The Grand Canyon noncommercial permit lottery runs once a year in February. The main draw for 2028 launch dates will open in early February 2027. NPS has not yet announced the exact window, but based on prior years it closes by late February. If you're not in the system before it closes, you wait another year.
Here's the process you could expect for the 2028 Grand Canyon noncommercial permit lottery.
Grand Canyon Permit Lottery Dates
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The Basics
NPS issues 450 noncommercial permits annually for 12- to 25-day self-guided trips from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek. All 226 miles of that corridor are assigned to you, if you win.
The lottery is weighted. You earn one standard point for each year you haven't participated in a Grand Canyon river trip and haven't won a permit, up to a maximum of five points. At five points, your name goes into the hat five times for your chosen date. At one point, your first year applying, it goes in once.
Points reset to zero the year you win. Lose and don't participate in a trip that year, you gain another point. The system rewards persistence, up to a point.
Bonus points are a legacy feature for people on the pre-2006 waiting list who transitioned to the lottery system. In 2026, very few applicants still carry them. Don't factor bonus points into your planning.
Lottery Application Volume
The 2026 main lottery stats are published by NPS and worth studying before you apply. The same competitive dynamics apply to the 2027 lottery for 2028 launch dates.
Winter launch dates are generally quiet. January 25 had 9 applications listing that date. January 7 had 19. Spring shoulder season starts heating up in late February, and by late March the numbers get serious: March 23 had 140 applications competing for a single launch slot, with 567 total chances in the pool.
Summer volume increases significantly. Peak season dates run 150 to 230+ applications per date, with application totals exceeding 900 chances for a single permit. Popular summer launch dates see success rates between 2–4%, with peak dates dropping below 1%.
On a busy June date, you could have five points with your lottery application, the maximum, and still lose because several other applicants also have five points and happened to draw ahead of you.
One approach to increase your chances is to apply for five dates, not one. Pick a range across a few weeks. The system will award your first choice if it can, then cascade to your second, third, fourth, and fifth. If you list only one date, you're leaving four chances on the table.
The Application Process
Step 1: Create a river profile at grcariverpermits.nps.gov.
The site uses login.gov. Create a login.gov account before you try to create a river profile, or you'll hit a wall. Do this now, not in February. Don't create two profiles. Duplicate profiles result in forfeiture of any trip won.
Step 2: Add your PATLs.
A Potential Alternate Trip Leader (PATL) is a confirmed backup who can take over the permit if you can't make the trip. They need their own river profile, and they need to log in and formally accept the designation before the lottery closes. Unconfirmed PATLs don't count toward your points and can't take over the trip.
Your application's total points are calculated from the least-experienced person listed. Think carefully about who you add.
Step 3: Pay the $25 application fee.
Once you pay for a given launch year, you can apply in all follow-up lotteries for that same year at no additional cost. The $25 is nonrefundable whether you win or lose.
Step 4: Submit before the deadline.
NPS will announce the exact close date when the 2027 window opens. Watch grcariverpermits.nps.gov and your email. Unpaid applications don't run. Submit and don't pay, you're out.
Winning a Permit
Winners have around 1 to 5 days to pay a nonrefundable trip deposit. Failure to pay results in cancellation of the trip. Check your email. This is not the time to be slow.
Final permit costs are due 90 days before launch. Your launch date cannot be changed, deferred, or traded. When you win a date, that's your date.
Once you have the permit, read every line of it. The permit specifies assigned camps, group size limits, and any fire or use restrictions in effect for your section and season. Print a copy and keep a digital backup. You'll want both when you're comparing assigned camps with another group at a contested site, and that happens more than you'd think.
If You Don't Win a Permit
Follow-up lotteries are held throughout the year to reassign canceled and unassigned launch dates. NPS notifies participants by email. The 2026 follow-up for March ran March 17–19, a 48-hour window with real permits and less competition than the main draw.
To be eligible for follow-up lotteries for a given launch year, you need to have already paid the $25 application fee for that year. Skip the main draw and you lose follow-up access unless you pay again.
Subscribe to email notifications through your river user account. That's the only reliable way to know when a follow-up lottery opens. You can also set a RiverTrip alert for Grand Canyon permit windows so nothing slips by.
Additional Rules
All individuals are prohibited from participating on more than one recreational river trip per year through the Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek section, commercial or noncommercial. Take a commercial trip in May and you cannot run a private trip that same year. Your points stay intact, but you are out for that season.
If you're listed as a participant on someone else's winning trip, you've used your year. Plan accordingly.