Permits & Parking

Information for permits, parking, and climbing regulations.

If you are on a course or a trip with Valhalla Mountain Guides, all wilderness, summit, camping, overnight, and climbing permits will be taken care of for you.

You are responsible for parking permits.

Mount Shasta

  • If you are on a guided trip with Valhalla Mountain Guides, we take care of the wilderness permits for you.


    Wilderness Permits are required for every individual entering the Mt Shasta Wilderness. Free permits are available at the Mt Shasta Ranger Station or McCloud Ranger Station and the Fifth Season Outdoor Store in Mt Shasta City. Permits may be self-issued at wilderness trailheads.

  • If you are on a guided trip with Valhalla Mountain Guides, we take care of the summit permits for you.

    Summit Passes are required by every individual climbing above 10,000 feet, even if you don't plan on or are not sure about going to the summit. Climbers failing to pay the Recreation Fee (Summit Pass) will be ticketed and you can expect to be checked by a ranger on the mountain.

    The Summit Passes are available at the Mt Shasta and McCloud Ranger Stations and trailheads. They are $25 for a 3-day, $30 for an annual pass. All trailheads have self issue kiosks for summit passes, wilderness permits and human waste pack out bags.

    The annual passes are only availabe at the Mt Shasta or McCloud Ranger Stations or The Fifth Season.

    Please note: You MAY NOT issue yourself an annual summit pass by placing $30 dollars into the standard, 3-day self issue summit pass envelopes. If you do, we will consider this a tip!

    If you purchase the 3-day summit pass, it may not be upgraded to an annual pass at a later time. If you want the annual but cannot make it to the ranger station or The Fifth Season during business hours, call the Mt Shasta Ranger Station (530-926-4511), pay with a credit card over the phone and arrange to have it mailed to you.

  • Group Size is limited to 10 persons or less. This can reduce physical impacts as well as impacts on the wilderness experiences of others.

  • Good sanitation means human fecal waste, food scraps, and garbage will be packed out to the trailhead and properly disposed of at the provided receptacles.

    It is required to pack out your human waste from the Mt Shasta Wilderness. You can be ticketed for this! Free human waste pack out bags are available at all trailheads, ranger stations and local gear stores. Urinate at least 200 feet away from springs, stream, trails and camp locations.

  • Wood Fires are not permitted because firewood is so scarce at high elevations. Wood fires scar the landscape. Dead and down wood is crucial to soil regeneration in alpine environments. Portable stoves, which use gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid, are allowed.

  • Dogs are not allowed in the wilderness because unrestrained dogs have potential to disturb wildlife, destroy fragile vegetation and affect other visitors’ experience. Dogs are allowed outside wilderness in the Old Ski Bowl; Please pack-out their waste. Know the boundaries!

  • Personal equipment may not be left unattended longer than 24 hours. (No building caches of gear or food).

Mount Whitney

  • If you are on a guided trip with Valhalla Mountain Guides, we take care of the wilderness permits for you.


    Wilderness Permits are required for every individual entering the Mt Shasta Wilderness. Free permits are available at the Mt Shasta Ranger Station or McCloud Ranger Station and the Fifth Season Outdoor Store in Mt Shasta City. Permits may be self-issued at wilderness trailheads.

  • If you are on a guided trip with Valhalla Mountain Guides, we take care of the summit permits for you.

    Summit Passes are required by every individual climbing above 10,000 feet, even if you don't plan on or are not sure about going to the summit. Climbers failing to pay the Recreation Fee (Summit Pass) will be ticketed and you can expect to be checked by a ranger on the mountain.

    The Summit Passes are available at the Mt Shasta and McCloud Ranger Stations and trailheads. They are $25 for a 3-day, $30 for an annual pass. All trailheads have self issue kiosks for summit passes, wilderness permits and human waste pack out bags.

    The annual passes are only availabe at the Mt Shasta or McCloud Ranger Stations or The Fifth Season.

    Please note: You MAY NOT issue yourself an annual summit pass by placing $30 dollars into the standard, 3-day self issue summit pass envelopes. If you do, we will consider this a tip!

    If you purchase the 3-day summit pass, it may not be upgraded to an annual pass at a later time. If you want the annual but cannot make it to the ranger station or The Fifth Season during business hours, call the Mt Shasta Ranger Station (530-926-4511), pay with a credit card over the phone and arrange to have it mailed to you.

  • Group Size is limited to 10 persons or less. This can reduce physical impacts as well as impacts on the wilderness experiences of others.

  • Good sanitation means human fecal waste, food scraps, and garbage will be packed out to the trailhead and properly disposed of at the provided receptacles.

    It is required to pack out your human waste from the Mt Shasta Wilderness. You can be ticketed for this! Free human waste pack out bags are available at all trailheads, ranger stations and local gear stores. Urinate at least 200 feet away from springs, stream, trails and camp locations.

  • Wood Fires are not permitted because firewood is so scarce at high elevations. Wood fires scar the landscape. Dead and down wood is crucial to soil regeneration in alpine environments. Portable stoves, which use gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid, are allowed.

  • Dogs are not allowed in the wilderness because unrestrained dogs have potential to disturb wildlife, destroy fragile vegetation and affect other visitors’ experience. Dogs are allowed outside wilderness in the Old Ski Bowl; Please pack-out their waste. Know the boundaries!

  • Personal equipment may not be left unattended longer than 24 hours. (No building caches of gear or food).

Mount Baker

  • The Forest Service does not require permits for climbing Mt. Baker. It is strongly recommended that all climbing parties fill out the voluntary climbing register.

  • A Recreation Pass or an America the Beautiful Pass (National Parks Pass) is required to park at trailheads that access Mount Baker.

  • Protect the environment and ensure public health and safety and pack-it-out.

    Most areas on the Mt. Baker Ranger District where backpackers and climbers camp are in the sup-alpine or on glacier. This environment is absent of adequate soils for burying and decomposing waste, or is dominated by rock, snow and ice, creating exposure to fecal contamination in the watersheds.

    Visitors are asked to pack out all their waste. This includes human waste, food scrapes, packaging, wands, and anything else that was brought in with you. The use of cat holes for human waste is not suitable in sub-alpine or alpine environments due to inadequate soils and disturbance to fragile vegetation, and to heavy use.

    Toilets are not available at most camps in the wilderness and NRA, or on the mountain.

    Bags for packing out your solid human waste are available at the ranger station in Sedro Woolley or the Glacier Public Service Center.

    There are no collection facilities at the trailheads or on the routes for bags or other pack-it-out products. Visitors can properly dispose of used pack-it-out products in garbage receptacles or empty contents down the toilet upon return home. Do not bury bags in snow, toss in a crevasse or moat, or leave along the side of trail.

    Thanks for doing your part in helping to keep Mt. Baker clean.

  • Campfires prohibited on all climbing routes except parts of Boulder Glacier route. Self-contained stoves ok.

Parking Permits & Information

  • A SNO-Park permit is required for each vehicle parked at a SNO-Park site from November 1 through May 30 of each year. Permits are sold as Day Permits or Seasonal Permits. Day permits are sold for $15.00 and are valid for one single day. Season permits are sold for $40.00 and are valid for the entire SNO-Park season from November 1 through May 30.

    Purchase SNO-Park permit here.

  • Park along road outside of locked gate to Annette's Village on the lake side of road. There are no parking signs here but those are for the summer season.

    Do not park cars in the turnaround near the gate. You may have to shovel out the berm.