glimpse into undisturbed ecosystems and wildlife in their natural habitats. With 63 official national parks and 433 total units managed by the National Park Service, there are plenty of locations to choose from. Even with so many, the less popular National Parks can still see some brutal crowds.
To address the problem of crowding some parks have implemented timed entry passes and reservations, but even there crowds can be innumerable. That’s why no matter what the reservation requirement is for a park getting there as early as possible is highly recommended, or else you could end up waiting in a line like this one filmed at the entrance to Yosemite National Park.
Some parks, like Rocky Mountain National Park, don’t require timed entry permits if you arrive at the entrance before a certain time. The entrance fee will still be paid, but arriving before 9am at Rocky Mountain means you don’t need a reservation and you’ll likely encounter far less crowds. If you’re headed to a national park, whether it requires a reservation or not, consider heading there as early as you possibly can.
