Hiking · Backpacking · Mountaineering
Never miss a permit deadline.
The big permit lotteries close months before your trip. Trailbrief tracks the windows for 11 of the most competitive U.S. permits and emails you before each one opens. When you're ready, we'll build your whole trip plan.
Free. A few emails a year, timed to the permit windows. Unsubscribe anytime. See our privacy policy.
Planning a specific trip? Get a full Trip Pass for $29
Why trips fall apart
Big trips fail in the planning, not on the trail.
Windows you didn't know existed
The Mt. Whitney lottery closes March 1 for summer hikes. Miss it and you're fighting over leftover dates and cancellations.
Rules scattered across agencies
Every park and forest runs its own system: annual lotteries, monthly lotteries, weekly lotteries, on-sale dates. None of them remind you.
Training and gear left too late
Most people start training a few weeks out and pack from ten different blog lists. Big objectives take months of steady build-up.
Free permit calendar
The big windows, in one place.
Annual, monthly and weekly lotteries for the trips people plan a year ahead. Sign up and we'll remind you before the ones you care about open.
| Permit | Managed by | How it works | Next window | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon backcountryOvernight backpacking below the rim · AZ | Grand Canyon National Park | Monthly lottery16th of the month to the 1st (5pm MST), about 4 months before your start month | Apr 2027 starts: Nov 16 – Dec 1Results: After each monthly lottery closes | RecurringOfficial page |
| Yosemite wilderness permitsBackpacking, including JMT starts in Yosemite · CA | Yosemite National Park | Weekly lotteryWeekly, 24 weeks before your start date (application weeks run mid-November to early May) | Weekly from mid-November 2026 (for late-April 2027 starts onward)Results: Emailed after each weekly lottery | RecurringOfficial page |
| The Wave (Coyote Buttes North)Day hike, advance lottery · AZ / UT | Bureau of Land Management | Monthly lotteryApply any time during a month for hike dates 4 months later | Mar 2027 hikes: apply in NovemberResults: Drawn at the start of the following month | RecurringOfficial page |
| Havasupai (Havasu Falls)3-night campground or lodge stay · AZ | Havasupai Tribe | On-sale date2026 season: early access Jan 21 – 31, general sale Feb 1 at 8am Arizona time | 2027 dates not announced yetResults: Instant (first come, first served) | Dates TBAOfficial page |
| Mt. WhitneyDay use and overnight · CA | Inyo National Forest | Annual lotteryFeb 1 – Mar 1 | Feb 1 – Mar 1, 2027Results: Mar 15 | RecurringOfficial page |
| Angels LandingSeasonal lottery (spring hikes) · UT | Zion National Park | Seasonal lotteryFour seasonal lotteries a year. The 2026 spring lottery ran Feb 13 – 25 | 2027 dates not announced yetResults: A few days after each lottery closes | Dates TBAOfficial page |
| The EnchantmentsOvernight permits, advance lottery · WA | Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest | Annual lotteryHeld each February. The 2026 lottery ran Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Mid-February 2027 (dates posted in January)Results: Posted to your Recreation.gov account in March | Dates TBAOfficial page |
| Mount Rainier wilderness and climbingWonderland Trail, climbing camps · WA | Mount Rainier National Park | Early-access lotteryApplications mid-February to early March | Mid-February 2027 (exact dates on Recreation.gov)Results: Mid-March (2026: March 14), then assigned booking windows | Dates TBAOfficial page |
| Half DomeDay hike, preseason lottery · CA | Yosemite National Park | Annual lotteryMar 1 – Mar 31 | Mar 1 – 31, 2027Results: Mid-April | RecurringOfficial page |
| Glacier wilderness campingBackpacking advance reservations · MT | Glacier National Park | Early-access lotteryTwo one-day lotteries each spring (large groups, then standard groups) | Spring 2027 (dates not posted yet)Results: Winners get a time slot to book | Dates TBAOfficial page |
| Mount St. HelensClimbing permits, Apr 1 – Oct 31 · WA | Gifford Pinchot National Forest | On-sale dateSold online, first come first served, on Recreation.gov. The sale date is announced each spring | Spring 2027 (sale date not announced yet)Results: Instant | Dates TBAOfficial page |
Checked against official agency pages on November 12, 2026. Agencies can change dates, so always confirm on the official page before you apply. We remind you; you apply on Recreation.gov or the agency's own site.
How the Trip Pass works
From "I want to do this" to a plan you can follow.
Tell us the trip
After checkout, a 5-minute form: where you're going, your target dates, group size, experience and the gear you already own.
Get your plan
Within 3 business days: your permit timeline with backup dates, a week-by-week training build-up and a gear list for your route and season.
We watch the deadlines
Reminders before every window, your application details ready to copy, and check-ins until you're at the trailhead.
Pricing
Start free. Pay when it's a real trip.
Reminders
$0
- The permit calendar above
- Email reminders before windows open
- Links straight to the official pages
For one big objective
Trip Pass
$29 one time
- Permit timeline and application checklist, with backup dates
- Week-by-week training plan to your trip date
- Gear list for your route, season and what you already own
- Deadline reminders and check-ins until your trip
- Delivered by email within 3 business days
One-time payment, no subscription. Full refund within 14 days if it's not useful. By buying you agree to our Terms.
Why I'm building this
Built by a climber who watched people plan the hard way.
I summited Kilimanjaro at 14 and Mt. Whitney a year later. Then I spent a season selling gear at an outdoor retailer, and the same thing happened every day: people showed up excited for a big trip with no permit, no plan and the wrong gear list. Trailbrief is the planner I wish they'd had.
Bryce Bunting, founder
Questions
Good to know
Can Trailbrief get the permit for me?
No. Agencies require the trip leader to apply and use the permit themselves, and automated booking breaks their rules. We make sure you never miss a window and have every detail ready, so applying takes a couple of minutes. Be wary of any site that offers to sell you a permit.
Are you connected to Recreation.gov or the parks?
No. Trailbrief is independent. We read the official agency pages so you don't have to, and we link you straight to them. The official page always wins if anything differs.
What if I don't win the lottery?
Most people don't, the first time. Every Trip Pass includes backup dates, the leftover and cancellation windows to watch, and comparable trips with easier permits.
Is the training plan safe for me?
Plans are general fitness guidance built around the experience and fitness level you tell us. They are not medical advice. Please don't send us medical details; if you have a health condition or injury, check with a doctor before starting a new program, especially for high-altitude trips.
Do you use AI?
Yes. We use AI tools to help draft plans, and a person checks every plan and every permit date against the official sources before it goes out.
Do you make money from gear recommendations?
Some gear links may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you. We'll always label them, and we recommend what fits your trip, not what pays the most.
Who is Trailbrief for?
Adults (18+) planning hiking, backpacking and mountaineering trips in the U.S. that need a permit. You're responsible for your own safety and decisions on the trail.
Never miss a permit window again.
Free reminders before the windows you care about open.
Free. A few emails a year, timed to the permit windows. Unsubscribe anytime. See our privacy policy.