If you’ve been building a bucket list that includes some of North America’s most spectacular outdoor experiences, you’ve probably heard of Recreation.gov. A virtual battleground of sorts, where people line up at their keyboards months in advance and wait for the clock to strike midnight. They charge into battle, clicking and refreshing furiously to obtain coveted camping reservations and permits to access some of the most sought-after corners of our great nation — campsites and recreational experiences that only a select few win the rights to each year. 

What Is Recreation.gov?

If you aren’t familiar with the site, Recreation.gov (or sometimes referred to as rec.gov) is the federal government’s platform for booking various activities on public lands from camping to hiking, rafting, climbing, backcountry access, and more.

If you don’t want to duke it out online in hopes of winning pricey permits and camping reservations, our great nation is home to plenty of dispersed camping opportunities that are free and first-come, first-served (check out our Guide to Dispersed Camping: No Reservations Needed). Not all epic recreational activities are bound by permitting requirements, but there are certain experiences, and often very high-desire ones at that, where you’ll have to play by the rules of rec.gov if you want to gain access. 

5 Worthwhile Permits and Camping Reservations on Recreation.gov 

Permits aren’t pointless. They help protect irreplaceable landscapes and ecosystems from overuse, especially in the age of social media geotagging. You can also use recreation.gov as a means to discover new places and experiences that you might not otherwise have known of. 

Need something to look forward to? Here are 5 one-of-a-kind campsites to reserve and adventures you can get permits for on recreation.gov.  

Pinion Flats Campground - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

On average, nearly half a million people travel to the San Luis Valley to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve each year. Although the San Luis Valley appears to be chock-full of vast swaths of empty land, camping can be surprisingly hard to come by.

Camping in the park will require you to snag a pretty competitive reservation, but taking chances with a first-come, first-served site nearby is hit or miss.

Pinion Flats Campground is located inside the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. 88 campsites accommodate everything from tents to 35ft RVs; electric and water hookups are not available. 

This is the only option for vehicle camping inside the park. If you’re willing to hoof it on foot, getting a backcountry permit is less competitive and allows you to backpack in the park. 

Great Sand Dunes sees a ton of traffic between May and September each year. Especially May through early June, when visitors hope to get lucky and plan their trip during a small window when Mosca Creek flows through the base of the dunes, transforming the park into southern Colorado’s best beach. 

If you want the experience of camping inside the preserve, or you don’t want to risk driving all the way to the San Luis Valley and not finding a spot to camp, Pinion Flats Campground is the reservation to make. Reservations open six months in advance and are difficult to get, especially for consecutive days and over weekends. Mark your calendar and be ready to book your dates as soon as the reservation window opens. 

PINION FLATS CAMPGROUND RESERVATIONS

Zapata Falls Campground - San Luis Valley, Colorado

Didn’t win your dates to camp at Pinion Flats Campground? Zapata Falls Campground is another campground near Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. It also requires camping reservations from recreation.gov, but they’re a little easier to get. 

In fact, Zapata Falls doesn’t have to be relegated to a second-string campground. It’s pretty awesome in its own right. With 23 campsites accommodating tents and RVs up to 50 feet, a short but steep hike to Zapata Falls accessible right from camp, and some of the best aerial views of the San Luis Valley (and the Great Sand Dunes), this reservation might just be your first choice.

The drive from Zapata Falls Campground to the main entrance of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is only about 20 minutes. There are no electric hookups or potable water available at the campsite. Reservations open six months in advance.

ZAPATA FALLS CAMPGROUND PERMITS

The Wave (Coyote Buttes North) - Paria Canyon/Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona

Iconic rolling hills of striped red sandstone. A permit to visit The Wave, AKA Coyote Buttes North, inside the Paria Canyon/Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, is a hot ticket — and not an easy one to get.

Permits to day hike Coyote Buttes North must literally be won through a lottery. You have two options: enter the advanced lottery or enter the daily lottery. 

• The advanced lottery opens four months in advance of the month the permit is issued for. (i.e., want a permit for October? Apply during June.) Winners are announced at 9 am MT on the first of the following month (July 1st, in the scenario mentioned above). 

• If you’re located within a designated distance of Coyote Buttes North, you can use a mobile device (specifically a mobile device, not a desktop, because navigating arbitrary rules and semantics is part of the fun of using recreation.gov) to apply for the daily lottery two days in advance of your (tentatively) planned hike. The application window is open between 6 am and 6 pm Utah time, and winners are announced at 7:15 pm. 

Both lotteries require a $6 fee to enter; whether you win a permit or not, the fee is nonrefundable. 

If you win the daily lottery, you must be present to pick up your permit the following morning at 8 am local time. Access to hike in the Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness area requires an additional $7 fee per person/dog on top of the application fee. 

Also, keep in mind that some people choose to hire a guide when hiking Coyote Buttes North. It’s a 6.4-mile round trip to the Wave formation, and the trail is not marked, although you are provided guidance and GPS coordinates from the permitting center. 

THE WAVE ADVANCED LOTTERY PERMIT APPLICATION

THE WAVE DAILY LOTTERY PERMIT APPLICATION 

Watchman Campground - Zion National Park

Zion National Park is another national park where campsites within a reasonable distance can be tough to come by. You’ll find some very pricey “glampground” style accommodations and RV parks, but these also book out in advance during peak season (March through November). 

There is some dispersed camping nearby if you’re willing to be competitive and show up early. If you want a surefire spot with your name on it, and you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg to camp in your own tent or RV, snagging a campsite reservation inside the park is the way to go. It’s also a one-of-a-kind way to experience Utah’s most popular national park. 

There are two campgrounds inside Zion National Park, the South Campground and the Watchman Campground. Both are near the park's south entrance in Springdale, Utah. They’re within walking distance to the shuttle and visitor center. 

However, the South Campground has been closed for rehabilitation since 2024. It’s projected to reopen sometime this year (2026). 

• The Watchman Campground is open year-round. Camping reservations open up six months in advance and do book out. 

• WHEN AVAILABLE: Site reservations for the South Campground open 14 days in advance of the booking start date. Reservations are available mid-March through the end of October. 

We won't speculate on the renovations being made to the South Campground, but the Watchman Campground is well equipped with non-electric tent sites and RV sites, as well as RV sites with electric hookups. Bathrooms and potable water are also available. 

WATCHMAN CAMPGROUND RESERVATIONS

Dinosaur Green and Yampa River Permits - Dinosaur National Monument

The first LavaBox iteration was created to solve the issue of safe, reliable campfires on river trips. So naturally, this list has to include one of the most sought after river permits in the west.

Scoring a permit to float these sections of the Green and Yampa rivers isn’t easy. There are only 300 permits issued during the high season each year, and one permit is issued per day during low season. But for those interested, this is a river trip that’s almost guaranteed to be a core life experience. It’s one of the only ways to explore this remote section of Dinosaur National Monument, with some epic campsites and famous rapids along the way.

The Dinosaur Green and Yampa River permit available through recreation.gov lets you put in at the Gates of Lodore Campground on the Green River or on the Yampa River at the Deerlodge put in. Both are located inside Dinosaur National Monument, and both sections converge at Echo Park before continuing down the Green River to the Split Mountain takeout.

The permits are awarded through a highly competitive lottery. Applications are open from December 1st to January 31st annually. Winners are notified on February 12th and must confirm their reservation and pay the $185 fee by March 1st, or they risk losing their permit. The application fee is $15. It’s nonrefundable whether or not you receive a permit. 

DINOSAUR GREEN AND YAMPA RIVER PERMITS