To hike Half Dome in 2026 you need a permit whenever the cables are up (late May–mid October). Apply in the preseason lottery on Recreation.gov during March (results in mid-April), or in the daily lottery two days before your hike. It costs $10 to apply plus $10 per person if you win; 300 hikers a day are allowed — 225 day hikers, 75 backpackers.
The permit, not the 1,460 m of climbing, is the hardest part of Half Dome for most people. The system has been a lottery since 2011, it is checked by rangers at the base of Sub Dome, and there is no walk-up option. Here is exactly how to play it — and what to do when you lose.
How does the preseason lottery work?
- Apply on Recreation.gov between March 1 and March 31, 2026. One application per person per season, up to 6 hikers and 7 ranked date choices per application. The application fee is $10, charged whether you win or not.
- Results arrive by email in mid-April. Winners pay $10 per person to confirm.
- The named permit holder (or the listed alternate) must be in the group at the ranger check below Sub Dome, with photo ID. Permits are non-transferable — buying one from a stranger doesn't survive the check.
Strategy matters more than luck here. Weekend dates in June and July are the most oversubscribed; recent seasons' published statistics put weekend success rates around 15–25%, against 40–60% for September weekdays. Use all 7 date choices, rank weekdays first, and apply solo-plus-alternate rather than in a large group if your party is flexible — the full rules live on Recreation.gov.
What are the daily lottery and its real odds?
About 50 day-use permits per date are re-issued through a daily lottery: apply between 00:01 and 16:00 Pacific two days before your intended hike, with results that evening. Odds track the season — brutal for summer Saturdays, fair for autumn weekdays. The daily lottery is the flexible traveller's tool: if you're spending 4–5 days in the park anyway, applying every day makes your cumulative odds respectable even in July.
Permit odds at a glance
| Target date | Preseason odds | Daily lottery odds |
|---|---|---|
| Jun–Jul weekend | ~15–25% | Low |
| Jun–Jul weekday | ~25–35% | Moderate |
| Aug weekday | ~30–40% | Moderate |
| Sep weekday | ~40–60% | Good |
| Oct (pre-closure) weekday | ~50%+ | Good |
Figures are based on recently published lottery statistics; exact percentages shift year to year with demand. The structural takeaway holds: flexibility is worth roughly a tripling of your odds — September weekday versus July weekend.
The backpacker route: the backup most people miss
Seventy-five of the daily 300 places are reserved for backpackers. If you request "Half Dome" when applying for a Yosemite wilderness permit on an itinerary through Little Yosemite Valley, the add-on costs the same $10 per person and turns the brutal day hike into a civilised two-day trip: camp at Little Yosemite Valley (1,860 m), summit at dawn before the day-use crowds arrive, and walk out the same afternoon. Wilderness permits have their own quota and rolling release on Recreation.gov (24 weeks ahead), but they are meaningfully easier to land than summer day permits — details on the NPS Half Dome page. John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers passing through can likewise request the add-on with their long-trail permits.
Your 2026 permit calendar
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| February 2026 | Create your Recreation.gov account, agree dates and a named alternate with your group |
| March 1–31 | Submit one preseason application with all 7 date choices ranked, weekdays first ($10) |
| Mid-April | Results by email; winners confirm at $10/person |
| ~24 weeks before a backup date | Wilderness permit window opens — request the Half Dome add-on via Little Yosemite Valley |
| Late May | Cables typically go up; season begins |
| All season, daily 00:01–16:00 PT | Daily lottery, two days before each hike date |
| Mid-October | Cables down; permit requirement ends with them |
Two calendar subtleties reward attention. The wilderness-permit track runs on its own 24-week rolling clock, so a September backpacking backup must be booked in spring — most people discover this in July, too late. And dates immediately after the cables go up are a quiet arbitrage: demand models assume a Memorial Day start, but in low-snow years the NPS occasionally raises the cables early, and daily-lottery competition in that first week is the season's thinnest.
What if you lose every lottery?
Three honest options. First, Clouds Rest: 23 km from Tenaya Lake, 3,025 m, no day-hike permit, and a summit panorama that looks down on Half Dome itself. Second, hike to the permit boundary: the ranger check sits at the base of Sub Dome, and the walk there via Nevada Fall and Little Yosemite Valley is a strong 16 km day in its own right. Third, re-aim the trip: October weekdays before cables-down are the quiet back door, and our guide to the best time for Mount Whitney covers the Sierra's other lottery mountain if you'd rather trade exposure for altitude. Whichever way it falls, the kit stays simple — a Zpacks Bagger Ultra 25L or Salomon ADV Skin 20 for the day versions, a Patagonia Ascensionist 35L if you win the backpacker variant and carry a night's gear — and the hiking time calculator will tell you whether a dawn Little Yosemite Valley start really beats a 5:30 valley start (it does, by about three hours of afternoon margin). For a comparison of how America's two most famous permit hikes ration their crowds, see Angels Landing vs Half Dome.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Half Dome permit cost in 2026?
$10 per lottery application (non-refundable, charged at entry) plus $10 per person once you win — so a successful pair pays $30 total. Backpackers adding Half Dome to a wilderness permit pay the same $10 per person on top of the wilderness permit's reservation fee.
Can you hike Half Dome without a permit?
Not while the cables are up — rangers check permits and photo ID below Sub Dome daily, and fines apply. Without a permit you can legally hike as far as the Sub Dome base via Nevada Fall (a 16 km round trip). When cables are down, no permit is required, but the route becomes a technical climb.
When should I apply for a 2026 Half Dome permit?
Mark March 1–31, 2026 for the preseason lottery on Recreation.gov, with results in mid-April. If you miss it or lose, the daily lottery runs all season: apply by 16:00 Pacific two days before your target date. Flexible September weekday dates have the best odds in both systems.
Are Half Dome permits transferable?
No. The permit is valid only with the permit holder or the single named alternate present, with photo ID, and names cannot be changed after the application closes. Permits offered for sale online are unusable at the ranger checkpoint — don't buy them.
Do backpackers need the Half Dome lottery?
No — backpackers request Half Dome as an add-on when booking a Yosemite wilderness permit through Little Yosemite Valley, bypassing both day-use lotteries. 75 of the daily 300 places are reserved this way at $10 per person, and summiting at dawn from the valley camp beats the midday cable queues.
