Park reservation shifts

Getting a campsite or sunrise slot now depends even more on logging in early: Hawaiʻi, Maryland, and Manitoba are all steering visitors through reservation systems this week. (recreation.gov) (dnr.maryland.gov) (manitoba.ca) At Haleakalā National Park on Maui, every non-commercial vehicle entering the summit district between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. still needs a sunrise reservation, and Recreation.gov says the permit costs $1 per vehicle. Visitors without a reservation can enter after 7 a.m. (recreation.gov) (nps.gov) Recreation.gov says Haleakalā reservations are released on a rolling basis up to 60 days ahead and again 2 days before the visit date. The National Park Service says the sunrise system began in February 2017 to manage crowding, parking limits, and safety at the summit. (recreation.gov) (nps.gov) Maryland, meanwhile, has switched to a new online reservation platform ahead of the 2026 camping season. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources said the system covers campsites, cabins, mini-cabins, pavilions, and other amenities at 37 state parks. (dnr.maryland.gov) (parkreservations.maryland.gov) The new Maryland portal runs on ReserveAmerica and adds online booking for campgrounds, lodging, marinas, and day-use areas. Maryland also says its park system offers more than 2,000 campsites, 120 full-service and camper cabins, and 100 picnic shelters. (parkreservations.maryland.gov) (dnr.maryland.gov) In Manitoba, the first round of 2026 provincial park bookings opened at 7 a.m. on Monday, April 13. The province says reservations this season cover campsites, cabins, yurts, and group-use areas at 46 locations. (manitoba.ca) (news.gov.mb.ca) Manitoba announced in March that reservation openings would run from April 13 to April 17, with different parks and facility types released on different days. The province also said Black Lake Campground and Tulabi Short Haul sites would remain closed for the 2026 season. (news.gov.mb.ca) (manitoba.ca) The common thread is not one shared rule but one shared bottleneck: limited space at peak times. In Hawaiʻi, that bottleneck is summit parking before dawn; in Maryland and Manitoba, it is summer camping inventory that now moves through centralized online booking systems. (nps.gov) (dnr.maryland.gov) (manitoba.ca) For travelers, the practical difference is simple. A Haleakalā sunrise trip still requires a timed vehicle reservation on top of park entry, while Maryland and Manitoba visitors are dealing with new or newly opened booking portals for overnight stays and other park facilities. (nps.gov) (parkreservations.maryland.gov) (manitoba.ca)