The lottery for Half Dome permits has been delayed for an unknown period of time./NPS
The 2019 preseason lottery for Half Dome permits at Yosemite National Park will be delayed for an unknown amount of time this year due to a transition to a new contracted provider.
The lottery typically opens March 1. You can track developments with this matter at this website.
All hikers are required to have permits to ascend the subdome steps and the Half Dome cables seven days a week when the cables are up. Park rangers install the cables each spring and take them down each fall, based on weather and trail conditions. The cables are typically up from late May to early October.
All day use hiking permits are distributed by lottery via Recreation.gov, with the preseason lottery in the spring and daily lotteries during the hiking season. During the preseason lottery, 225 permits are available for each day that the cables are up. To include Half Dome as part of an overnight wilderness trip visit this site.
All visitors planning to apply for permits to climb the Half Dome cables are strongly encouraged to thoroughly read all information posted on Yosemite National Park’s Half Dome page and the “Cables on Half Dome” page managed by Recreation.gov, as there have been some new changes to the application process. The most accurate information will be posted on both the Yosemite National Park webpage and on Recreation.gov, according to park staff.
Comments
The permit system is a disaster and has cost at least 1 life I know of where a hiker slid off the Half Dome on a rainy day. Prior to the permit system, a hiker knew they could abort hiking on a bad weather day knowing that they could try again on the next day or later in the week. Now they have to either go ahead in danger or hope to get a permit the next day with no certainty of getting another permit. All too many people will take their chances going up there in the rain or going up with a potential thunder storm in the distance.
The most ridiculous system ever! Government thinking for sure. They are trying to prevent logjams, yet are doing nothing to keep the people off there that are creating the logjams. qualified people that are familiar with exposure and technical climbing would buzz up and down the cables. Keep the people off the cables that shouldn't be there in the first place.