Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts itching to get to Eldorado Canyon State Park will soon need reservations to enter.

The Colorado and Wildlife Commission, a citizen board appointed by the governor, established a pilot program for timed entry reservations for vehicles accessing the park. It is the first timed entry system enacted at a Colorado state park, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

The new system will be in effect on Saturdays, Sundays and any federal or state holiday between 2022 and 2023.

This year’s dates have not been determined, but officials said it could begin in July and run through Sept. 15. Next year, reservations will be required between May 15 through Sept. 15, according to a news release.

“We are really excited about this and it is the first state park that we have done this timed entry reservation system, sort of following up on Rocky Mountain National Park and some other parks throughout the nation,” Mark Leslie, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Northeast region manager, said in a news release. “This is related to vehicles because when we’ve done surveys of that park, that seems to be what drives the frustration with the public is the number of vehicles.”

Two hundred vehicles will be permitted into the park when reservations are in effect. And 180 of these reservations will be available one month prior, while the remaining 20 slots will become available the day prior at 3 p.m., said Jason Clay, a spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Reservations can be made at CPWshop.com and are good for two hours. They are required for vehicles entering the park between 5:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Last May, the commission approved the park’s Visitor Use Management Plan that analyzed comments from the community and survey data to identify plans to alleviate issues at the park, such as parking, Leslie said.

This problem has been driven by a drastic increase in visitation at the park. There were 292,457 more visitors in 2021 at Eldorado Canyon than in 2013, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Although the park is requiring reservations, those who don’t have a reservation, but are state park pass holders, can enter via a free shuttle. For more information regarding the shuttle, go to Eldoshuttle.com.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials will reevaluate the reservation system once the 2023 reservation period concludes.

“Our hope is the reservation system will reduce impacts to the community of Eldorado Springs, protect natural resources and maintain a safe, quality recreational experience for years to come,” John Carson, the park’s manager, said in a news release. “The proposed system will help visitors plan for their visit while managing their expectations of entry into the park.”