A long-planned permit system that will limit the number of people allowed to hike and camp in three of Oregon's most popular wilderness areas will go into effect for the spring and summer of 2021, the U.S. Forest Service announced Thursday.
The permit system was set to begin in 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The system will require all campers and some day-hikers to get a special permit before entering the Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson and Mount Washington wilderness areas between May 28 and Sept. 24.
Coming on the heels of a years-long process, the new system is aimed at reducing crowds and impact across 450,000 acres of Oregon's most iconic backcountry between the Willamette Valley and Central Oregon.