Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Porcupine Creek
Yosemite National Park · California
Porcupine Creek is the Tioga Road trailhead for North Dome, the rim viewpoint straight across from Half Dome. NPS takes 12 lottery and 8 week-ahead people a day and rates the North Dome trip Medium for permit demand.
Get an alert when Porcupine Creek opens on your dates.
When it opens
- 24 weeks
- Lottery opens 24 weeks before your entry date, at 12:01 am Pacific60% of the quotaYou apply on Recreation.gov.
- 22 weeks
- First come, first served from 22 weeks before your entry date, at 9 am PacificYou book on the agency's site.
- 1 week
- First come, first served from seven days before your entry date, at 7 am Pacific, until three days before40% of the quotaYou book on Recreation.gov.
Source: recreation.gov, nps.gov
70% of the openings our scanner caught on Porcupine Creek were gone within 30 minutes.
Porcupine Creek reservation dates
We alert you to cancellations and the 7 am release. Your start day also sets your lottery week.
October 2026
- Your start date
- Same lottery week: one application covers all 7 days
- Outside the Tioga Road trailheads west of Olmsted Point reservation season (Jun 18 to Oct 14)
YOUR START
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Your lottery week is the October 11 to 18 lottery. It opens 178 days before you start.
1 · APPLY
Sun, Apr 19, 2026 to Sat, Apr 25
Opens Sunday 12:01 am, closes Saturday 11:59 pm Pacific. Up to eight options on one application.
Passed for this start
2 · RESULTS, THEN ACCEPT
Mon, Apr 27
Results by 5 pm. Accept by Thu, Apr 30, 11:59 pm.
Passed for this start
3 · YOUR 7-DAY RELEASE
Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 7:00 am PDT
The other 40% of the day's quota, first-come, first-served on Recreation.gov. Be logged in before 7.
Passed for this start
YOUR TIMELINE · LOTTERY WEEK, THEN THE LAST WEEK BEFORE YOU START
- SUN 12:01 AM · OPENSSun, Apr 19, 2026Applications open
- SAT 11:59 PM · CLOSESSat, Apr 25Applications close
- MON BY 5 PMMon, Apr 27Results
- THU 11:59 PMThu, Apr 30Accept by
- FRI 9 AMFri, May 1Leftovers go first-come
- 23 WEEKSCancellations any day. We alert you.
- 7 DAYS OUT · 7 AM PDTWed, Oct 7, 2026The other 40% open
- LAST DAY TO RESERVESun, Oct 11Three days before you start
- YOU STARTWed, Oct 14, 2026Porcupine Creek
Source: National Park Service, Yosemite wilderness permit reservation window, 2026 table, and the wilderness permit FAQ. Times are Pacific.
Porcupine Creek daily quota
20 people a day. 12 by lottery, 8 seven days out.
Counted in people, not permits
Lottery, 24 weeks out
60% of the day
12
7 days out, 7 am PDT
40% of the day
8
NPS trailheads table: Porcupine Creek | 12 | 8 | Vault
- max group size
- 15people
How to get a Porcupine Creek permit
As of October 2026, Porcupine Creek in Yosemite National Park, California requires a permit issued via reservation. Porcupine Creek rates 6/10 on PermitSnag's demand index. Canceled Porcupine Creek permits are re-released on the booking system, and PermitSnag alerts you the moment one opens.
- Type
- Overnight
- Location
- CA
Step 1: Create a Recreation.gov account
Sign up at Recreation.gov if you don't have an account. Have your payment info ready.
Step 2: Know the release schedule
Permits release on a rolling basis. Check the release time for your dates.
Step 3: Be ready when permits drop
Log in a few minutes early. Have your dates, group size, and payment ready to go.
Step 4: Monitor for cancellations
If your dates are sold out, people cancel all the time. Set up PermitSnag alerts to catch openings instantly.
More on Porcupine Creek: Live availability activityWhen Porcupine Creek permits open up
Guides: Porcupine Creek permit guideYosemite Creek permit guideTen Lakes permit guide
Porcupine Creek: what makes it different
Porcupine Creek is the Tioga Road trailhead for North Dome, the rim viewpoint straight across from Half Dome. NPS takes 12 lottery and 8 week-ahead people a day and rates the North Dome trip Medium for permit demand.1,2
Getting to the start
The trailhead is on Tioga Road, west of Olmsted Point, and is one of the Big Oak Flat entries. NPS lists a vault toilet and issues the permit at the Big Oak Flat Information Station.1
Tioga Road closes in winter and typically opens in late May, according to Recreation.gov. A reservation made while the road is shut is not valid and is not refunded. NPS adds that overnight parking is banned on Tioga Road and its lots from October 15.6,1
The first leg
The route drops through pine forest toward the north rim of Yosemite Valley. NPS counts 10.4 miles round trip with 1,100 feet of gain. The Outbound page counts 10.04 miles and 1,985 feet of gain for the same out-and-back, so the gain figure depends on who measured it.2,7
Water comes from Lehamite Creek, which a 2016 reviewer says runs through summer. The Outbound itinerary suggests topping up from the stream on the walk back to the car.7
Terrain and difficulty
Recreation.gov says backpackers can readily reach the north rim of the Valley and North Dome from here. NPS lists views of Indian Rock, Half Dome, Tenaya Canyon and the Valley from the top of North Dome.6,2
An Outbound itinerary adds a half-mile detour to Indian Rock, which it calls the park's only natural arch, and says North Dome gives the best look at Half Dome from the Valley's rim.7
Quota at this entry point
- 2026 daily quota at Porcupine Creek, overnight wilderness, lottery share: 12 people a day. NPS trailhead page, updated May 11, 2026. Tioga Road (west of Olmsted Point) table, window June 18 to October 14, 2026.1
- 2026 daily quota at Porcupine Creek, overnight wilderness, week-ahead share: 8 people a day. The share released seven days ahead. NPS prints it as its own column and gives no combined total.1
Rules specific to this entry point
Campfires are allowed only below 9,600 feet and only in existing rings. The Outbound itinerary says fires must go in the pits rangers can find, one at the top of the ridge and others near the trailhead that take some searching to spot.3,7
Camping must be a mile from any road and 100 feet from water and trails, and four trail miles from Yosemite Valley, per the regulations. NPS prints no campsite list for this trailhead.3
Where it leads
North Dome is the draw, and the Outbound page frames the trip as three days and two nights, with the first night on a ridge-top fire pit with views and the second in the woods by the trailhead.7
A 2016 student blog from the Tuolumne side camped at Basket Dome with a fire ring already in place and a view of Half Dome and the Valley.8
What trip reports say
An August 2016 Outbound reviewer called it an easy Yosemite classic for beginners and praised the summer water and the fire rings. Another reviewer from March 2016 said it gives a quieter day than the busy Valley.7
A 2016 post by a student on a weekend trip walked to Glen Aulin and Waterwheel Falls, then came back and went down Porcupine Creek toward North Dome. They met a black bear on the Waterwheel walk and slept at Basket Dome.8
When to go from here
The Big Oak Flat window on the trailhead page runs June 18 to October 14, 2026. The Wilderness Permits page (December 2025) says reservations start in late April and the Reservations page (June 2026) says May, but for this road the June 18 date is the one that applies.1,4,5
Water is the seasonal question. The 2016 reviewer vouched for Lehamite Creek through summer. Nothing in the sources speaks to September or October flow.7
Compare with nearby entry points
- May Lake: May Lake is 2 miles round trip and takes 15 lottery and 10 week-ahead people, with NPS demand Very High. Porcupine Creek is longer and takes 12 and 8, and its demand is Medium.1,2
- Yosemite Creek: Yosemite Creek is another Big Oak Flat entry, with 15 lottery and 10 week-ahead people. NPS says its trailhead is for destinations southbound along Yosemite Creek.1
- Ten Lakes: Ten Lakes takes 24 lottery and 16 week-ahead people and is 11.8 miles round trip with 1,500 feet of gain. NPS rates it Medium, like North Dome.1,2
Rules every Yosemite wilderness trailhead shares
- Any overnight stay in the Yosemite Wilderness needs a permit, all year; day hikes need none unless they go to Half Dome. Each trailhead has a daily quota.
- Reservations cover trips May through October. 60% of each quota goes by weekly lottery on Recreation.gov 24 weeks ahead; the other 40% opens first come, first served at 7 am Pacific seven days ahead.
- The fee is $10 per application plus $5 per person once a permit is issued, none of it refundable. Collect the permit in person the day before or the morning you start.
- Groups are 15 people at most, or 8 for cross-country hiking. Bear canisters are required throughout the wilderness, and you camp at least four trail miles from Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, Glacier Point, Hetch Hetchy and Wawona.
Sources
- Trailhead Information, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
- Tioga Road (West of Olmsted Point) Backpacking Trails, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
- Wilderness Regulations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
- Wilderness Permits, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
- Wilderness Permit Reservations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
- Yosemite National Park Wilderness Permits (Porcupine Creek division), Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
- Backpack to North Dome in Yosemite, The Outbound, user listing with 2016 reviews. Read 2026-10-15.
- Backpacking in Yosemite, USC Viterbi graduate admission blog (2016 trip). Read 2026-10-15.
When to hike Porcupine Creek
Weather Forecast
Trailhead
Backcountry Tips
- Day 4: 83% chance of precipitation. Pack rain gear.
- Day 5: 73% chance of precipitation. Pack rain gear.
- Snow expected: Check current trail conditions before departing.
Today
48°
28°
Thu
45°
31°
Fri
34°
28°
24%
Sat
37°
29°
83%
Sun
42°
27°
73%
Mon
56°
28°
Tue
57°
38°
Porcupine Creek rules, gear and safety
Safety & planning
Emergency Info
Emergency contacts, ranger station locations, and satellite communicator tips for Porcupine Creek.
Food Storage
Bear canister requirements, approved container lists, and rental locations for this permit.
Gear Checklist: Required and recommended gear for Porcupine Creek · Shuttle Services: Trailhead transportation options · Guide Services: Experienced wilderness guides
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Porcupine Creek FAQ
How far is the North Dome backpack from Porcupine Creek?
NPS says 10.4 miles round trip with 1,100 feet of gain. The Outbound counts 10.04 miles and 1,985 feet. Both are out and back from the Porcupine trailhead.
Can I have a campfire on the North Dome trail?
Yes, only in an existing ring and only below 9,600 feet. The Outbound writer notes a ring at the top of the ridge.
Porcupine Creek trail conditions and trip reports
Trail Conditions
No active conditions reported
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Questions
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Trip Reports
Write ReportAlternatives to a Porcupine Creek permit
Where to stay near Porcupine Creek
- Porcupine Flat CampgroundYosemite National Park
- Yosemite Creek CampgroundYosemite National Park
- North Pines CampgroundYosemite National Park
- All California campgrounds
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