Late to the Half Dome Lottery? Here’s How to Get Your Passes

[Nomad]

Recently, while browsing Reddit, I came across an interesting discussion. The question is related to getting passes to climb Half Dome in Yosemite, after missing the lottery for the pass. The Reddit poster wants to know how can they request passes, possibly 6 passes, two days before the desired date, when they have already missed the original lottery for the pass. They are also curious about knowing whether having a Half Dome pass means they don’t need a separate reservation to enter the park. Has anyone here gone through this process? Do you have insights on the park entry requirements?

You can find the original Reddit post here

 

[Jake]

That's pretty cool. When it comes to hiking Half Dome in Yosemite, here are a few things you should keep in mind regarding the permit process.

First things first, the permit type matters. For day hikers for example, 300 permits are available per day. You can apply through a pre-season lottery of sorts, or take part in a two-day in-advance lottery through the Recreation.gov website. If you intend to backpack with the Half Dome in your route, you may also need to obtain a wilderness permit that includes access to the Half Dome.

Usually you can obtain day hike permits by entering the daily lottery that is often held the two days prior to the date you'd like to hike. If you win, you can request up to six passes. On the other hand, for backpacking, make sure your trailhead is Half Dome eligible when applying for said permit.

You should also know, that in order to enter the park, you will first need an entry reservation to Yosemite National Park, especially during the peak times. Just having a Half Dome and or wilderness permits, does not exempt you from that requirement.

Keep an eye on the latest park requirements. The rules can change based on the season as well as park capacity limits.