Apply: Lottery opens 24 weeks out — Sunday 12:01am PT, closes Saturday 11:59pm PT Results: Monday after the lottery closes Deadline to accept: Thursday 11:59pm PT or the permit is released 7-day release: 7:00am PT exactly seven days before your start date Pickup: In person at a wilderness center — cannot be printed at home Where to apply: recreation.gov/permits/445859 Choosing a trailhead: Skip to the interactive trailhead table ↓
The Yosemite wilderness permit covers 30+ trailheads, 95% of the park, and some of the most competitive backcountry real estate in the country. The permit system is trailhead-based, quota-driven, and runs on a rolling weekly lottery. The hardest part is not filling out the application. It is choosing the correct trailhead before you apply. The trailhead determines your route, your first-night restrictions, whether you can add a Half Dome backpacking permit, and whether you can exit the park over Donohue Pass.
Which permit do you need?
Spending the night in Yosemite backcountry? You need a wilderness permit regardless of season.
Want to summit Half Dome during your trip? Choose a Half Dome-eligible trailhead and request the add-on at permit pickup. No separate lottery required.
Planning to exit Yosemite southbound over Donohue Pass on the JMT? Choose one of the two Donohue Pass-eligible trailheads. Do not choose this designation if your trip stays inside the park.
Starting from a trailhead outside Yosemite (Saddlebag Lake, Twin Lakes, Virginia Lakes, Kearsarge Pass, etc.)? Get your permit from the agency that manages that trailhead. Yosemite honors permits from adjacent land agencies for continuous travel.
Staying inside Yosemite, no Half Dome, no Donohue? Standard trailhead permit. Choose based on your route and trailhead competition.
How to Get a Yosemite Wilderness Permit
The quota for each trailhead splits 60/40. Sixty percent is allocated through a weekly lottery that opens 24 weeks before your desired start date. The remaining 40 percent is released online 7 days in advance. A small number of unreserved permits are available in person on the start date itself, but don’t plan around them.
Step 1: Identify Your Trailhead and Dates
Every permit is tied to a specific entry trailhead and start date. The quota is measured in individuals, not groups. A party of 4 takes 4 quota slots. Know before you apply which trailhead serves your intended route.
Some trailheads have companion versions with different designations: “Donohue Pass Eligible” vs. “No Donohue Pass,” and “Half Dome Eligible” vs. standard. These designations determine where you can go, not just where you start. Pick the right version for your actual route.
Step 2: Enter the Lottery (24 Weeks Out)
The lottery opens every Sunday at 12:01am PT and closes Saturday at 11:59pm PT. Apply anytime during that window. Applying on Sunday morning does not improve your odds over applying Thursday afternoon. What does improve your odds is using all 8 itinerary options the application allows.
It costs $10 per group application, non-refundable whether you win or lose. If awarded, an additional $5 per person applies when you confirm. You can only hold 6 active future reservations at a time, and you are limited to one application per weekly lottery window. Duplicate applications from the same group are removed without refund.
One thing most people miss: 24 weeks is nearly six months. Memorial Day weekend permits open in mid-November. Fourth of July permits open in early January. Labor Day permits open in mid-March. By the time summer feels near, the best lottery windows for summer dates are already closed.
Each option can specify a different trailhead, date, or group size. Stack your first choice as option 1, then work through genuine backups. Here is what that looks like in practice:
- Cathedral Lakes, preferred date, full group size
- Cathedral Lakes, one day earlier or later
- Sunrise Lakes, preferred date
- Rafferty Creek, preferred date
- Young Lakes via Dog Lake, preferred date
- Murphy Creek, preferred date
- Sunrise Lakes, smaller group size
- Rancheria Falls (Hetch Hetchy) as the low-competition safety net
The point is not to repeat the same trailhead with slightly different dates. It is to give yourself a genuinely different route if the first choices don’t land.
Use the NPS Wilderness Permit Reservation Window at nps.gov/yose to find the exact lottery window for your start dates without counting backward.
Results arrive by Monday evening. If awarded, you must accept and pay by Thursday at 11:59pm PT. Miss that deadline and your permit is released to the pool Friday at 9am.
Add alternate permit holders when you apply. You cannot add them later. If the primary permit holder cannot make the trip, only someone listed as an alternate can pick up and use the permit. You can designate up to 3 alternates; add them before submitting payment.
Step 3: The Friday Rollover (22 Weeks Out)
Any lottery spots that were not claimed during the initial lottery become available on a first-come, first-served basis on the Friday 22 weeks before the start date, at 9am PT. This is your second chance at the 60% tranche before the week-ahead release.
There is a less obvious opportunity inside the lottery window itself. Permits awarded on Monday that go unclaimed by Thursday at 11:59pm are released Friday morning at 9am. That Friday release is open to anyone on a first-come, first-served basis. If you were denied in the lottery or missed the window entirely, check recreation.gov Friday morning at 9am before those slots disappear into the week-ahead pool.
Step 4: Week-Ahead Release (7 Days Out)
At 7:00am PT exactly 7 days before your start date, the remaining 40% of each trailhead’s quota goes live on recreation.gov. Popular trailheads (Happy Isles, Cathedral Lakes) are gone within seconds. Less competitive trailheads (Hetch Hetchy, Wawona) may have availability for several minutes. Be logged in, have your group information ready, and be precise about the time.
Reservations can be made up to 3 days before the trip. After that, any remaining permits are walk-up only.
Step 5: Pick Up Your Permit in Person
A reservation confirmation is not a permit. You must pick up the physical permit at a wilderness center in person. Centers are open 8am to 5pm. If you won’t arrive until after 11am on your start date, select the late arrival option on recreation.gov. This holds your permit until 5pm. Any permit not marked for late arrival is released at 11am.
Wilderness centers:
- Yosemite Valley Wilderness Center — Valley Village, near the Yosemite Village post office
- Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center — east of the campground, near Lembert Dome parking
- Big Oak Flat Information Station — Hwy 120 West entrance
- Wawona Visitor Center — Hwy 41, next to Wawona Hotel
- Hetch Hetchy Entrance Station — issues permits only until 5pm
Pick up your permit at the center closest to your starting trailhead.
What About Same-Day Walk-Ups?
They exist, but in limited form. No portion of the quota is officially held for walk-ups. They are leftovers from cancellations and unclaimed permits. On busy summer weekends at popular trailheads, the realistic chance of a same-day walk-up for Happy Isles or Cathedral Lakes approaches zero. On less popular trailheads or in the shoulder season, your odds improve. Come with 5 to 8 trailhead options in mind, know your map, and let the ranger tell you what’s available. Don’t expect them to plan your trip.
Permit Rules You Need to Know
A wilderness permit requires continuous travel. Exiting the wilderness at any point during your trip invalidates the permit and requires a new one to continue. The one exception is crossing a paved road on foot as part of trail travel.
There is no exception for Yosemite Valley. Any passage through the Valley invalidates your permit.
JMT thru-hikers with a Donohue Pass-eligible permit may spend one night at the Tuolumne Meadows or White Wolf Backpackers Campground as part of continuous travel on a long-distance hiking permit.
First-night restrictions apply to several trailheads. Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley requires the first night at Little Yosemite Valley. Glen Aulin requires the first night at Glen Aulin camp. Poopenaut Valley requires the first night at Poopenaut. Illilouette-access trailheads require the first night in Illilouette Basin. After the first night, you can camp anywhere the rules allow.
Camping rules:
- At least 4 trail miles from Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, Glacier Point, Hetch Hetchy, and Wawona
- At least 1 air mile from any road
- At least 100 feet from any water source or trail
Approved bear canisters are required for Yosemite Wilderness backpacking; hanging food is not permitted. Plan your food accordingly. The canisters add weight but the alternative is a confrontation with a habituated bear that’s been doing this longer than you have.
Fires are prohibited above 9,600 feet. Most of the high country sits above that line.
No pets are allowed in Yosemite Wilderness. This includes dogs, even if leashed or carrying a pack.
Modifying your permit: You can change your itinerary up to 3 days before your trip online through recreation.gov, or on your entry date at permit pickup, subject to availability. You can reduce group size online; increasing group size requires available quota space. The trip leader cannot be changed. If the leader cannot go and you have no alternate listed, the permit cannot be used.
Backpackers campgrounds: Wilderness permit holders may spend one night before and one night after their trip in a Yosemite backpackers campground (Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, Hetch Hetchy, or Wawona) for $6 per person per night. No reservation required. This is genuinely useful for parties arriving from out of state the evening before an early start.
Entering from adjacent wilderness: If your trip starts from a trailhead outside Yosemite (Saddlebag Lake or Virginia Lakes in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Twin Lakes in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Chiquito Pass in Sierra National Forest, or an Inyo National Forest trailhead), get your permit from the agency managing that trailhead. Yosemite honors those permits for continuous travel. You do not need a separate Yosemite permit if your trip starts outside the park.
Half Dome: The Backpacker’s Advantage
Day hikers must enter the Half Dome day permit lottery separately. Backpackers have a different path: if you enter the wilderness from a Half Dome-eligible trailhead, you can add a Half Dome permit at pickup for $10 per person. No separate Half Dome day-use lottery is required, but the add-on must be requested when you pick up your wilderness permit and is subject to current park rules and cable status.
Half Dome-eligible entry trailheads:
- Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley (No Donohue Pass)
- Happy Isles to Past LYV (Donohue Pass Eligible)
- Glacier Point to Little Yosemite Valley
- Sunrise Lakes
- Cathedral Lakes
- Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang
- Mono Meadow
The cables are typically up from the Friday before Memorial Day through the day after Columbus Day. Verify cable status before your trip.
Planning a day hike from the Valley instead? The separate preseason and daily lotteries for the Half Dome day-hike permit are covered in our dedicated guide.
Donohue Pass and the JMT: Who Needs a Donohue-Eligible Permit
Donohue Pass at 11,056 feet is the southeast exit from Yosemite into the Ansel Adams Wilderness. The southbound John Muir Trail crosses it on the way south to Muir Pass, Reds Meadow, and eventually the Mount Whitney permit finish at Whitney Portal. Yosemite limits exits over Donohue to 45 people per day total.
Who needs a Donohue-eligible permit: Anyone exiting Yosemite via the JMT over Donohue Pass. This includes JMT thru-hikers and JMT section hikers continuing south toward Thousand Island Lake, Garnet Lake, Reds Meadow, or Whitney Portal.
Who does not need it: Everyone else. If your trip starts and ends within Yosemite, you do not need a Donohue-eligible trailhead. Those slots are capped at 45 total per day. Do not take one if you don’t need it.
Happy Isles to Past LYV (Donohue Pass Eligible) Daily quota: 15 people (9 by reservation, 6 week-ahead). The traditional JMT start — Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley, up the Mist Trail, through Little Yosemite Valley, then north toward the Half Dome junction and beyond into the Lyell Canyon approach to the pass. Happy Isles gives the complete Valley-to-Tuolumne-to-Donohue arc. The most competitive permit in the park. First night must be past Little Yosemite Valley, at the Half Dome junction or beyond.
What you gain: The complete JMT experience, including the Valley-to-high-country elevation arc and the most scenic opening miles of any trailhead in the park.
What you trade: A quota of only 15 people per day, with 9 by reservation. Even among the 24-week lottery applicants, denial rates run high for summer dates.
Lyell Canyon (Donohue Pass Eligible) Daily quota: 30 people (18 by reservation, 12 week-ahead). Starts in Tuolumne Meadows, eliminating the Valley approach entirely. The Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne is a wide, flat canyon that runs southeast before the trail steepens approaching the pass. Lyell Canyon starts much closer to Donohue than Happy Isles does: fewer miles, gentler grade, already at elevation. Twice the daily quota of the Happy Isles option, which makes it meaningfully easier to get, particularly in the 7-day week-ahead release.
What you gain: A more attainable permit, a gentler opening day, and a trailhead that’s already at 8,600 feet.
What you trade: The first 23 miles of the traditional JMT, including the Mist Trail corridor and the full Valley experience. Many hikers consider those miles the emotional high point of the route. That said, the Lyell Canyon approach has its own qualities: wider views, abundant water, fewer people in the first miles.
Once you cross the Yosemite boundary at Donohue Pass, your Yosemite permit is valid for the full continuous trip. No additional permits are needed for the JMT corridor south through the Sierra to Whitney Portal. No “Whitney stamp” required.
What Most People Get Wrong
Choosing Donohue Pass Eligible when they don’t need it. Those slots are capped at 45 people per day across both trailheads. If your trip stays inside Yosemite, you’re wasting a resource built for JMT thru-hikers. Use the non-eligible version.
Thinking the 40% release is a walk-up. It’s online at recreation.gov at 7am PT, seven days out. It is not in person. Actual same-day walk-up permits are physical leftovers at wilderness centers and are rare and unreliable. Don’t drive to Yosemite expecting one.
Not adding alternate permit holders at application time. You cannot add them after you’ve applied. If the trip leader can’t go and you listed no alternates, nobody in your group can use that permit. Add up to 3 alternates before you submit payment.
Assuming a reservation confirmation is the permit. It is not. You must pick up the physical permit in person at a wilderness center during open hours.
Trying to pass through Yosemite Valley on one permit. Any passage through the Valley invalidates your permit. You need a new permit to continue backpacking.
Not using all 8 lottery choices. Applying for 2 or 3 options when you could apply for 8 cuts your odds significantly. Mix in less competitive trailheads as backups. A permit for Murphy Creek that lets you reach a good route is better than no permit at all.
Picking a trailhead without checking first-night restrictions. Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley means your first night is at Little Yosemite Valley. Glen Aulin means your first night is at Glen Aulin camp. Poopenaut Valley means your first night is in Poopenaut Valley. These are not suggestions. Plan your itinerary around them before you apply.
Trailheads: What Each One Accesses
Yosemite Wilderness Trailheads
25 of 25 trailheads — sorted by competition, most competitive first. Click any row to expand.
After You Get the Permit: Planning the Actual Trip
Getting the permit is the hardest logistical step, but it does not tell you much about the trip itself. Most Yosemite wilderness camping is dispersed: no designated sites, no fee-based camping spots, no site allocation. You find terrain you like, pitch wherever the rules allow, and move on. The exceptions are Little Yosemite Valley and the areas around High Sierra Camps, where designated campground rules apply.
That dispersed camping structure is what makes these permits worth the effort. The route you choose and the trailhead you start from matter more than the permit itself. A bad first-night location will define your entire trip.
Timing within Tuolumne Meadows. Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road usually open sometime in May or June, depending on snowpack — in 2026 Tioga opened May 15 and Glacier Point Road opened May 9. Early-season permits for Tuolumne Meadows trailheads exist on recreation.gov before the road is plowed. Check current road status before your trip and have a contingency Valley or Hetch Hetchy trailhead ready.
Altitude. Tuolumne Meadows sits at 8,600 feet. Most backcountry camps are between 8,500 and 11,000 feet. If you’re coming from sea level, arriving a day early helps. Spend the first day in the Valley at 4,000 feet before heading up.
Water. Water sources are abundant through most of the season. Treat everything. In late September and October, some high-country sources run dry — know where the reliable ones are for your specific route.
September. The best month to backpack in Yosemite. Crowds drop sharply after Labor Day. The 40% week-ahead release actually has availability. Temperatures are moderate, afternoon thunderstorms become less frequent, and the light changes. The permits are still competitive but meaningfully more attainable than July.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to get a Yosemite wilderness permit? It depends heavily on trailhead and dates. Popular trailheads like Happy Isles and Cathedral Lakes are among the most competitive permits in the National Park system. Less competitive trailheads in Hetch Hetchy or Wawona are meaningfully easier. Using all 8 lottery choices and mixing in backup trailheads improves your odds.
When does the Yosemite wilderness lottery open? The lottery opens every Sunday at 12:01am PT, 24 weeks before your desired start date, and closes Saturday at 11:59pm PT. Results arrive Monday evening. Awarded permits must be accepted by Thursday at 11:59pm PT.
Are Yosemite wilderness walk-up permits available? The 40% week-ahead release is online at recreation.gov at 7:00am PT, seven days before your start date — not an in-person walk-up. Same-day walk-up permits at wilderness centers are rare leftovers from cancellations and are unreliable at popular trailheads in summer.
Do I need a Donohue Pass-eligible permit? Only if you are exiting Yosemite southbound over Donohue Pass on the JMT. If your trip stays entirely inside Yosemite, use a standard trailhead permit. Donohue-eligible slots are capped at 45 people per day across both eligible trailheads.
Can backpackers hike Half Dome without a separate lottery? Yes, if you enter from a Half Dome-eligible wilderness trailhead. You can add a Half Dome permit at wilderness center pickup for $10 per person. Day hikers must enter the separate Half Dome day-use lottery.
Get Permit Alerts
Tracking permit availability across 30+ trailheads manually is tedious. Cancelled permits may reappear on recreation.gov without notice. The only way to catch them is to check regularly or set up alerts.
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All permit information sourced from NPS Yosemite (nps.gov/yose) and Recreation.gov. Trailhead quotas sourced from the official NPS Trailhead Information page, last updated May 11, 2026. Quotas and reservation dates are subject to annual revision — verify current numbers at nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/trailheads.htm before applying.