Permit Strategy Updated February 2026

When Do Yosemite Wilderness Permits Get Released?

Your complete breakdown of the lottery, first-come-first-served reservations, the 7-day rolling release, and cancellation patterns — plus how to set up yosemite wilderness permit alerts so you never miss an opening.

In This Guide
  1. How Yosemite Wilderness Permits Work
  2. The Lottery System (Peak Season)
  3. First-Come-First-Served Reservations (~22 Weeks Ahead)
  4. The 7-Day Rolling Release (40% of Quota)
  5. Cancellation Patterns & How to Catch Them
  6. Real Data: When Permits Actually Appear
  7. How to Get Recreation.gov Permit Notifications
  8. FAQ

How Yosemite Wilderness Permits Work

Yosemite National Park requires wilderness permits for all overnight trips into the backcountry. Each trailhead has a daily quota limiting the number of hikers who can start on any given day. This system protects the wilderness while creating fierce competition for popular routes — especially the John Muir Trail (JMT) access points like Happy Isles and Lyell Canyon.

Permits are managed through recreation.gov and become available through three scheduled release windows — plus cancellations. The earlier you plan, the more options you have — but cancellations and the 7-day release mean you can snag permits even on shorter notice:

1. Lottery

Weekly rolling lottery
~24 weeks ahead
Mid-Nov through early May

2. FCFS (First-Come, First-Served)

~22 weeks before trip
~60% of quota

3. Rolling Release

7 days before trip
~40% of quota

4. Cancellations

Anytime
Unpredictable but frequent

The Lottery System (Peak Season)

For peak season (trips late April through mid-October), Yosemite runs a weekly rolling lottery on recreation.gov from mid-November through early May. Unlike a one-time event, this lottery repeats every week:

  • Applications open: Every Sunday at 12:01 AM PT
  • Applications close: Every Saturday at 11:59 PM PT
  • Results announced: The following Monday by 5:00 PM PT
  • Must accept by: Thursday at 11:59 PM PT or you lose the permit
  • What you submit: Your preferred trailhead(s), date(s), and group size
  • Cost: $10 per application (non-refundable) + $5 per person if awarded
Pro tip: Because the lottery runs weekly, you can apply multiple weeks for different dates and trailheads to boost your odds. Even if you win, cancellations from other lottery winners create opportunities later.

First-Come-First-Served Reservations (~22 Weeks Ahead)

After each week's lottery closes, any remaining permits (unreserved quota) for those dates become available on a first-come-first-served basis. This happens the Friday after the lottery closes for that week, roughly 22 weeks (~154 days) before the trip date.

  • Release time: 9:00 AM PT
  • How it works: Each Friday, remaining permits from that week's lottery become bookable FCFS
  • Competition: Brutal for JMT trailheads — permits vanish in minutes
Reality check: For popular trails like Happy Isles→Past LYV (Donohue Pass), FCFS permits at the 22-week mark often sell out almost instantly. Don't bank on this alone — have backup plans.

The 7-Day Rolling Release (40% of Quota)

This is where many hikers ultimately secure their permits. Yosemite holds back approximately 40% of each trailhead's daily quota and releases it 7 days before the trip date.

  • Release time: 7:00 AM PDT
  • How much: ~40% of the total daily quota for each trailhead
  • Why it exists: Ensures permits are available for shorter-notice trip planning
  • Walk-ups: The 7-day-ahead permits are booked online. No quota is held specifically for walk-ups, but any unreserved or canceled permits may be available same-day in-person at Yosemite wilderness centers (limited availability — don't count on it)
  • Competition: Intense but more predictable — you know exactly when to look
This is your best second shot. Our data shows that 37–56% of all permit releases we detect happen exactly 7 days before the trip date. Set an alarm for 7:00 AM PDT or — better yet — let PermitScout watch for you.

Cancellation Patterns & How to Catch Them

Beyond the scheduled releases, cancellations are a significant source of permit availability. When someone cancels their reservation, the permit goes back into the pool on recreation.gov and can be booked immediately.

When do cancellations happen?

  • Random timing: Cancellations can happen at any hour — morning, evening, weekends
  • Cluster periods: More common 2–4 weeks before the trip date as plans change
  • Weather-driven: Bad weather forecasts often trigger a wave of cancellations
  • Post-lottery: After lottery results, some winners cancel dates they no longer need
Why monitoring matters: Our data shows permits appearing anywhere from 7 to 40 days before the trip date. The unpredictable nature of cancellations is exactly why manual checking fails — you can't refresh recreation.gov 24/7, but an automated monitor can.

Real Data: When Permits Actually Appear

PermitScout monitors recreation.gov every 5 minutes. Here's what our tracking data reveals about when Yosemite wilderness permits actually become available:

Happy Isles→Past LYV
7 days ahead 37.5%
10 days ahead 25%
11–26 days ahead 37.5%
Average lead time: 12.5 days
Lyell Canyon
7 days ahead 55.6%
25–40 days ahead 44.4%
Average lead time: 18.8 days
Key takeaway: While the 7-day rolling release is the single biggest source of permits, nearly half of all openings come from cancellations at unpredictable times. Without continuous monitoring, you'll miss these windows.

How to Get Recreation.gov Permit Notifications

Recreation.gov doesn't offer availability alerts for wilderness permits. There's no "notify me" button — if you want to know when a permit opens up, you either refresh the page constantly or use an automated tool.

Option 1: Manual Monitoring

  • Set alarms for 9:00 AM PT (FCFS releases) and 7:00 AM PDT (7-day releases)
  • Check recreation.gov multiple times per day for cancellations
  • Cross your fingers you're looking at the right moment

Option 2: Automated Monitoring with PermitScout

  • Tell us which trails and dates you want
  • We check recreation.gov every 5 minutes, 24/7
  • Get an instant email or SMS the moment a permit becomes available
  • Click the direct link in the email to book on recreation.gov

Stop Refreshing. Start Getting Alerts.

Set up yosemite wilderness permit alerts in minutes. Email and SMS notifications. Free plan available.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yosemite wilderness permits are released in three waves: (1) A weekly rolling lottery runs from mid-November through early May for trips late April through mid-October — applications open Sunday and close Saturday each week, with results the following Monday by 5 PM PT, (2) Remaining permits go on sale first-come-first-served ~22 weeks before your trip date (the Friday after that week's lottery closes, at 9:00 AM PT), and (3) 40% of the daily quota is released on a rolling basis 7 days before the trip date.

The post-lottery FCFS permits release at 9:00 AM PT (~22 weeks ahead, on the Friday after that week's lottery closes). The 7-day-ahead rolling release happens at 7:00 AM PDT. Cancellations can appear at any time throughout the day — which is why automated monitoring is so valuable.

To hike the John Muir Trail starting from Yosemite, you need a wilderness permit from the Happy Isles→Past LYV (Donohue Pass eligible) or Lyell Canyon trailheads. Apply through the weekly rolling lottery (mid-November through early May), try FCFS ~22 weeks ahead, or watch for cancellations and 7-day rolling releases using a monitoring tool like PermitScout.

Recreation.gov does not offer availability alerts. Free services like PermitScout monitor recreation.gov every 5 minutes and send you instant email and SMS notifications when permits become available for your preferred trails and dates.

Approximately 40% of the daily wilderness permit quota for each trailhead is reserved and released 7 days before the trip date at 7:00 AM PDT. These permits are booked online via recreation.gov. No quota is held specifically for walk-ups, but unreserved or canceled permits may be available same-day in-person at Yosemite wilderness centers.