By THE ALASKA STORY
June 16, 2026 – Alaskans who reserve public use cabins, shelters, campsites, and other facilities through Alaska State Parks will soon see a major change in how reservations are made.
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources announced that Alaska State Parks will transition to a new online reservation platform beginning Oct. 1, replacing the long-running Reserve America system currently used by the state.
As part of the transition, reservations through Reserve America will remain available through Dec. 31, 2026. However, reservations for dates beginning Jan. 1, 2027, will not be available until the new system goes live, creating a temporary booking gap for future reservations.
State officials said visitors who already have reservations extending beyond Sept. 30, 2026, will not be affected. Existing reservations will be honored and automatically transferred to the new platform.
“We are excited about our new system launch and the updates that will benefit the public,” said Ricky Gease, director of the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation. “Our intention is to make the transition as smooth as possible and keep everyone informed as we go.”
According to the department, existing customer accounts will also be migrated to the new system. Details about logging into the new platform and any required account updates will be released closer to the Oct. 1 launch date.
The change also carries important implications for anyone holding Reserve America gift certificates.
DNR said gift certificates must be redeemed before Oct. 1 and can only be used for reservations occurring before Jan. 1, 2027. Any gift certificate credits currently stored within Reserve America customer accounts will not transfer to the new reservation platform.
In addition, all Reserve America gift certificates will expire on Sept. 30.
State parks officials are encouraging frequent users of public use cabins and other reservable facilities to review any unused credits and make plans accordingly before the transition deadline.
One thought on “Alaska State Parks to launch new reservation system Oct. 1; booking pause planned for 2027 reservations”
I am not a fan of online reservations for campsites.
For the cabins or accommodations similar, it should be fine, but campsites should be first come first served.
I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to go to a campground only to find all sites with reserved notices, but never any tents or RVs or any sign that the person who reserved the spot is even there.
At the very least make half the sites available for onsite reservations only.