How to get in01 pathLottery
North Cascades Backcountry
Peak-season overnight camps use an Early Access Lottery, then a general onsale — about 40% of sites stay walk-up only.
Overnight · Multi-day
HikeCampStrenuousPhysical effort · Estimate
Strenuous — Long miles, elevation, or sustained hard effort.
Mountain overnight miles with steep approaches and weather.
Editorial estimate of the typical trip — not lottery hardness, and not an Official agency grade.
Good fitWilderness backpackers who will use Early Access and treat walk-up as a backup.
Usually notDay trips that never need an overnight wilderness permit.
Lottery type
Early Access Lottery
Historical success rate
14.4%
NPS North Cascades — Early-Access Lottery applications vs winners table (13,857 applications / 2,000 winners) · for 2026 · We checked 2026-09-20
When to apply
Window closed
Mar 2 – Mar 13
Early Access Lottery application · Official dates
Typical window: early March (2026: Mar 2–13, 9:00 p.m. PT deadline). Results mid-March with booking timeslots through late April; general onsale follows (2026: Apr 29, 7:00 a.m. PT) (Official NPS / Rec.gov).
We checked 2026-09-22
The managing agency (and Recreation.gov when the product lives there) is authoritative for dates, fees, and whether registration is open. We summarize — always confirm on the official page before you apply.
If you miss this window, try these instead:
- General onsale after the lottery booking window
- Walk-up permits for the non-reservable share
- Wonderland Trail Early Access Lottery at Mount Rainier
Sources & notes
- NPS North Cascades — Early-Access Lottery applications vs winners table (13,857 applications / 2,000 winners) · for 2026 · We checked 2026-09-20
Other apply windows
- Walk-up inventoryAbout 40% of peak-season sites are never reservable online and are issued first-come at wilderness desks / email workflows when posted (Official).
Official timeslot award rate (~14% in 2026) is not the same as getting Sahale / Copper Ridge on preferred dates.
Share of lottery applicants awarded a booking timeslot — not the chance of securing a specific popular camp.
About 40% of peak-season sites are never reservable online and are issued first-come at wilderness desks / email workflows when posted (Official).
Backup options
Nearby or alternate ways in if these draws miss.
- Other Washington wilderness with lower demand
- General onsale after the lottery booking window
- Walk-up permits for the non-reservable share
- Wonderland Trail Early Access Lottery at Mount Rainier
Field notes
All field notesPlaybooks for the confusing parts of applying — not live calendars.
Dates, group rules, a backup, entry day — the apply checklist is under Before you go
The managing agency (and Recreation.gov when the product lives there) is authoritative for dates, fees, and whether registration is open. We summarize — always confirm on the official page before you apply. Rec.gov permit 4675322. 2026 lottery drew ~13.8k applications for 2,000 winners (Official NPS table) — a win is a booking timeslot, not a finished itinerary. About Official / Estimate / Not confirmed yet