Half Dome Cables are going up

The Half Dome Cables in Yosemite National Park will be in place for visitor use this Friday, June 2, 2017. The trail will be wet and icy in places and visitors planning to ascend Half Dome are encouraged to be prepared for winter hiking conditions.

There is a daily lottery for a limited number of permits which are required to ascent the Half Dome Cables. This lottery opens Wednesday, May 31, 2017 for the summer season. These permits are available online through the daily lottery operated by www.recreation.gov. To apply for a daily lottery permit, applications are accepted from 12:01 am to 1:00 pm two days in advance of the intended hiking date. Lottery applicants may request up to six permits.

Day use permits are required to ascend the Half Dome cables 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A $10 application fee will be charged for each application and a $10 permit fee will be charged for each permit issued.

Day use permits cannot be obtained in person through any office in Yosemite National Park. Permit applicants must use their legal name when applying for a permit and a matching government-issued ID is required at the permit check point.

Overnight use permits are available through the Yosemite National Park Wilderness Center. For more information, visit http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildpermits.htm.

Of course, please remember that Tenaya Lake is still frozen over, and you are going to be hiking/climbing in snow part of the way.