How To Get Half Dome Permits

The Half Dome Let: How to be One of the Lucky Lottery Winners

If yous accept plans to hike to Half Dome, you must have a Half Dome permit. A maximum of 300 permits are awarded per 24-hour interval in a lottery organization.

Why practice you demand a let?

Since 2010, the National Park Service has required hikers to take a let to climb Half Dome.

Before 2010, overcrowding on the cables created a unsafe state of affairs. On summit days before 2010, there would be every bit many as one,200 daily visitors to Half Dome. In 2009, 2 people died while climbing the cables.

Now, only 300 people per day are allowed to climb Half Dome, and to do so, y'all must have a permit.

And so, how do you become to be 1 of the lucky let holders?

Preseason Lottery

Permits are awarded in a preseason lottery for the entire summer hiking season.

During a "typical year," a maximum of 300 permits are awarded per day, with 225 for day hikers and 75 for backpackers.

Applications are accepted during the month of March, regardless if you are hiking in June or September.

On the awarding, one person (called the team leader) can apply for up to 6 people for a series of dates. The team leader is only allowed to apply once per lottery. If you utilise multiply times, all of your applications volition exist removed from the lottery.

The trip leader or the alternating person listed on the application must exist present at the sub-dome when the permits are checked. The permits are not transferable to other hikers.

It costs $10 to file an awarding, regardless of the number of people listed on the application.

IMPORTANT: Applicants may be a let holder (trip leader) or alternate on only one application during the preseason lottery. Your name tin simply announced on one awarding, whether or not you are the trip leader OR the alternate. If your name appears on more than than one application, all of your lottery applications will exist cancelled.

The lucky lottery winners are notified mid-Apr.

Once y'all are notified past e-mail, yous then have to ii weeks (until April 25) to pay the $10 per person for the permit. The let is refundable.

To become more information, visit the National Park Service website.

To file an application, visit the recreation.gov website. If you accept questions, give them a phone call at 877-444-6777.

What if you lot plan to visit One-half Dome with kids? The youngest age we would recommend is 12 years old, and that is only if your kid has lots of prior hiking experience and is very physically fit. When I spoke to the supervisor at recreation.gov, they told me that children tin be listed on the permit application. I was told that there was no minimum age. Withal, if your kid is listed on the let, you will demand to bring a government-issued ID as their form of identification.

Daily Lottery

Permits are awarded on a daily basis, and this number depends on cancellations of other permits and no-shows on the trail. You lot tin apply online for these permits 2 days before your anticipated hiking appointment. Visit recreation.gov to file your application for a daily let.

What Are Your Chances of Getting a Allow?

As the One-half Dome hike grows in popularity, your chance of scoring a Half Dome permit decreases.

In 2016, there was a 25% hazard y'all would be awarded a permit. Compare that to 2015, with a 35% success charge per unit and 2014 with a 45% success charge per unit.

In 2017, there were 26,963 applications, with a 19% success rate. We hiked One-half Dome in 2017.

Does this sound discouraging?

In more recent years, your chances of getting a Half Dome permit actually improved, with a 28% success rate in 2019 and a 36% success rate in 2020. Just nosotros all know that 2020 was not a normal year.

To become a permit, you exercise demand to be lucky, simply there are some means you can increment your chances.

If you can be flexible in your travel dates, you tin greatly increase your odds of being one of the lucky permit holders.

Monday through Thursday are much less popular than Friday, Sat, or Dominicus. It's almost incommunicable to get a permit for Sat.

The few days from July 4 through July 8 tend to have slightly smaller crowds than the other times of the summer (and fewer applications for the Half Dome cables). This is the time that we visited Yosemite. On July five, crowds were manageable, but by July 7 the park was getting very crowded once again. Consider taking reward of the July 4 vacation and hiking One-half Dome if you have plans to visit Yosemite during the summertime months.

September and October are the months with the fewest number of applications so it is easier to go a let. In full general, Yosemite volition be a little quieter during this time also, since summertime holidays are over.

If you lot are unsuccessful in getting a pre-season lottery ticket, you can apply for a daily lottery ticket, which is awarded two days earlier your anticipated hiking date.

Where am I getting all of these numbers? The National Park Service website has excellent data on lottery applications and success rates for the unabridged flavour. If you lot want to plan your Yosemite trip effectually your best odds for getting a Half Dome permit, I highly recommend that you have a look at their lottery statistics.