Wilderness permits now available

The Deschutes and Willamette National Forests kicked off sales of overnight permit reservations for the Central Cascades Wilderness Permit System this week. Central Cascades Wilderness Permits are required for all overnight use within the Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, and Three Sisters wilderness areas June 15 through October 15.

As of Tuesday, April 4, 40 percent of Central Cascades Wilderness Overnight Permit reservations will be available for advanced reservation on Recreation.gov. The remaining 60 percent of overnight permits will become available through a rolling seven-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 and 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 two-day rolling window beginning on June 5. Permits for the 10-day rolling window will be 60 percent of the permit quota while the two-day rolling window will be 40 percent 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.

For more information visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/willamette/passes-permits/recreation/?cid= fseprd688355 or contact the wilderness permit administrator at sm.fs.ccwp@usda.gov.