Permits Required Seven Days Per Week to Hike Half Dome Cables
Half Dome cables day use permits for the 2014 hiking season will be available for reservation starting tomorrow, Saturday, March 1, through Monday, March 31, 2014. Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome are required seven days per week and reservations will be distributed via a lottery system. Successful parties will be notified in mid-April. A maximum of 300 hikers will be allowed on the Half Dome cables per day.
Reservations for the permits can be made online at http://www.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777.
Approximately 50 subsequent daily permits will be available each day by lottery during the hiking season. These permits are made available based on the number of no-shows and cancellations from the pre-season lottery. The permits must be applied for two days in advance of the desired hiking date. Reservations for the two-day in advance permits can also be made through http://www.recreation.gov.
Hiking to the top of Half Dome is one of the most popular hikes in Yosemite National Park. The iconic granite monolith, at 8,842 feet above sea level, attracts people from all over the world who attempt to climb to the summit. Most visitors ascend Half Dome via the cables, which are typically in place from mid-May through mid-October. Most visitors begin and end their hike at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley. This is an approximately 17 mile round-trip journey.
To learn more about the Half Dome hike please visit http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/halfdome.htm.
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Re: Half Dome Cables Day Use Permits Available for Reservation Starting March 1 2014
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February 28, 2014 04:10PM | Admin Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 17,050 |
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From Recreation.Gov (Half Dome Permit Lottery Instructions):
Half Dome 2014 Lottery Information:
Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome are required seven days per week when the cables are up (as called for in the Half Dome Trail Stewardship Plan in order to protect wilderness character, reduce crowding, protect natural and cultural resources, and improve safety.) If you're planning to hike the route in one day you should obtain a day use permit which will be distributed by lottery via Recreation.gov. Overnight wilderness users (backpackers) should apply for Half Dome permits through the wilderness permit system.
A maximum of 300 hikers are allowed (about 225 day hikers and 75 backpackers) each day on the Half Dome Trail beyond the base of the sub-dome.
Two different lotteries will be conducted by Recreation.gov. The first is a single preseason lottery with an application period in March. The second is a daily lottery held throughout the hiking season.
On each preseason lottery 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.
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 a 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 sub-dome, where rangers will check for permits. The names of the trip leader and alternate may not be changed once the application is submitted, and their permits are not transferable.
The Pre-season lottery is a 2-step process:
1. Apply anytime between March 1 and March 31, 2014 for all dates that cables are expected to be up. (May 23 - October 14, 2014).
2. Check your Recreation.gov account between April 15 and May 20, 2014 to determine if your application was successful in the lottery. If so, confirm your reservation details and pay for your permit. All unconfirmed reservations will be automatically cancelled on May 21, 2014 and will be added to the secondary daily lottery.
Once you pay for your permit you may print it. If you might cancel your permit then do not print it until you are certain that you will be using it. Once a permit is printed it cannot be canceled. You may return to the Recreation.gov website at any time up to two days before your hike to cancel your permit and receive a full refund of the permit fee (not application fee).
Daily Lottery:
Approximately 50 permits will be available each day by lottery during the hiking season. These permits will be available based on the estimated rate of under-use and cancellation of permits (the exact number may change through the summer). The daily lotteries have an application period two days prior to the hiking date with a notification late that night. (So, to hike on Saturday, you would apply on Thursday and receive an email notification of results late on Thursday night. Results will also be available online, or by phone the next morning.)The application period is from midnight to 1 p.m. Pacific Time.
Fees:
Two separate fees are collected. The first fee, which is charged at the time you submit an application, is $4.50 or $6.50 (by phone). This non-refundable fee, which is per application (not per person), is charged by Recreation.gov for the costs of processing your permit application.
The second fee is $8 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 $8 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 permit is valid.
Half Dome 2014 Lottery Information:
Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome are required seven days per week when the cables are up (as called for in the Half Dome Trail Stewardship Plan in order to protect wilderness character, reduce crowding, protect natural and cultural resources, and improve safety.) If you're planning to hike the route in one day you should obtain a day use permit which will be distributed by lottery via Recreation.gov. Overnight wilderness users (backpackers) should apply for Half Dome permits through the wilderness permit system.
A maximum of 300 hikers are allowed (about 225 day hikers and 75 backpackers) each day on the Half Dome Trail beyond the base of the sub-dome.
Two different lotteries will be conducted by Recreation.gov. The first is a single preseason lottery with an application period in March. The second is a daily lottery held throughout the hiking season.
On each preseason lottery 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.
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 a 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 sub-dome, where rangers will check for permits. The names of the trip leader and alternate may not be changed once the application is submitted, and their permits are not transferable.
The Pre-season lottery is a 2-step process:
1. Apply anytime between March 1 and March 31, 2014 for all dates that cables are expected to be up. (May 23 - October 14, 2014).
2. Check your Recreation.gov account between April 15 and May 20, 2014 to determine if your application was successful in the lottery. If so, confirm your reservation details and pay for your permit. All unconfirmed reservations will be automatically cancelled on May 21, 2014 and will be added to the secondary daily lottery.
Once you pay for your permit you may print it. If you might cancel your permit then do not print it until you are certain that you will be using it. Once a permit is printed it cannot be canceled. You may return to the Recreation.gov website at any time up to two days before your hike to cancel your permit and receive a full refund of the permit fee (not application fee).
Daily Lottery:
Approximately 50 permits will be available each day by lottery during the hiking season. These permits will be available based on the estimated rate of under-use and cancellation of permits (the exact number may change through the summer). The daily lotteries have an application period two days prior to the hiking date with a notification late that night. (So, to hike on Saturday, you would apply on Thursday and receive an email notification of results late on Thursday night. Results will also be available online, or by phone the next morning.)The application period is from midnight to 1 p.m. Pacific Time.
Fees:
Two separate fees are collected. The first fee, which is charged at the time you submit an application, is $4.50 or $6.50 (by phone). This non-refundable fee, which is per application (not per person), is charged by Recreation.gov for the costs of processing your permit application.
The second fee is $8 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 $8 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 permit is valid.
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Re: Half Dome Cables Day Use Permits Available for Reservation Starting March 1 2014 March 04, 2014 11:25AM | Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 44 |
Put in my application for the last weekend of August. Fingers crossed!!
Has anyone else been around that time of year?
I hear the crowds are usually crazy on the half dome hike.
having never done it myself(only been as far as LYV) I'd appreciate any input you guys/gals have for me.
The plan is to take Mist Trail(possibly cut off to JMT) up to LYV and then work our way up from there.
Will I be able to stay at LYV the night before we go up the cables with the same permit?
Has anyone else been around that time of year?
I hear the crowds are usually crazy on the half dome hike.
having never done it myself(only been as far as LYV) I'd appreciate any input you guys/gals have for me.
The plan is to take Mist Trail(possibly cut off to JMT) up to LYV and then work our way up from there.
Will I be able to stay at LYV the night before we go up the cables with the same permit?
March 04, 2014 11:45AM | Registered: 12 years ago Posts: 254 |
Quote
JamesMac
Will I be able to stay at LYV the night before we go up the cables with the same permit?
Now, you need a separate wilderness permit for that. And the ones that allow you to stay the first night in LYV are very popular. Here is a link to the wilderness permit page. It has a link to the trail heads full report. You will notice that ALL of the trails allowing the first night in LYV are full. To reserve on you will need to send in your application on the first available day (see the link to determine when that is).
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildpermits.htm
If you can't reserve one you can try for a first-come first-serve permit. But, there are no guarantees you will get one.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2014 11:46AM by Hitech.
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Re: Half Dome Cables Day Use Permits Available for Reservation Starting March 1 2014 March 04, 2014 01:05PM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 688 |
Quote
JamesMac
Has anyone else been around that time of year?
I hear the crowds are usually crazy on the half dome hike.
having never done it myself(only been as far as LYV) I'd appreciate any input you guys/gals have for me.
The Overnight stay part of your question is key. If you spend the night at LYV you can easily dodge the peak period. The peak hours for the Cables are early afternoon when all the Day Hikers from the Valley get there at the same time. I was at the Cables just a little later than this peak period, and I was on the Cables by myself (I hiked from Tenaya Lake). It is my contention that the "crazy crowds" are exaggerated and perhaps completely a thing of the past since the new permit system was put into place. I believe the Park has overreacted and created an overly restrictive permit system.
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Re: Half Dome Cables Day Use Permits Available for Reservation Starting March 1 2014 March 04, 2014 04:27PM | Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 755 |
Quote
JamesMac
Put in my application for the last weekend of August. Fingers crossed!!
Has anyone else been around that time of year?
I hear the crowds are usually crazy on the half dome hike.
having never done it myself(only been as far as LYV) I'd appreciate any input you guys/gals have for me.
The plan is to take Mist Trail(possibly cut off to JMT) up to LYV and then work our way up from there.
Will I be able to stay at LYV the night before we go up the cables with the same permit?
I usually do it from the Valley. The last time that we stayed in LYV, we got a permit to come in from Glacier Point, which does not allow for an immediate stop in LYV. So we hiked down to the junction above Illiouette Falls, then upstream to the first good camping area there. Next morning we had a great day hike alongside Starr King, and then made it to LYV that evening.
I agree that the permit system has greatly alleviated the mob scene on the cables.
The pile of gloves at the base of the cables is much diminished. You want to go to Home Depot, and get some of the cheap ones with sticky rubber fronts and open mesh backs. That cuts the strain on your arms immensely. Never use suede leather gloves or the cotton ones with hard plastic dots, which lack friction on polished iron.
We used to do it every year about that time. The beginning of September is a period of great temperature swings. When it's hot, you need to leave the valley by 6 am. Even so, we had a guy faint from heat/dehydration at the top of the cables one year.
Of course, if you get average or lower temperatures it's no problem. But I would be sure to have headlamps in the pack, in case your weather report the night before suggests hot weather and the need for an early start.
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Re: Half Dome Cables Day Use Permits Available for Reservation Starting March 1 2014 March 17, 2014 10:35AM | Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 44 |
Quote
wherever
Quote
JamesMac
Put in my application for the last weekend of August. Fingers crossed!!
Has anyone else been around that time of year?
I hear the crowds are usually crazy on the half dome hike.
having never done it myself(only been as far as LYV) I'd appreciate any input you guys/gals have for me.
The plan is to take Mist Trail(possibly cut off to JMT) up to LYV and then work our way up from there.
Will I be able to stay at LYV the night before we go up the cables with the same permit?
I usually do it from the Valley. The last time that we stayed in LYV, we got a permit to come in from Glacier Point, which does not allow for an immediate stop in LYV. So we hiked down to the junction above Illiouette Falls, then upstream to the first good camping area there. Next morning we had a great day hike alongside Starr King, and then made it to LYV that evening.
I agree that the permit system has greatly alleviated the mob scene on the cables.
The pile of gloves at the base of the cables is much diminished. You want to go to Home Depot, and get some of the cheap ones with sticky rubber fronts and open mesh backs. That cuts the strain on your arms immensely. Never use suede leather gloves or the cotton ones with hard plastic dots, which lack friction on polished iron.
We used to do it every year about that time. The beginning of September is a period of great temperature swings. When it's hot, you need to leave the valley by 6 am. Even so, we had a guy faint from heat/dehydration at the top of the cables one year.
Of course, if you get average or lower temperatures it's no problem. But I would be sure to have headlamps in the pack, in case your weather report the night before suggests hot weather and the need for an early start.
Thanks for the help. I like to think we come over prepared as far as food clothing and light source goes. Still need to wait to see if my application for the permits was accepted before I start making any really solid plans.
March 04, 2014 09:08PM | Moderator Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 2,321 |
Quote
JamesMac
Put in my application for the last weekend of August. Fingers crossed!!
Has anyone else been around that time of year?
I hear the crowds are usually crazy on the half dome hike.
having never done it myself(only been as far as LYV) I'd appreciate any input you guys/gals have for me.
The plan is to take Mist Trail(possibly cut off to JMT) up to LYV and then work our way up from there.
Will I be able to stay at LYV the night before we go up the cables with the same permit?
You can shoot for a wilderness permit starting at Mono Meadow, Glacier Point, or Tanaya Lake besides LYV. Any one of those three with an overnight in the wilderness prior to going up HD is very doable. You could exit Happy Isle if you arrange transportation on either the front side or the back side of the trip.
Old Dude
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Re: Half Dome Cables Day Use Permits Available for Reservation Starting March 1 2014 March 06, 2014 03:58PM | Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 44 |
Thanks all for your helpful info. I did not know that there is now a separate permit for staying at LYV.
I think my friends and I will do a midnight hike to try and reach the top of the dome by sunrise. This way hopefully we'll miss the crowds and be able to come back down to the valley floor and rest the following day.
I think my friends and I will do a midnight hike to try and reach the top of the dome by sunrise. This way hopefully we'll miss the crowds and be able to come back down to the valley floor and rest the following day.
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