Half Dome permit lottery explained: preseason draw, daily draw and cost
Anyone climbing the cables to the top of Half Dome needs a day-hike permit, seven days a week while the cables are up. Yosemite National Park issues them through two lotteries on Recreation.gov: a preseason draw you enter in March, and a daily draw you enter two days before a hike. Everything here was read on 16 October 2026 on the National Park Service page, which states that it was last updated on 3 June 2025, and on the Recreation.gov listing. Neither gives 2027 dates.
When you need the permit
The cables are normally up from the Friday before Memorial Day through the day after the second Monday in October, and the park says the dates can change with conditions. A permit is needed to climb the subdome or the cables; it is valid for one day, it is not transferable, and resale or auction is prohibited. Backpackers who include Half Dome in an overnight trip follow a separate wilderness-permit process, not this lottery.
The park caps use at 300 hikers a day beyond the base of the subdome, about 225 day hikers and 75 backpackers. The NPS page lists the preseason lottery at 225 permits per day. The daily lottery releases extra permits based on estimated under-use and cancellations, and the page gives no number for it.
Visiting the area? A guided trip is a separate booking
This is a tour of the area, not a permit: it neither includes nor replaces the permit for the hike in this guide.
Exact tour we link to:Yosemite National Park Day Trip
See guided visits & pricesBooking partner: Civitatis. Cancellation terms change from tour to tour: read them on the booking page before you pay.
The preseason lottery (March)
Applications are accepted from March 1 through March 31, and results are emailed in mid-April. Each application can ask for up to six permits, for specific dates or a date range; Recreation.gov says you can list up to 7 date or date-range choices. An application succeeds only if the full number of permits you asked for is available on at least one of your dates, and if several qualify, the highest-priority date is awarded.
Name a permit holder and, ideally, an alternate. Alternates can only be added during the application period and must accept within 72 hours on Recreation.gov or they are dropped. Each person may appear on only one preseason application, as holder or alternate; duplicates cancel all the applications involved, without refund.
The daily lottery (two days ahead)
The daily lottery opens at midnight and closes at 4 p.m. Pacific time, two days before the hike date: apply on Thursday for a Saturday hike. Results are emailed late that evening. Only the permit holder can apply, with no alternate, and winners are charged automatically; a declined card forfeits the reservation.
The NPS page says the chances in the daily lottery are generally better on weekdays, especially from late August, and links to graphs of application popularity by day. It publishes no success rates and no application counts.
What it costs and what gets checked
There is a $10 application fee per application, not per person, charged on submission and non-refundable, plus $10 per person, charged only when a permit is issued. The per-person fee is refundable if you cancel by 11:59 p.m. Pacific time the day before the hike, or if the cables are not up on your date.
Rangers check permits at the base of the subdome. The permit holder or alternate must be there with the whole group, with photo ID that matches the permit; bring the emailed payment confirmation as well. Names cannot be changed after submission.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Half Dome lottery for 2027?
The pages we read give the standard pattern, not 2027 dates: preseason applications run from March 1 to 31 and results arrive in mid-April. Check the Recreation.gov listing as March 2027 approaches.
What are the odds of getting a Half Dome permit?
No odds are published. The NPS page gives no success rates or application counts; it only says that daily-lottery chances are generally better on weekdays, especially from late August.
How many people can go on one application?
Up to six permits per application. The named permit holder or alternate must be present with the whole group at the base of the subdome.
Can I buy or transfer a Half Dome permit?
No. Permits are not transferable, cannot be resold or auctioned, and names cannot be changed after submission.
Sources
Official pages read for this guide
- NPS: Half Dome permits (Yosemite National Park) · read on Oct 16, 2026
- Recreation.gov: Half Dome day hike permits · read on Oct 16, 2026