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In early 2026, several U.S. national parks announced plans to remove the timed entry system, which aimed to limit large crowds of tourists entering a National Park Service (NPS) site at the same time. Since then, visitors have reported long queues and massive crowds, at times resulting in dangerous situations that hikers have filmed and shared on social media.

Mount Rainier National Park is now joining the list of protected areas struggling to handle the increased influx of tourists. In a recent Facebook post, its management warned visitors about long queues at the entrance during specific days and time windows. This site is now urging people to adopt a few tips to “have an enjoyable visit and avoid the worst of the congestion.”

Mount Rainier National Park Warns Visitors Of “Over An Hour Long” Lines

Wednesday, July 22, 2026, Mount Rainier National Park shared a post on Facebook stating, “Getting to Sunrise can take a while.” The post added, “The line to get in at the White River entrance is frequently over an hour long, especially at midday and on weekends.”

Over the past few weeks, parking lots have filled up quickly, and queues have become increasingly longer. For instance, on Sunday, July 26, two-thirds of the parking stalls in the upper parking lot at Paradise had already been taken. By 6:30 a.m. PT, cars were spotted turning around and filling nearby overflowing parking lots.

People arriving later were often welcomed with hours-long queues. Sam Van Otterloo told the Yakima Herald-Republic he decided to wake up at 5 a.m. PT just to avoid the crowds after getting stuck in traffic on Saturday, July 25.

“We were in the line of cars at 1:30 yesterday, and we turned around, because we were like, ‘No,’ […] we’re not going to spend our time in this car line’,” Van Otterloo said.

Some people are now associating the long lines with the end of the timed-entry reservation system implemented in 2024 at Sunrise and Paradise, two of the park’s most popular destinations. On February 25, the timed-entry details were quietly removed from the website, and the following sentence was added to the site: “Mount Rainier National Park will not be implementing a timed entry reservation system for any portion of the park in 2026.”

Some visitors are now asking for the reintroduction of this system to help limit waiting times.

Mount Rainier National Park Visitors Ask For The Reintroduction Of Timed-Entry Reservations

NPS visitors are now asking for the reintroduction of the timed-entry reservation system to prevent long queues at entrance booths and to avoid dangerous situations. For instance, a Facebook user commented on the park’s Facebook post, writing, “Why don’t you just do timed entries? It makes the park much more enjoyable.” Someone else added that the reservations “worked very well at Sunrise.”

Environmental groups have also been urging the NPS to reinstate the old system. According to Graham Taylor, Northwest Senior Program Manager at the National Parks Conservation Association, “Reservations were improving the experience for everyone while protecting Mount Rainier’s sensitive meadows, trails, and aging infrastructure.”

“Reservations ensured visitors could spend more time outside and less time circling for a parking spot. As more people are visiting our national parks, we should be using the time-tested tools we know work and not throwing them out,” Taylor added.

Unfortunately, this is not the only NPS site now struggling with this issue. Yosemite National Park visitors have shared footage showing how huge crowds can often increase safety concerns.

U.S. National Parks Are Struggling With Crowded Trails

TikToker @cloud333a recently shared a clip showing hikers packed onto the steep stone steps of Yosemite’s Mist Trail, which has immediately raised safety concerns. The hiker filmed her descent on the Mist Trail around 11 a.m. PT on a Saturday. ActiveNorCal reported that the visitor said that was the scariest part of the day, as she saw faster hikers trying to move around slower ones on a narrow section.

Recreation Visits Yosemite National Park

This trail is known for its steep granite stairway with over 600 steps, which are often slippery due to the nearby waterfall. Injuries such as sprained ankles are quite common on this trail, and some people have even lost their lives at this site. Crowds aren’t only affecting safety in this protected area but are also increasing frustration among visitors forced to wait hours in lines. Some tourists even said that visiting the site early no longer makes a difference.

While frustration continues to grow, Mount Rainier National Park has now published guidelines to help people avoid crowds and make the most of their time at the park.

Mount Rainier Urges Visitors To Visit On Weekdays And Have An Alternative Plan

Mount Rainier National Park has published a list of tips tourists are encouraged to follow to avoid crowds. People are advised to visit during weekdays and to arrive at the site either in the early morning or late afternoon. In addition, visitors are urged to prepare an alternate plan and destination, which may be useful when encountering long lines. For instance, tourists can enjoy gateway communities during peak hours and download the Mount Rainier section of the NPS App to look for sites worth visiting while offline.

Using an annual park or interagency pass can also help minimize time spent at the entrance station. People are also urged to check the road status and park construction pages for possible closures and delays.

At present, it appears that despite the complaints, Mount Rainier National Park will not reintroduce its timed-entry system. Visitors planning to see this site soon should prepare for long lines and overcrowding.

TheTravel reached out to the NPS but did not immediately receive a response in time for publishing.