Yosemite, California, United States
Half Dome permits: when the lottery opens
Enter the preseason lottery on Recreation.gov from 1 to 31 March for any date in that summer's cable season, with results in mid-April, or the daily lottery two days before your hike, between 00:00 and 16:00 Pacific time. The 2026 season is over; the next March lottery should be 1 to 31 March 2027.
- When does booking open?
- 1 to 31 March, plus a daily lottery two days ahead. The March deadline is in Eastern time: 23:59 ET on 31 March is 20:59 PT. Daily lottery results arrive late the same night. The cables are up from the Friday before Memorial Day until the day after the second Monday in October, conditions permitting; by that rule the 2027 season would run 28 May to 12 October, but the park has not announced 2027 dates.
- How far ahead is that?
- About 2 to 7 months ahead, or 2 days.
- Where do I book?
- Only on Recreation.gov, with an account. The official pages checked set no limits on visitors from abroad; non-US residents do pay Yosemite's $100 nonresident entry fee.
- Does it sell out?
- The park publishes odds. In 2024, 22% of 35,289 March applications won a permit, but only about 1.0% of weekday date choices and 0.8% of weekend choices were picked. The daily lottery had 35,561 applications and 19% won: 22% on weekdays, 14% at weekends. The park's page shows the same application count for 2023 and 2024, which may be an error.
- Can I cancel or change?
- Cancel by 23:59 PT the day before the hike for a full refund of the $10 per-person fee. The $10 application fee is never refunded.
Checked 15 October 2026
How to book
Apply on Recreation.gov. Each application costs $10, which is not refunded, and covers up to six people. If you win, you pay $10 per person. In the March lottery you can list up to seven dates or date ranges.
There are 225 day-hiker permits a day, out of 300 hikers in all; the other 75 are for backpackers, who ask for Half Dome on their Yosemite wilderness permit instead.
On the day, the permit holder or the alternate must be on the hike with photo ID and the email showing the permit is paid. Park entry is separate: Yosemite needs no entry reservation in 2026, but non-US residents aged 16 or over pay a $100 nonresident fee on top of the entrance fee.
If it’s sold out
Enter the daily lottery two days before each date you could hike. Weekday odds are better.
Backpackers can request Half Dome with a Yosemite wilderness permit. Other Yosemite day hikes, such as the Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls, need no lottery permit.
Booking for a group
Up to six people go on one application, with a permit holder and an alternate. One of the two must be on the hike, so pick two people who are both coming.
In the March lottery each person can be holder or alternate on only one application. A group of more than six needs separate applications led by different people, and each wins or loses on its own, so agree beforehand what you will do if only part of the group wins.
Good to know
- Use all seven date choices and include weekdays.
- Spread your group's applications across different leaders, since each person can lead or be alternate on only one March application.
- Cable dates depend on conditions, so check the park's page before you fix travel dates.
- Keep the paid confirmation email on your phone or on paper: you show it with your ID.
Sources
- NPS Yosemite: Half Dome permits for day hikers (official): Preseason lottery March 1 to 31 (eastern time), results mid-April; daily lottery two days before, midnight to 4 pm Pacific; $10 per application and $10 per person, refundable until 11:59 pm Pacific the day before.
- NPS Yosemite: Half Dome permit lottery statistics (official): 2024: 35,289 preseason applications, 22% success, weekday choices 1.0%, weekend 0.8%; daily lottery 35,561 applications, 19% success.
- Recreation.gov: Half Dome permits (official): Up to six people and up to seven date choices per application; the application fee is not refunded.
- NPS Yosemite: Half Dome (official): A permit is needed when the cables are up, from the Friday before Memorial Day to the day after the second Monday in October, subject to conditions.
- NPS Yosemite: Fees (official): Non-US residents aged 16 or over pay a $100 nonresident fee on top of the entrance fee.
Checked on 15 October 2026. Booking rules change; the official site has the last word.