Does Bryce Canyon Require Reservations?

With visiting national parks as popular a vacation as it is, naturally, we run into problems with crowding.  There’s too many people wanting access to accommodate.  Even Bryce Canyon runs into this problem.  So, you might naturally wonder if you need a reservation to enter Bryce Canyon National Park or to enjoy its facilities.  Today, we address that very question: does Bryce Canyon require reservations?

Reservations for the Park

While Bryce Canyon can become overcrowded occasionally, currently, there are no reservation requirements for most of what the park has to offer (including park entrance).  You need not worry about enough space for you and your party.  The park is plenty big enough to handle most of the traffic it receives.  The classes and ranger talks are free and require no reservations either.

Reservations and Lotteries to Access Special Areas

With several NPS sites requiring licenses and permits to access popular areas of the parks, you might naturally ask if Bryce Canyon has any of these requirements.  The answer is ‘no.’  There’s no special permit areas accessible only by winning a daily or advanced lottery.  So, happily, you can enjoy visiting the entire park without worrying about those pesky lottery permits.

Camping Reservations

Bryce Canyon currently offers 2 different campground within the park.  They are the North Campground and the Sunset Campground.  The Sunset Campground is the only one of the campgrounds to accept reservations.  Use this link to book your reservation.  There are 100 separate campsites which are available on a 6 month rolling basis.  The North Campground offers 99 separate campsites which are available purely on a first-come, first-served basis.  No reservations required.

Backcountry Reservations

Currently, you do need to fill out a backcountry permit and reserve your campsite to camp in the backcountry areas of the park.  You may either fill out an advanced permit up to 3 months in advance or simply walk in and complete your permit.  Use this link to reserve your Bryce Canyon backcountry campsite ahead of time during peak season (March to November).  For backcountry campsite reservations during December to February, your only option is to walk in.  They will reserve a spot for you up to 48 hours in advance during the winter.

The backcountry campsite reservations are subject to availability.  If you want to reserve your preferred backcountry campsite, then the earlier you reserve it, the better.

Please be aware that you will need to complete more than a simple permit application to receive permission to camp in the backcountry areas of Bryce Canyon.  There are fees and inspections involved.  Use this link to keep up-to-date with the latest requirements for backcountry permits.

Conclusion

So, does Bryce Canyon require reservations?  The answer is yes, but for very limited applications.  You should set up a reservation for the Sunset Campground or for backcountry camping if you plan on using either option.  Other than those specific instances, Bryce Canyon requires no reservations to enjoy the park.  You may come and go as you please.

Since you’re checking out Bryce Canyon reservation information, you might want to also read up on my free Bryce Canyon travel guide.  It answers many other questions you might also have about your next trip to Bryce.  Check it out here.