It’s not just spring that's sprung. It’s permit season, too.

Thinking of exploring some popular backcountry place this spring or summer? You’ll likely need a permit, and it would be wise to apply for it soon.

Example: Mount Rainier National Park’s beautiful but way-popular Wonderland Trail. For 2013 trips, the first time period the park will accept reservation applications for campsite permits is March 15-April 1.

Dropping an application into that first wave of requests can be a big plus. As I pointed out in a recent Seattle Times article about hiking the famed 93-mile trail, early applications will be the first to get assigned reservations by park personnel.

Each park runs its permit system according to its own rules. At Rainier, reservation applications received between March 15 and April 1 will be processed in random order. Applications arriving after April 1 will get treated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Applying before April 1 boosts your chances of getting your preferred campsites on your first-choice dates before sites fill up. Not every campsite can be reserved; a few are saved for walk-in backpackers, which is a nice thing for a procrastinating local such as me. (Note: Nightly camping permits are free—thank you, Rainier—but reservations involve a $20 fee.)

Climbers: If you’re aiming to climb Rainier, this application process applies to climbing permits as well.

Some Permitting Tips to Share

Lotteries for backcountry permits have become an unavoidable fact of outdoor life and can be a teeth-grinding experience. But they keep popular camps from being overrun by too many people, so they contribute to a better wilderness experience if you’re one of the fortunate few to be holding a permit.

Canyonlands wilderness permits ($30 per trip for parties of 1-12 people) can be acquired year-round with or without a reservation. Reservations must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance.

Grand Teton wilderness permits (free; $25 for reserving a permit for parties of 1-12 people) can be requested in advance of the summer season Jan. 5-May 15.

Glacier wilderness permits ($30 per trip for parties of 1-12 people) can be requested in a lottery Jan. 1-April 15; lottery processing begins April 16. Reservation applications received April 16 and beyond will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Olympic wilderness permits ($5 per permit, $2 per night) can be reserved starting April 1. Note: Permit applications received before April 1 will be discarded.

Great Smoky Mountains wilderness permits ($4 per person per night, max of $20) for backcountry camping now require reservations—new for 2013.

Recreation.gov, beyond handling Half Dome and Mount Whitney climbing permits, is the place to acquire backcountry permits for 11 popular wilderness zones managed by the U.S. Forest Service (California’s Desolation Wilderness, for example, and the Enchantments in Washington’s Alpine Lakes Wilderness) and some BLM sites.

Some permit lotteries have already come and gone. The popular, commercially managed High Sierra Camp system in Yosemite conducted its lottery Sept 1-Nov. 1 in 2012. The lottery for 2013 day hiking permits to the summit of 14,505-foot Mount Whitney took place Feb. 1-March 15 via Recreation.gov.

That site often posts updates on permit availability after lotteries close. For example, some post-lottery permits will be available for the Enchantments starting April 1.

One way to sidestep the permit process: Join an REI Adventures trip to a national park or North American wilderness area. Trip guides acquire all the permits needed.