How to Get a Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley Permit
The permit that puts you in the Little Yosemite Valley campground, four miles and 2,000 feet above the valley floor, with Half Dome a morning away.
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People Per Day
$10 per application + $5 per person if awarded
Permit Cost
2-3 days
Duration
9.6 miles
Distance
2,150'
Elevation Gain
About Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley
This is the wilderness permit for the Happy Isles trailhead when your trip stays inside the park. NPS rates its demand "Very High" and describes the trails into Little Yosemite Valley as the most difficult wilderness permits to get in Yosemite. The daily quota is 25 people: 15 through the weekly lottery 24 weeks out and 10 released seven days in advance at 7 am Pacific. Nothing is reserved for walk-ups. Two details define the permit. First, the campground is compulsory — you must spend the first night in the Little Yosemite Valley campground, and camping anywhere between Yosemite Valley and LYV is prohibited. Second, the trailhead is Half Dome eligible, so you can add Half Dome permits for some or all of your group when you collect the wilderness permit, for $10 per person, with no advance reservation. What it does not include is a way out of the park: NPS marks it "not eligible to exit Yosemite on the John Muir Trail."
NPS calls Little Yosemite Valley "the most popular area in the Yosemite Wilderness, mainly because it provides easy access to Half Dome," and says the permits for the trails leading there are the hardest in the park to get. This is the trailhead that buys you a night at the LYV campground and the option to add a Half Dome permit at the counter — no March lottery, no second application, $10 a head when you pick up the permit.
The Experience
You climb out of the valley in the spray of two waterfalls and arrive somewhere that feels like it should not exist: a flat, sandy stretch of the Merced River with pines and a granite wall on every side. The campground is minimally developed, there are no check-in procedures, and everyone there is going up the cables in the morning. By 5 am headlamps start moving through the trees.
NPS puts it at 9.6 miles round trip with 2,150 feet of gain, which understates the first half: everything you climb, you climb in under four miles. From Happy Isles the trail splits above the Vernal Fall footbridge — the Mist Trail is the shortest and steepest way up, the John Muir Trail is longer and lower angle. They rejoin above Nevada Fall.
Above Nevada Fall the noise stops and the trail flattens into Little Yosemite Valley. This is a required first night: NPS states that with a permit for Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley "you must camp in Little Yosemite Valley campground on the first night (and may camp there on subsequent nights)." There is no camping at all between Yosemite Valley and LYV. Communal food lockers, two communal fire rings just outside the campground, a composting toilet, and no potable water — the Merced is the source and it needs treating.
From camp the options are Half Dome up the subdome and cables, or east up the Merced toward Moraine Dome and Merced Lake. What this permit will not do is take you out of the park: NPS marks this trailhead "not eligible to exit Yosemite on the John Muir Trail." That is the Happy Isles to Past LYV permit, a different quota.
What to Expect
9.6 miles round trip and 2,150 feet of gain, almost all of it in the first four miles
A choice above the footbridge: the Mist Trail is shortest and steepest, the John Muir Trail longer and gentler
A required first night in the Little Yosemite Valley campground — no dispersed camping on the way up
Communal food lockers, a composting toilet and two communal fire rings at LYV; no drinking water
Heavy day-hiker traffic to the top of Nevada Fall, thinning sharply above it
The option to add Half Dome for $10 a person at permit pickup, with no separate lottery
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Permit Requirements
Wilderness permit required for any overnight stay in the Yosemite Wilderness, year-round
With this permit you must camp in the Little Yosemite Valley campground on the first night, and may stay there on later nights
Camping is not permitted between Yosemite Valley and Little Yosemite Valley, on top of Half Dome, or at Lost Lake
Maximum group size is 15 people, or 8 for cross-country travel more than a quarter mile off trail
Allowed bear canisters are required throughout the Yosemite Wilderness; hanging or counterbalancing food is not legal. LYV's communal lockers are an alternative in camp — do not store non-food items in them or padlock them
This trailhead is not valid for exiting Yosemite on the John Muir Trail over Donohue Pass
A separate Half Dome permit is required to go beyond the base of the subdome when the cables are up; backpackers add it at permit pickup for $10 per person
Fires at LYV are allowed only in the two communal rings just outside the campground
Bear spray is prohibited in Yosemite; pets, wheeled vehicles and drones are prohibited in wilderness
Exiting the wilderness by passing through Yosemite Valley invalidates the permit
Gear & Preparation
Required Gear
- •An allowed bear canister for the trail; the LYV lockers only cover you while you are in camp
- •Water treatment — LYV has no potable water and the Merced is the only source
- •Headlamp with spare batteries, because Half Dome days start before dawn
- •Rain shell for afternoon thunderstorms
- •Sturdy footwear with real traction; the Mist Trail stairs are wet granite
Recommended Gear
- •Grippy gloves if you are going up the cables
- •Trekking poles for the descent off the subdome and the Mist Trail steps
- •A stove — the only legal fire is in the communal rings
- •Dry bag for anything that must not get soaked on the Mist Trail
- •Bags for packing out toilet paper away from camp
Hazards & Safety
Wet granite on the Mist Trail, which is slick even on a clear day from waterfall spray
Lightning on Half Dome and the subdome; NPS calls the summit "a dangerous place during a lightning storm" and thunderstorms are most common in the afternoon
Fatal falls from the cables have nearly all happened when the rock was wet
Emerald Pool and the Silver Apron are closed to entry after repeated injuries and fatalities; pools above waterfalls in general are dangerous
Habituated bears at LYV — the campground has communal lockers because the bears work the area
Dehydration on the climb out of the valley; the last treated water is at the Vernal Fall footbridge
Best Time to Visit
The Yosemite Valley reservation season runs April 24 through October 18 in 2026. If Half Dome is the point, the cables usually go up the Friday before Memorial Day and come down the day after the second Monday in October, so late May through mid-October is the window. Spring gives you the waterfalls at full volume, September gives you stable weather and quieter camps.
Pro Tips
Go up the John Muir Trail with the pack and come down the Mist Trail; the granite stairs are miserable under load
Add Half Dome at the permit counter — backpackers skip the March lottery entirely for $10 a head
Top off water at the Vernal Fall footbridge; it is the last treated water and LYV has none
Pack the canister even though LYV has lockers, because the lockers only exist in camp
The 40% release at 7 am Pacific seven days out is the realistic way in for this trailhead — 10 people a day, gone fast
Do not plan a JMT exit on this permit; it is explicitly not valid over Donohue Pass
100+ wilderness permits, extensive backcountry experience
This guide is based on personal experience obtaining wilderness permits and is regularly updated to reflect current policies and strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley permit?
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Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley permits require advance reservations. Book online as soon as reservations open for your desired dates.
When is the best time to visit Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley?
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The Yosemite Valley reservation season runs April 24 through October 18 in 2026. If Half Dome is the point, the cables usually go up the Friday before Memorial Day and come down the day after the second Monday in October, so late May through mid-October is the window. Spring gives you the waterfalls at full volume, September gives you stable weather and quieter camps.
How difficult is Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley?
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Backpackers who want Half Dome without the 14-hour day, and anyone who wants a first Yosemite wilderness night with a short walk in and a real campground.
What gear do I need for Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley?
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Essential gear includes: An allowed bear canister for the trail; the LYV lockers only cover you while you are in camp, Water treatment — LYV has no potable water and the Merced is the only source, Headlamp with spare batteries, because Half Dome days start before dawn, Rain shell for afternoon thunderstorms, Sturdy footwear with real traction; the Mist Trail stairs are wet granite.
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