Yosemite wilderness permits: dates & how to apply

Before you apply

• Pick your entry trailhead and start date first. NPS says wilderness permits are reserved by entry trailhead and date of entry (NPS: Wilderness Permit Reservations).
• Start with the weekly lottery. NPS says your "best chance of success" is the weekly lottery (its timing is listed above) (NPS).
• Be ready to accept and pay. Everyone gets results the following Monday, and successful applicants must accept and pay by Thursday. "Failure to accept and pay by Thursday will result in the reservation being canceled without a refund" (NPS).
• Know the limits. You can apply only once per weekly lottery, and you can hold no more than six active (future) reservations at a time (NPS).

Common mistakes

• Treating the confirmation letter as your permit. "A reservation confirmation letter is not a valid permit." The trip leader or alternate must pick up the permit in person at a wilderness center, either the day before (8 am to 5 pm) or the same day (8 am to 11 am, unless it's held on Recreation.gov for a late arrival up to 5 pm) (NPS).
• Assuming winter trips don't need a permit. NPS says "Wilderness permits are required all year," even in months when reservations aren't offered (NPS).
• Leaving it to the last minute. The latest you can make a reservation is three days before a trip. After that, unreserved permits are given out in person at wilderness centers only on the trip's start date, during business hours, and NPS says after-hours permits will not be available (NPS).
• Calling the reservations office in late fall. NPS says the office that processes reservation applications is closed from the third week of October until mid-November, on federal holidays, and for lunch (NPS).

What changed this year

TBA. As of Oct 15, 2026, the official page doesn't announce rule changes for the coming season. Check NPS: Wilderness Permit Reservations.

Tips

• Want Half Dome on a backpacking trip? NPS says backpackers, including anyone spending the night in Little Yosemite Valley, should apply for Half Dome permits with their wilderness permit rather than through the day-hiker lottery (NPS: Half Dome permits).
• Same-day permits are for same-day starts only. NPS says in-person permits are only available for same-day starts because of reduced capacity in backpackers campgrounds, a result of the Tuolumne Meadows Campground closure (NPS).
• To get a same-day permit you must already be in the park, either by reservation or by entering during non-peak hours if a reservation is required at the time (NPS).
• Big wall climbers: a permit is required for all overnight big wall climbers. NPS says these permits are free and not limited in number (NPS).