Yosemite Wilderness Permits permits are gone at release. Cancellations come back all season.
Half Dome-adjacent trailheads, the JMT start, Clouds Rest, Cathedral Lakes — the marquee Yosemite trailhead quotas sell out the morning they release.
We check Yosemite Wilderness Permits quota live when your Scout starts — no stale numbers on this page.
Yosemite Wilderness Permits permits issue through recreation.gov. Returned and unclaimed dates reappear all season and are usually re-claimed within minutes; your Scout's first email tells you exactly where quota stands.
Get emailed the second a Yosemite Wilderness Permits date opens. Your Scout starts checking the moment you subscribe — the first email arrives right away with where quota stands.
When somebody returns a permit, the next email in your inbox is your Yosemite Wilderness Permits date — claim link included, while the quota is still there.
Free — one Scout per email. Alert-only: it never enters lotteries and never claims a permit for you. Reply to any of its emails to adjust dates or stop.
Want to change more — different logic, several permits, push instead of email? Open this Scout in the builder. Check recreation.gov yourself →
How Yosemite Wilderness Permits permits actually release
Yosemite wilderness reservations release on a rolling window about 24 weeks (five and a half months) ahead, and cancellations return to recreation.gov continuously — check the park's wilderness permit page for the exact release schedule.
The part the permit page doesn't advertise: plans change. Reserved dates flow back to recreation.gov all season as trips get cancelled — and popular dates are re-claimed within minutes of reappearing. That second game is the one a Scout wins: it never blinks.
How it works
Questions
How fast are alerts?
A free Scout checks every hour, around the clock, and emails you the moment a permit date shows remaining quota. Faster checks are on the paid plan.
Does it enter lotteries or claim permits for me?
No. It never enters a lottery, never holds a spot, and never books — you get the link the moment a date opens, and claiming it stays in your hands.
Can it get me a Half Dome or Wave permit?
No — those are lottery-only, and an availability watch can't win a lottery. We only cover permits where cancelled or unclaimed dates genuinely return to recreation.gov.
What does it cost?
Watching one thing is free. More Scouts and faster checks are on the paid plan.
Also chasing: Mt. Whitney via Trail Crest (overnight) · The Enchantments (Core Zone overnight) · Paria Canyon Overnight · Mount St. Helens Climbing Permit · all permits →
After a campsite instead? Campground cancellation alerts →