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  1. #1

    Default Half Dome Permit.. Now what?

    Hey everyone.. me and my hiking partner half permits for half dome in a few weeks. We have our flights going into San Francisco a few days before the hike.

    We are trying to figure out where to stay? There’s no good info I can find on which entrance to take. I’m guessing we will take the John Muir Trail to Half Dome which is the Happy Isles trailhead.

    We haven’t found any sites at the campgrounds so I’m guessing hotel or AirBNB at this point, but we don’t want to spend an outrageous amount of money.

    Any info or tips from someone who has done this before would be greatly appreciated.

  2. #2
    GSMNP 900 Miler
    Join Date
    02-25-2007
    Location
    Birmingham, AL
    Age
    57
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    Not sure what transportation is like this year, but I did the JMT in 2016.
    At that time, I flew into Sacramento because from there, I could pay Amtrak for a ticket from Sacramento to Yosemite valley (you actually took the train part of the way then transferred to a YARTS bus).
    Flight/train/bus schedules were such that it was IMPOSSIBLE to fly from the SouthEast and get to Yosemite in one day. So I spent the night in Sacramento at a hotel across the street from the train station. To I was able to use the hotel's shuttle to get from the airport to the hotel/train station.

    If you have a permit to camp in the back country, you are allowed to say one night at the "hiker campground" before and after your hike. No reservations needed (but it's first come first serve).
    Since I had been planning my JMT hike for a while, I opted to spend the money to have a reserved campsite... but you have to book that something like 3 or more months in advance (and play "how fast can I click" when the reservations open up).

    As a part of my JMT permit, I had a Half Dome permit as well. But I didn't want to haul my heavy pack up the dome, and given that I still had the JMT to hike, I was unwilling to risk my trip and leave my pack somewhere in the woods while climbing the dome.

  3. #3
    Is it raining yet?
    Join Date
    07-15-2004
    Location
    Kensington, MD
    Age
    47
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    1,077
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    There is a free secret backpacker's campsite in the Valley near the stables w/ tables, water & bathrooms. It is not on any map and it's something of a walk in. Get there by mid day & you won't have a problem.
    Be Prepared

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