2027 permit and lottery calendar: when the big releases open
There is no single calendar that covers every hard-to-get permit, because the systems behind them don’t coordinate with each other. Some open once a year — Havasu Falls went on sale on February 1 in 2026, and the Mount Whitney and Enchantments lotteries run in February — while Half Dome, The Wave and Angels Landing run lotteries on a schedule through the year: a March preseason draw plus daily draws at Half Dome, a monthly draw at The Wave, and seasonal plus day-before draws at Angels Landing. Planning 2027 means knowing which category each permit falls into.
The February cluster: Havasu Falls, Whitney, The Enchantments
These three have landed in February: Havasu Falls went on sale on February 1 in 2026, the Enchantments lottery ran from February 15 to March 1, 2026, and the last Mount Whitney calendar on recreation.gov (2023) ran from February 1 to March 1. They are run by entirely different systems: Havasu Falls is booked directly through the Havasupai Tribe’s own reservation site, while Mount Whitney and The Enchantments run as lotteries through recreation.gov. None has published 2027 dates yet.
The mechanics differ: Havasu Falls is a sale where the whole year goes on sale at once, while Whitney and The Enchantments are lotteries — you apply during the window and find out weeks later whether you were drawn. Havasu reservations cannot be resold or transferred, so missing the sale means waiting a year; The Enchantments also run a daily lottery from May to October for people already in the area, and unclaimed Whitney dates go back on sale after the confirmation deadline.
The rest of the year: daily and near-daily draws
Half Dome, The Wave and Angels Landing don’t have one release date to mark down. Half Dome has a preseason lottery from March 1 to 31 each year, then a daily lottery two days before each hike. The Wave draws on the 1st of every month for permits four months later, plus a daily lottery. Angels Landing runs a seasonal lottery before each season (October 1–20, 2026 for winter; January 1–20, 2027 for spring) and a day-before lottery every day.
The exact months these seasonal lotteries begin and end shift slightly year to year with conditions on the ground — snow at Half Dome, road access at The Wave — so a date remembered from a previous year’s trip is a rough guide at best. Check the specific permit’s recreation.gov page as your travel window approaches rather than assuming last season’s calendar repeats exactly.
How far ahead to start planning
For the February preseason lotteries — Whitney and The Enchantments — start paying attention six to twelve months out, since the application window is brief, results take weeks, and a missed year means waiting for the next one. For Havasu Falls, the useful preparation window is the weeks immediately before the February release: creating and verifying your account, and deciding which dates you’d accept.
For the daily and near-daily lotteries, the planning horizon is much shorter — days to a couple of weeks ahead of your actual hiking date is usually enough, since that is how those systems are designed to work. In every case, the one universal rule is the same: confirm the current year’s exact opening date and time on the permit’s own official page as it approaches, since small shifts from one year to the next are normal.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Half Dome lottery in 2027?
Half Dome’s preseason lottery runs from March 1 to 31 each year, with results in mid-April, according to recreation.gov; daily lotteries follow through the season, two days before each hike. Confirm the 2027 dates on the permit page as March approaches.
When do Havasu Falls permits go on sale for 2027?
For 2026 the regular sale opened on February 1 at 8:00 a.m. Arizona time. The 2027 date has not been announced, so confirm it on the official havasupaireservations.com site as February 2027 approaches.