How Permit Ranger Works
Four steps from daydream to permit: learn the rules, find your trail, set your dates, and get the alert the instant your dates open.
1. Learn the rules
Every park plays by different rules: lotteries, rolling release windows, quota drops, and walk-up shares. Permit Ranger's guides cover 37 permit areas with when reservations open, how each lottery works, quota seasons, and dog rules, all in plain English.
2. Find your trail
Browse every entry point with AllTrails ratings, demand scores, and maps. Filters for dog-friendly trips, fishing, waterfalls, and hot springs help narrow the list, and the demand score shows how fast each trailhead books up so you know what you are up against.
3. Set your dates
Create a trip for the dates you can hike. Each trip watches its own set of passes with your party size, so a weekend trip for two and a week-long trip for six can run side by side.
4. Get the alert
Permit Ranger checks recreation.gov around the clock. The instant a watched pass opens on your dates, you get a push notification (and optional SMS) with a direct booking link. You book it yourself on recreation.gov; Permit Ranger never books for you.