Rocky Mountain still needs a timed entry reservation until October 12. Arches, Glacier and Yosemite do not.

Rocky Mountain is the one big park on this list still gating entry this fall. Arches, Glacier, Yosemite and Mount Rainier all dropped their entry reservation requirements for 2026, so if your route runs through any of those four, there is nothing to book.

The Park Service said so in a February 18, 2026 release, verified today. Arches “will not implement a timed entry reservation system in 2026.” Glacier “will not require a park-wide vehicle reservation system in 2026.” Yosemite “will not require advance reservations in 2026, including during peak summer months.” Rocky Mountain “will continue its timed entry reservation system during peak visitation months, from late May through mid-October.” Mount Rainier announced its own version a week later, on February 25: no timed entry “for any portion of the park in 2026.”

The two Rocky Mountain permits, and when each one stops

The park’s timed entry page, verified today, splits the system in two, and the end dates are six days apart.

The general permit, covering everywhere except Bear Lake Road, is required between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily through Monday, October 12, 2026. The Bear Lake Road permit is required between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily through Sunday, October 18, 2026.

The reservation itself costs a $2 non-refundable Recreation.gov processing fee. That is not an entrance fee and it does not include one.

The gap most people miss

Straight from the same page: “You can enter the park before 9 a.m. or anytime after 2 p.m. without a timed entry reservation.”

If you are sleeping on public land outside the park and driving in, that is the whole answer for everywhere but Bear Lake Road. An early start or a late one skips the booking, the fee, and the wait to see whether you get a slot. The trade is real, though: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. is exactly when the trailhead lots fill anyway.

Bear Lake Road is different. Its window is 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., which leaves almost no day outside it, so plan on booking for that corridor until October 18.

If you do want an October slot

Rocky Mountain releases permits a month at a time at 8 a.m. MDT. Reservations for October 1 through 18 open on September 1. A second batch for each date opens at 7 p.m. MDT the night before, which is the one to watch if you are already parked nearby and deciding in the morning.

Dropping the reservation requirement does not mean everything is walk-up. Arches still requires an entrance pass and still takes reservations for Devils Garden Campground and the Fiery Furnace.

Check the park’s own plan-your-visit page in the week you travel. Parks suspend and reinstate these systems, construction moves the dates, and the park’s page is the version that counts. If you are building a Colorado trip around the shoulder season, our Colorado free camping page is the place to start on where you can sleep outside the boundary.