Permit & planning guides

California's best-known hikes are gated by lotteries and quotas that open months ahead. These guides cover how each system works and when to apply.

Lake Tahoe
Desolation Wilderness Permits: The 6-Month Rolling Window Explained
Desolation Wilderness overnight permits aren't a lottery. They're a rolling 6-month release by camping zone. How the zone quota system works, when each date opens, and what it costs.
Yosemite
Half Dome Permit Lottery: Dates, Odds, and How to Apply
How Yosemite's Half Dome cable route permit lottery works: the March preseason application window, the daily lottery backup, costs, and the rules that get applications disqualified.
Eastern Sierra
Mount Whitney Permits: Lottery Dates, Fees, and What to Do If You Lose
How the Mount Whitney permit lottery works: the February application window, the March results date, the April claim deadline that catches people out, and how unclaimed dates get released.
Yosemite
When Does Tioga Pass Open? Historical Dates and How to Predict It
Tioga Pass has averaged a May 28 opening since 1933, but the real range runs from early May to late July. What drives the date, and how to plan a Yosemite high country trip around it.