Will you need reservations to visit Mount Rainier in 2026? Here’s what to know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Park removes timed-entry reservations for summer 2026; NPS will monitor congestion.
- Timed reservations covered Sunrise and Paradise in 2024; Sunrise only in 2025.
- Fees: $15 foot, $25 motorcycle, $30 vehicle, $55 annual, $80 America the Beautiful.
Planning a summer trip to Mount Rainier National Park is now a lot easier.
The park will no longer use a timed-entry reservation system in 2026, according to a Jan. 20 Facebook post from Visit Rainier.
“The National Park Service will continue monitoring congestion and parking conditions throughout the park, but visitors will not need a timed entry permit to enter,” the post said.
This will be the first summer in three years that won’t have a timed reservation system. The park first implemented timed-entry reservations for Sunrise and Paradise in 2024. In 2025, they implemented reservations for Sunrise but not Paradise, due to major construction projects in the area.
Residents had to schedule timed entry reservations by calling 877-444-6777 or going to rec.gov. Reservations cost $2.
In April 2025, the Carbon River entrance to the park became inaccessible after the permanent closure of the Carbon River Fairfax Bridge. This entrance did not require timed-entry reservations before it closed.
Previous posts from the park say the timed-entry reservations were designed to reduce wait times, improve roadway congestion and ease parking issues.
Visitors will still need to pay entrance fees:
- $15 for visitors entering the park on foot or on a bicycle
- $25 per motorcycle
- $30 per vehicle
- $55 for an annual entrance pass to the park for one vehicle
- $80 for a standard America the Beautiful pass, which allows one year of access to all national parks across the country.
To learn more, visit www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 10:00 AM.
