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The recent diagnosis of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in several park visitors has prompted Yosemite National Park to scale up public health response and outreach. More »
Half Dome Permits for Day Hiking
Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome are required seven days per week when the cables are up. This is an interim measure to address crowding and safety along the Half Dome Trail while the park develops a long-term plan to manage use on the Half Dome Trail. A maximum of 400 hikers will be allowed (300 day hikers and 100 backpackers) each day on the Half Dome Trail beyond the subdome. Before the permit system was implemented in 2010, approximately 400 people used this trail on weekdays, while about an average of 800 people used this trail on weekends and holidays. We've made some changes to the permit system this year in response to the public input and our own concerns. This year, permits will be distributed by lottery via Recreation.gov. We held a single preseason lottery with an application period in March and will hold daily lotteries during the hiking season. On each application, people can apply for up to six permits (six people) and for up to seven dates. Applications will only be successful if the number of permits requested is available on at least one of the requested dates. If enough permits are available for more than one of the requested dates, permits will be automatically awarded to the highest priority date, as entered by the applicant. Applicants may apply as the trip leader only once per lottery. Multiple applications with the same trip leader will be removed from the lottery. The applicant must specify the name of the trip leader and may specify the name of an alternate. Each person may apply as a trip leader only once per lottery. People applying multiple times as trip leader will have all their lottery applications canceled. Permits will only be valid if the trip leader and/or alternate specified on the permit is part of the group using the permits. The group with trip leader or alternate must be present together at the base of the subdome, where rangers will check for permits. The names of the trip leader and alternate may not be changed once the application is submitted, and the permits are not transferable. Daily Lottery Success Rate: As of mid-June through August, an average of 86 permits have been available each day. About 21% of lottery applications were successful, on average. As of early September, a larger number of permits are available during weekdays (due to fewer initial applications in the spring lottery), giving you a much better chance at being successful now. Weekends remain busy with fewer permits available and a 20-30% success rate.
Fees The second fee is $5 per person and is charged only when you receive a permit. (This fee also applies to wilderness permit holders.) This fee pays for park rangers checking for Half Dome permits and providing Half Dome visitors with hiking and safety information. The $5 fee is fully refundable if you cancel your permit more than two days before the hiking date specified on your permit or if the cables are not up on the date for which your permit is valid.
For reference, here is the information on how the preseason lottery operated in 2012: Preseason Lottery View graphs that show how many Half Dome permit applications have been submitted for each day during the Half Dome season. |
Did You Know?
![Rockfall area and talus slope at base of Three Brothers in Yosemite Valley. Rockfall area and talus slope at base of Three Brothers in Yosemite Valley.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120928050203im_/http://www.nps.gov/pwr/yose/parkmgmt/images/YOSE_YOSE_rockfallrockypointweb2.jpg)
In March 1987, the largest historical rockfall in Yosemite National Park deposited an estimated 1.5 million tons of debris at the base of Three Brothers, closing Northside Drive for several months.