Olympic National Park Wilderness Permit: How to Get One

If you plan to sleep anywhere in the backcountry, you need an Olympic National Park wilderness permit, in every season. Most permits are reserved online through Recreation.gov, and the busiest camps fill early. This guide walks through how to book, what it costs and the rules to know, as the park lists them as of October 2026.

Who needs an Olympic National Park wilderness permit?

Anyone camping overnight in the backcountry does. The park says backpacking permits are required year-round, and a wilderness camping permit covers every overnight stay in undeveloped areas. Day hikers do not need one.

That covers a lot of ground. About 95 percent of the park was designated Wilderness in 1988, and the park says nearly 50,000 campers enjoy it every year.

How wilderness camping reservations work

The park moved its permit reservations to Recreation.gov on March 18, 2019. Today you can book online, by phone at (360) 565-3100, or in person at a Wilderness Information Center. There are no longer paper self-registration permits at trailheads, and no sites are held for same-day walk-ups.

1. Pick your route and camps on the park’s Wilderness Trip Planner map.
2. Watch the release date. Summer season permits, for May 15 to October 15, open on April 15 at 7:00 AM Pacific Time.
3. Reserve on Recreation.gov, or call or visit a Wilderness Information Center.
4. Print your permit once the Wilderness Information Center issues it, about three days before your trip.

High country camps have a shorter season because of snow, generally from about mid-July to mid-October. The full details sit on the park’s wilderness reservations page, which you should check before you book.

Wilderness permit costs compared

Item	Cost (as of October 2026)	Notes
Adults 16 and older	$8 per person per night	Charged for each night out
Youth 15 and under	Free	No nightly fee
Reservation fee	$6 per permit	Non-refundable
Annual Wilderness Pass	$45 per person	Covers nightly fees for 12 months, not the $6 fee

The park gives an example: two adults out for four nights pay $70, which is $64 in camping fees plus the $6 reservation fee. The annual pass is sold through pay.gov or by phoning a Wilderness Information Center, and you still need a permit for every trip.

Quota areas: where to book early

Some popular places limit how many campers can stay each night. The park says no extra space opens in these quota areas later, so plan ahead. They show in red or yellow on the Trip Planner map.

Olympic quota areas by region

Region	Quota areas
Coast	Ozette Coast, Yellow Banks to Point of the Arches
Northeast	Royal Basin and Royal Lake, Grand and Badger Valleys
East and southeast	Lake Constance, Upper Lena Lake, Flapjack Lakes including Gladys Divide
Southwest	East Fork of the Quinault River
North and west	Sol Duc, Seven Lakes Basin and Mink Lake area; Hoh Lake and C.B. Flats; Hoh River Trail

The Enchanted Valley has an extra limit. In a trial of up to three years that began in 2024, the East Fork Quinault allows at most 208 users or 30 permits per night, whichever comes first. Our story on the Enchanted Valley Chalet move tells more about this valley.

Olympic National Park backcountry camping rules

A permit comes with a few rules that apply across the wilderness. These are the ones the park’s regulations page spells out:

• Group size: no more than 12 people and 8 stock. Groups of 7 to 12 must use designated group sites, and affiliated groups must stay at least a mile apart.
• Campfires: allowed below 3,500 feet only, and banned on the coast between Wedding Rocks and the headland north of Yellow Banks.
• Pets: not allowed in designated Wilderness or on overnight trips.
• Drones: launching, landing or flying one is prohibited in the park.

Bear canister rules in Olympic National Park

The park’s wilderness food storage page says approved animal resistant food containers are required in all wilderness areas. Everything with a scent goes inside: food, trash and toiletries such as toothpaste, sunscreen, hand sanitizer and lip balm.

Only models on the park’s approved list count, and that list was last updated in June 2026. It includes several BearVault, Bearikade and Garcia canisters. Wilderness Information Centers lend canisters during business hours, but they cannot be reserved and can run out on busy weekends.

Headed for the coast? Our Leave No Trace guide to Olympic coast beaches covers tides and camping on the sand, and our Ozette Triangle and Cape Alava guide covers one of the most popular coast trips.

Picking up, changing and cancelling

The Port Angeles Wilderness Information Center is inside the Olympic National Park Visitor Center at 3002 Mount Angeles Road. It is open all year, daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our Olympic National Park Visitor Center guide explains what else is there.

On the south side, the Quinault Rainforest Ranger Station in Amanda Park is open from Memorial Day weekend through the end of September. It keeps a bear canister return bin open all year.

If your plans change, cancel three or more full days before your start date to get the camping fee back. The $6 reservation fee is never refunded. Cancel within three days and there is no refund, and no-shows lose all fees.

How Friends of Olympic National Park helps

We are Friends of Olympic National Park (FONP), a volunteer-led friends group in Port Angeles. Our adopt-a-trail crew on the Heart O’ the Forest Trail helps care for one of the park’s trails, and our volunteers join cleanups through the year. To lend a hand, see our volunteer opportunities at Olympic National Park.

Frequently asked questions

Rules, fees and dates change, so check the NPS pages before every trip. Then come help us care for the park you love.