California's Yosemite National Park attracts more than three million outdoor enthusiasts, hikers, and sightseers each year. And let me tell you—it's not hard to see why! The park's breathtaking viewpoints and picturesque sights make it one of the most desired bucket list destinations for many travelers, including yours truly. As an avid hiker, one of the biggest reasons I decided to visit Yosemite is that I couldn't resist hiking its iconic and challenging trail called Half Dome.
The round-trip hike to Half Dome is certainly no walk in the park. It's 14 to 16 miles long and can take hikers anywhere from 10 to 12 hours to complete. I's also extremely steep and strenuous; those brave enough to tackle it gain 4,800 feet of elevation throughout the trail. (You'll want to brace yourself ahead of time for all of that huffing and puffing.)
While you can call me crazy for wanting to do this hike, trust me, it's well worth it. Along the way, you'll see everything from Vernal and Nevada Falls, Liberty Cap, and views of Yosemite Valley and the High Sierra. And while Yosemite no longer requires reservations for entry, because Half Dome is so popular, you'll need a hiking permit to get in.
READ MORE: The Hardest and Most Dangerous Hikes in the U.S.
Why Does Yosemite's Half Dome Require a Permit?
Getty Images, Bartfett
A permit is like your golden ticket granting you permission to be in certain parts of the park, including specific hiking trails. According to the National Park Service, these permits are meant to spread out use on public lands, avoid heavy impact in popular spots, reduce crowding, improve safety, and protect natural and cultural resources.
The thing is only a maximum of 300 hikers—about 225 day hikers and 75 backpackers—are granted access to the Half Dome trail each day. As the trail continues to increase in popularity, snagging a permit to hike to the top of Half Dome has become a real challenge.
Thankfully, I managed to secure a hiking permit for my trip to Yosemite. Now if you're wanting to score a hiking permit of your own, whether it's for Half Dome or another popular trail at a different National Park, here are some of my tips and recommendations.
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How The NPS Permit System Works
Yosemite's Half Dome Permits for day hikers are issued by lottery on Recreation.gov. There is one preseason lottery from March 1 to 31 during which hikers may apply for a permit, with only 225 permits available each day.
Here's the nitty-gritty: Once the preseason lottery opens, you can apply for up to six permits (for six people) and can choose specific dates or a range of dates. You'll be awarded a permit if the number of permits requested is available on at least one of your requested dates. If enough permits are available for more than one of the requested dates, permits will be awarded to the highest priority date that you selected.
Those who applied during the preseason lottery will be notified about the results via email in mid-April. Applicants can also get their results online at Recreation.gov or by calling (877)-444-6777.
What I Did to Secure a Half Dome Hiking Permit
An important caveat: Because hiking permits are awarded randomly via lottery, what I did to secure my permit is not guaranteed to work for everyone. (Obviously, my hope is that it will work for you, too!) But these are things you can try that may improve your chances, based on my experience and information shared by the National Park Service.
1. Apply for a Hiking Permit As Early As Possible
My strongest advice for anyone hoping to score a permit for Half Dome is to apply during the preseason lottery at the earliest date possible. And I mean as early as you would when getting concert tickets to see your favorite artist or tickets to a playoff sports game. I submitted my application for a permit the very day it opened on March 1.
I used my laptop to apply, and while I don't think using your phone makes that much of a difference, having a larger screen allowed me to type my information in the application faster, select dates, and view drop-down menus more easily. I also set an alarm the night before and set up calendar alerts on my phone to remind me to log on as early as possible.
2. Include Alternative Itineraries and Dates
When I applied for a permit, I also selected a few different dates for when I would potentially be available to hike Half Dome. (I chose August 25, 28, and 29 and September 1 and 2.) Most applicants are allowed to choose a few different dates when they apply, so be sure you are flexible and keep your options open.
In my experience, having a range of date options that span over a week or more can increase your chances of succeeding and getting a permit, especially if your first few choices aren't available.
3. Get Your Family and Friends to Apply, Too
My final insider tip for securing a hiking permit is to have other people who are traveling with you apply for a permit as well. Teamwork makes the dream work, right? Whether that's your partner, friends, or family, recruiting more people to apply for the same permit can increase your chances of securing one overall.
Whoever is planning to hike with you can also select similar or different date ranges from what you selected. Again, having a variety of dates may also boost your chances. And in the event that you all get awarded a permit, you have the option to reject or accept it. Anything that is rejected will be offered to other people who applied.
That said, my boyfriend also applied for a hiking permit but submitted his application about three weeks after the preseason lottery opened. Even though he entered mostly the same information and selected all of the same dates as I did, unfortunately, he was not awarded a permit when the lottery results came out via email on April 11. (At least one of us got lucky!)
What to Do if You Don't Get Awarded a Permit
I won't sugarcoat the fact that navigating this whole lottery system feels a bit ridiculous, setting reminders, waking up early, to recruiting other people. Not to mention, having to plan several months in advance does take the fun out of adventure. However, I like to remind myself that while it might require a little extra effort, getting a permit and being able to go on this hike and see such beautiful views makes it all worthwhile.
If you didn't get a hiking permit from the preseason lottery, don't lose hope! There are additional permits made available each day by lottery during the hiking season, based on the estimated under-use and cancellation of existing permits.
How that works: The daily lotteries have an application that opens two days prior to the hiking date. For example, if you're looking to hike on a Sunday, you would apply and submit an application on Friday, and you'd be notified later that night via email if you were successful.
One tip to get a permit from the daily lottery is to select hiking dates that are less popular, especially if you have some wiggle room during your trip. According to the National Park Service, the chances of success are higher on weekdays, and from the end of August (after school starts). For the entire 2018 season, the average success rate on weekdays was 47% while it was only 24% on weekends.
Other Major Hiking Trails That Also Require a Permit
Angel's Landing, Zion National Park. Getty Images, artiste9999
Requirements for park reservations and hiking permits vary depending on which National Park you're visiting. It's important to check the National Park Service website for the park you plan to visit and apply for any necessary permits in advance at Recreation.gov.
Here are other popular hiking trails that may also require visitors to get a permit:
- Angel's Landing at Zion National Park, Utah Anyone who wants to hike Angel's Landing must apply for a permit during one of the several application windows in April, July, and October.
- John Muir Trail at Yosemite National Park, California Hikers need a wilderness permit for some areas along the John Muir Trail. NPS releases 60 percent of the reservations by lottery 24 weeks in advance. Reservations are available for start dates in late April in some areas of the park.
- Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona Visitors must have a permit to visit both Coyote Buttes North and Coyote Buttes South. The Wave is a 6.4-mile round-trip hike in the wilderness area. Hikers can apply for a permit four months in advance or enter a daily lottery.
- Mount Whitney Trail in Inyo National Forest, California This Sierra Nevada trail starts in the Inyo National Forest at Whitney Portal and gains over 6,200 feet of elevation. Visitors can apply for a permit via lottery starting on February 1 up until March 1.
Whichever National Park you decide to visit next, be sure to do your research and plan ahead. Some parks may require hiking permits for selected day hikes, or even reservations simply to enter the park at all, while others may require backcountry/wilderness permits for overnight hikes and camping reservations.
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