Yosemite Wilderness Permits 2026
Yosemite has no single annual lottery. Wilderness permits run on a rolling weekly lottery, and NPS splits the supply in two: sixty percent of reservations become available 24 weeks in advance, and the other forty percent one week in advance.
Don't Miss Your Yosemite Wilderness Permit
Cancellations happen every day. PermitSnag monitors Yosemite Wilderness availability 24/7 and alerts you the moment a spot opens up.
Get Permit AlertsHow the Weekly Lottery Works
Apply
Results + Payment
Second Release (40% of reservations)
Fees
🏔️ Know the Systems
Half Dome
Separate day-hike lottery: apply March 1-31 for the season, results mid-April, plus a daily lottery two days before each date.
John Muir Trail
Only 45 people a day can exit via Donohue Pass, and Happy Isles and Lyell Canyon both count against it. NPS publishes no success rate for these trailheads.
Tuolumne Meadows
High country trailheads outside the Donohue quota carry their own separate quotas, so a full Donohue-eligible trailhead says nothing about these. Glacier Point trailheads work the same way.
Lost the Weekly Lottery?
Unclaimed and cancelled permits return to Recreation.gov all season, and the 7-day release adds fresh spots every morning. Set up alerts so you never miss one.
Get Yosemite Wilderness Alerts
Be first to know when cancellations happen.