Central Cascade Wilderness Overnight Permits open for reservations

The Deschutes and Willamette National Forests remind people that overnight permit reservations have begun to be accepted for the Central Cascades Wilderness Permit System. The permits are required for all overnight use within the Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, and Three Sisters wilderness areas from June 15th through October 15th.

40% of Central Cascades Wilderness Overnight Permit reservations became available for advanced reservation Tuesday on Recreation.gov. Officials said the remaining 60% of overnight permits will become available through a rolling 7-day window on Recreation.gov once the permit season begins.

Overnight trips can be up to 13 nights (14 days maximum) with groups no larger than 12 individuals. The processing fee for an overnight permit remains at $6. Permit availability is based on the starting trailhead and start date.

All reservations for Central Cascades Wilderness Permits need to be made through Recreation.gov either online, via the Recreation.gov app on Google Android & Apple iOS devices, or by calling their call center at 1-877-444-6777 or TDD 877-833-6777. Search for “Central Cascades Wilderness.” Overnight permits are not available at local Forest Service offices or outside of the reservation system.

Day-use permits are required on 19 of 79 trails within those same three wilderness areas during the permit season. However, day-use permits do not have advanced reservations ahead of the season. Day-use permits will be opened for reservation in a 10-day and 2-day rolling window beginning on June 5th.

Permits for the 10-day rolling window will be 40% of the permit quota while the 2-day rolling window will be 60% of the permit quota. This change was made to reduce the number of “no-shows” and increase the overall opportunity for people to get day-use permits, according to a Forest Service spokesman.

More information can be found at tinyurl.com/5c9mzb2t. If people have specific questions, they can contact the wilderness permit administrator at [email protected].