No Reservations, No Problem: A Panic-Free Guide to Camping on the Fly

Find it: The White River Campground is located in Mount Rainier National Park.

Details: This campground has 88 no-reservation sites featuring potable water and flush toilets. Set at 4,400 feet of elevation, White River Campground opens when the snow melts, later than Rainier’s other campgrounds. Sites right on the river are the most spacious and boast the view of the mountain looming overhead. The Glacier Basin Trail leaves from the campground, leading day hikers to the snout of Emmons Glacier. If you can, time your trip to the wildflower bloom that carpets subalpine meadows 12 miles up the road at Sunrise, usually late July or early August.

Timed-entry reservations are required to enter the Sunrise Corridor, which includes the White River Campground, between 7 a.m.–5 p.m. daily from July 11–Sept. 1, and weekends and holidays from Sept. 2 through the end of the season (typically mid-October).

Once you get a White River Campground first-come, first-served (FCFS) permit, it can be used instead of a timed-entry reservation to enter the Sunrise Corridor anytime during the remainder of your stay. There is no guarantee that a FCFS permit will be available even if you get a timed-entry permit.

Plan B: The Dalles Campground and Silver Springs Campground (Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest) along Highway 410 are reservable but sometimes have last-minute availability.

Next up: Beacon Rock