Half Dome permit lottery has been delayed; Mt. Whitney lottery will close soon

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nutraxfornerves
nutraxfornerves

During the_Half Dome preseason lottery_, 225 permits are available for each day. The application period for this lottery will open on March 13 [instead of March 1] `at 7 am PDT and close on March 31 at 9 pm PDT. Applicants will receive an email with lottery results in mid-April or can get results online or by calling Recreation.gov. We are planning on the Half Dome cables being up May 24, 2019 through October 15, 2019, but these dates could change based on conditions.

To apply for a permit, visit Recreation.gov or call 877/444-6777 (call center is open from 7 am to 9 pm Pacific time; online requests can be made any time during a lottery period). About 20% of applications get a permit; success rate varies by date.

Mt. Whitney permit lottery closes March 15. "Hikes occurring May 1 through November 1 are reserved by the Mt. Whitney Lottery. Please note the trail is not usually clear of snow until July." Good luck. Last year, ⅔ of applications didn't succeed.

Nutrax
The plural of anecdote is not data.
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flagstuff
flagstuff

If anyone is reading this, its relatively easy to get drawn for a Whitney permit in September, and September is an absolutely glorious time to do the hike. In July and August, your odds are about 1%, or less on weekends. The Whitney day-hike is long and brutal bordering on masochistic, you really need to be not just fit but also enjoy abject suffering. I spoke with a forest service ranger while on the hike, and he said that of the people who pull a day-hike permit, only about 20% actually summit. Some of that is no-shows, and a big chunk is people attempting the hike early and late when weather and snow conditions can be challenging and unpredictable. But a very significant number are weekend warriors drawn by the mountain's status (highest in the lower 48 states) and accessibility. They come, spend 3 hours laboring uphill before dawn, realize they're only halfway there, and say forget this nonsense.

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lamontcranston
lamontcranston

North Dome has a grand summit view and is dramatically less crowded with no lottery hassle. Start at the Porcupine Creek trailhead on Hwy.120, hike West from the summit on the North Rim to the Yosemite Falls Overlook , hike down the Yosemite Falls trail to the Valley , eat lunch and take YARTS back to the trailhead or set up your own shuttle .

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