Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MANDATORY HALF DOME PERMITS
To stem lengthy lines (and increasingly dangerous conditions) on the vertiginous cables
of Half Dome, the park now requires that all-day hikers obtain an advance permit to climb
the cables. There are currently three ways to do this, though check
www.nps.gov/yose/
planyourvisit/hdpermits.htm
for the latest information. Rangers check permits at the
base of the cables.
Preseason permit lottery
( 877-444-6777;
www.recreation.gov
; application fee online/by
phone $4.50/6.50) Lottery applications for the 300 daily spots must be completed in
March, with confirmation notification sent in mid-April; an additional $8 per person
charge confirms the permit. Applications can include up to six people and seven alternate
dates.
Daily lottery
Approximately 50 additional permits are distributed by lottery two days
before each hiking date. Apply online or by phone between midnight and 1pm Pacific
Time; notification available late that same evening. It's easier to score weekday permits.
Backpackers
Those with Yosemite-issued wilderness permits that reasonably include
Half Dome can request Half Dome permits ($8 per person) without going through the lot-
tery process. Backpackers with wilderness permits from a National Forest or another
park can use that permit to climb the cables.
Hiking
Over 800 miles of hiking trails cater to hikers of all abilities. Take an easy half-mile stroll
on the valley floor; venture out all day on a quest for viewpoints, waterfalls and lakes; or
go camping in the remote outer reaches of the backcountry.
Some of the park's most popular hikes start right in Yosemite Valley, including to the
top of Half Dome (17-mile round-trip), the most famous of all. It follows a section of the
John Muir Trail and is strenuous, difficult and best tackled in two days with an overnight
in Little Yosemite Valley. Reaching the top can only be done after rangers have installed
fixed cables. Depending on snow conditions, this may occur as early as late May or as late
as July, and the cables usually come down in mid-October. To whittle down the cables' no-
torious human logjams, the park now requires permits for day hikers, but the route is still
nerve-wracking as hikers must 'share the road.' The less ambitious or physically fit will
