Looking to conquer Yosemite’s Half Dome this summer? Make sure you have a permit! This very popular and over populated hiking destination will soon be restricted to a large numbers of hikers.
In 2008, over 84,000 people hiked up the 8,842ft above sea level granite monolith, with the majority accessing the area by Happy Isles Trailhead in Yosemite Valley. On average, 840 people hiked up Half Dome every Saturday and holidays, with numbers reaching as high as 1200 people. This has led to safety concerns and a negative experience for Yosemite visitors (aside from getting injured or dead, that is). One hiker was fatally injured and one severely injured during two consecutive weekends last summer. Additionally, hikers have had to wait up to an hour to ascend Half Dome due to the excessive number of people. A safety issue in its own right - ever seen people standing in line at Walmart on Black Friday or a Hannah Montana concert? Not pretty!
To address these problems, Yosemite National Park Service is requiring permits and will issue 400 permits each weekend day and holiday (300 for day use and 100 for wilderness use). These permits are required from the base of Subdome to the summit of Half Dome and include the cable route. Each person must be carrying a permit - no permit, no Half Dome. Each permit will be assessed a non-refundable $1.50 service fee with only 4 permits issued per one reservation. Permits will be available starting March 1st through www.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777.
During this interim program, NPS will be monitoring visitor use and park impact. The program will be in place for both the 2010 and 2011 high visitor seasons.
