New Half Dome Regulations for 2011

For those of you interested interest in hiking half dome over the summer, I thought I would pass along some new regulations they have as to the permit process. I have copies the information from the parks website below. To get your permit click HERE.

NEW REGULATIONS ON HALF DOME: Copied From Park Website. Click HERE for full details. 

Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome are now required seven days per week when the cables are up.  This is an interim measure to increase safety along the cables while the park develops a long-term plan to manage use on the Half Dome Trail.

A maximum of 400 permits will be issued each of these days (300 of these permits are available to day hikers). (Before the permit system was implemented in 2010, about 400 people used this trail on weekdays, while about 800 people used this trail on weekends and holidays, on average.)

In 2011, permits are available up to about four months in advance only through Recreation.gov (see below for exact dates). Demand for permits will be very high; availability may last only a matter of minutes on the first day permits become available. Each permit has a service fee of $1.50 (which covers the cost of Recreation.gov processing the permit; Yosemite does not receive any money).

Permits are not available in the park or on a first-come, first-served basis. However, any canceled permits may be available until midnight the evening before the hiking day through Recreation.gov. If you have a permit that you won't use, please cancel it so others may use it. (You may cancel your permit as late as midnight the evening before the hiking day.)

Note: Backpackers with an appropriate wilderness permit can receive a Half Dome permit when they pick up their wilderness permit with no additional reservation required. Rock climbers who reach the top of Half Dome without entering the subdome area can descend on the Half Dome Trail without a permit.

The Half Dome Cables are usually in place and available for use the weekend before Memorial Day, conditions permitting. The last day to use them usually is Columbus Day Monday. We can not guarantee the cables will be available on any given date. If you choose to get a permit for dates in May, early June, or October, there is an increased chance the cables will not be in place.

If you are unable to hike Half Dome for any reason (including weather, cables not available, illness, etc.) on the day you have a permit, we will not be able to provide a permit for a different date.