Yosemite Life

Guided backpacking trips and private day hikes in Yosemite National Park. Permitted guide. → yosemite.life

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Yesterday morning at Tunnel View in Yosemite was magical. ☃️🏞✨️🫶

[yosemite-life]

You Didn't Get a Half Dome Permit. You Got Redirected.

The 2026 Half Dome preseason lottery results went out this weekend. About 80% of applicants got the same email: unfortunately, your application wasn't selected.

If that was you, here's what most people don't realize: the day hike lottery is not the only way to summit Half Dome.

There's a completely separate permit system for backpackers. When you hold a wilderness permit from a Half Dome-eligible trailhead, you can add Half Dome to your trip for $10 per person. Your permit is valid any day your trip is active, so you pick your weather window instead of being locked to a date you chose months ago.

And the experience is better. Not "consolation prize" better. Actually better.

Day hikers do Half Dome in a single 16-mile push from the Valley floor, summiting mid-day when the cables are packed. Backpackers camp in the wilderness the night before, summit in the morning when the granite is cool and the crowds haven't arrived, and walk back to camp instead of grinding 8 miles to a parking lot.

Same summit. Completely different mountain.

I wrote a complete breakdown of how both permit systems work and why the backpacking path is the better one: Half Dome Permits: The Complete 2026 Guide

I'm a permitted Yosemite guide and I run guided Half Dome backpacking trips every summer with wilderness permits and Half Dome add-ons already secured. Permits handled. Route planned. Meals, gear, and pre-trip planning included.

Open spots on the 2026 trip calendar are filling now. If you're weighing it, don't wait until July.

Eric Kufrin | Yosemite Life | Guided Backpacking Trips & Private Day Hikes