Scanner online
Somebody cancelled their John Muir Trail trip, take their spot.
We check Recreation.gov, state parks, and private systems around the clock. Pick a backcountry permit or campground, we scan for cancellations, lottery availability, and more, when we find availability you get a Fast Lane link to book almost instantly.
Type a permit or campground, hit Get free alerts, and we start checking it for openings. Or browse everything we cover →
A cancelled permit is usually gone in under six minutes. Refreshing can't win that race.
- 60 sec
- between checks on every paid alert
- < 1 min
- typical opening → your phone
- 1,953,476
- scans run in the last 30 days
checking 754 permit types · 290K campsites · every system, not just Recreation.gov
- Recreation.gov
- Aspira IPAWS
- GoingToCamp
- Itinio
- Maine (direct)
- New Jersey (direct)
- Reserve America
- UseDirect
- Havasupai (direct)
- Agency and concessionaire portals
Campgrounds in all 50 states, plus backcountry permits on federal land nationwide.
70% of the openings our scanner caught on Enchantments Core Zone were gone within 5 minutes.
01
Tell us the trip
Permit or campground, dates, group size.
02
We keep checking
Hourly on free, every minute on a la carte and Pro.
03
Fast Lane in two taps
The opening we send lands you on the booking page.
“Got the JMT alert at 6am and had our Lyell Canyon permit before my coffee finished brewing.”
“Four of us pooled applications for The Wave. One hit. That's the whole trip.”
“I stopped setting 5am alarms to refresh Recreation.gov. That alone is worth it.”
Published lottery odds
The permits worth chasing
Win rates from the most recent seasons published by NPS, USFS, and BLM. When the lottery says no, cancellations are the way in.
Selway Riverunder 1%Four Rivers lottery · one launch per day
A single cancellation is a whole trip.
Middle Fork Salmon1.8%Four Rivers lottery · ~19,800 applicants, 351 launches
Cancelled launches re-release all spring.
Enchantments Core Zone~2%Advance lottery · 16 people per day
Core permits drop back in through the season.
The Wave2–12%Advance lottery · 48 people per day
Winter dates run several times better.
Half Dome22%Preseason lottery · ~35,000 applicants
Weekdays beat weekends by ~8 points.
Angels Landing47%Seasonal + day-before lotteries
August has been the best month.
Published win rates. Sources: NPS Half Dome & Angels Landing statistics, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF, BLM Coyote Buttes North, Recreation.gov Four Rivers.
Lottery pools
One permit. Six shots at it.
Most lotteries allow one application per person, and a permit covers the whole group. So the way to win is more applications behind one trip. Six people entering The Wave takes the crew from roughly 4% to 22%. Whoever draws it, everyone goes.
The hard part was never the math. It is chasing five friends across a text thread to confirm they actually entered before the deadline. A pool does that for you.
Start a pool →Try it, pick a permit
How many people enter for the group?
4 applications behind one trip · 4% each, 15% together on The Wave. Odds detail
Invite by link
Send one link. Friends join the pool without creating anything themselves.
Crew manifest
See who has entered before the window closes.
Group odds calculator
Live group odds as members join, built on each lottery's published rates.
Mission timeline
Application windows, draw dates, and results tracked in one place for the whole crew.
Plans and pricing
Three ways to get alerts
Permit season runs summer to early fall, so Pro is priced by the year and one payment carries you through the whole season. What changes between plans is how many trips you set alerts for and how fast we check them.
| Free$0no card, forever | A la carte$19 onceone permit, no subscription | Pro, best value$79.99/yror $9.99/mo month to month | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alerts | 1 | 1 permit | Unlimited |
| Scan frequency | Hourly | ~1 min | ~1 min, 60x free |
| Alert channels | Email, SMS, push | Email, SMS, push | |
| Fast Lane | No | Yes | Yes |
| Smart alternates | No | No | Yes |
| Lottery pools (friends join free) | No | That lottery | Every lottery |
Prefer no subscription? The Lottery Season Pass, $99 a season.
One payment covers every permit and campsite you track through March 31. Unlimited alerts, SMS, and lottery pools. Nothing renews.
Common questions
- Do you book the permit for me?
- We find the opening and get you to the official booking page fast. You complete the reservation.
- Which systems do you check?
- Recreation.gov, state park systems, NPS concessioners, and several private reservation platforms.
- How fast will I hear about an opening?
- Paid alerts are checked every 60 seconds, and each opening we send carries a Fast Lane link that opens the booking page.
- What do free and paid actually get me?
- Free: one alert, hourly scans, email alerts, no card. A la carte: one permit with Pro-speed minute-by-minute scanning, SMS, and Fast Lane. Pro: all of that on unlimited alerts.
Permits people plan a year around
Each page below carries the booking system, the quota, and the dates the permit is released or drawn, plus an alert form.
- Half Dome cables permit225 hikers a day on the cables, sold through a preseason lottery and a daily lottery two days out.
- Mount Whitney day hike permitThe 14,505-foot finish line for half the Sierra. 100 day hikers a day, cancellation alerts all season, and a February lottery.
- The Wave permit lotteryCoyote Buttes North, capped at 64 people a day across an advance draw and a daily draw run inside the geofence.
- Mount St. Helens climbing permitThe other Cascade volcano you can climb on a day permit. Quota is 110 people a day and the month releases on the 1st.
- Enchantments Through-Hike permitThe 18-mile Snow Lakes to Stuart Lake traverse, drawn in the same February USFS lottery as the zone permits.
- John Muir Trail Yosemite entry permitsThe Donohue Pass-eligible trailheads, where a northbound-to-southbound JMT actually starts. Each trailhead has its own quota.
- Inyo National Forest wilderness permitsEvery Eastern Sierra trailhead quota in one place, from Whitney Portal to the Ansel Adams entries. Each trailhead has its own daily cap.
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon wilderness permitsAll 39 Sequoia and Kings Canyon permits, trailhead by trailhead, with the quota and release date for each.
- High Sierra Trail permit72 miles from Crescent Meadow to the Whitney summit. One reservation, released six months ahead, and it goes the morning it opens.
- Mount Shasta summit pass permitCalifornia's big volcano. A pass you buy from the Forest Service rather than win, required above 10,000 feet.
Permit Directory
Browse Backcountry Permits
Find permits for day hikes, overnight backpacking, thru-hikes, canyoneering, and river trips across federal and state lands.
National Park Permits
Day-use, overnight, and wilderness permits at America's crown jewels
California Wilderness Permits
Sierra Nevada, Lost Coast, and backcountry access
Utah & BLM Permits
Red rock canyons, slot canyon permits, and desert wilderness
National Forest & Wilderness Permits
USFS wilderness areas with quota systems
Thru-Hikes & Long Trails
Multi-day point-to-point traverses and epic long-distance trails
River Permits
Multi-day rafting and river access permits
California State Park Permits
Backcountry camping and trail permits
Mountaineering & Summit Permits
High-altitude summit permits and technical climbing routes
Browse Permits by Region
Campgrounds
Browse Campsites
Monitor campsite availability across federal and state parks. Get alerts when sites open up at sold-out campgrounds.
California
8 popular campgrounds
- Atwell Mill Campground
- Buckeye Flat Campground
- Canyon View Group Sites
- Cold Springs Campground (Ca)
- Crystal Springs Campground (Ca)
- Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group Sites
- Death Valley Backcountry Roadside Camping
- Indian Cove Group Campground
Oregon
8 popular campgrounds
- Little Crater Lake Campground
- Cave Creek Campground
- Acorn Woman Lakes Campground
- Big Lake West Campground
- Bolan Lake Campground
- Cavitt Creek Falls Recreation Site
- Clearwater Falls Campground
- Cultus Lake Boat In - West Campground
Utah
8 popular campgrounds
- Canyonlands National Park Needles District Campground
- Devils Garden Campground
- Natural Bridges Campground
- North Campground (Ut)
- South Campground (Ut)
- Sunset Campground (Ut)
- Watchman Campground
- Anderson Meadow Campground (Fishlake NF, Ut)
Ohio
8 popular campgrounds
- Grand Lake St. Marys State Park Grand Lake West Bank Marina
- Kiser Lake State Park Kiser Lake Grandview Area Tie Ups Campground
- Lake Logan State Park Lake Logan Marina Beach 1-18 Campground
- Lake Loramie State Park Earls Island Dock Back Campground
- Pike Lake State Park Pike Lake Cabins and Day Use Shelters
- Scioto Trail State Park Stewart Lake Campground
- Buck Creek State Park G Dock Campground
- Buckeye Lake State Park Fairfield Beach a Docks Campground
Minnesota
8 popular campgrounds
- Cass Lake Loop Campground
- Fenske Lake Campground
- Glacial Lakes State Park Lower Campground
- Jeanette Lake Campground
- Lake Bronson State Park Lakeside Extension Campground
- Lake Maria State Park Backpack Campsites
- Lake Shetek State Park Prairie Campground
- Maplewood State Park Grass Lake Campground: Hollow Loop