If you’re planning a Yosemite backpacking trip, the first and highest hurdle is the permit system.
It’s a complex process that is particularly difficult for anyone planning a trip from out of state. As locals who navigate this system daily, we can give you a practical breakdown of what you’re up against.
Or, you can skip the entire permit headache. Our charter system secures permits in advance from our portfolio of proven routes, so you don’t have to spend 40+ hours gaming a lottery system with 3-5% odds.
Two Systems: Neither is Good for Fly-In Visitors
You have two main options for securing a permit.
1. The 24-Week Lottery: This is the main lottery for 60% of all permits. It opens 24 weeks in advance of your start date. For the popular trailheads, like Happy Isles for the Mist Trail or Lyell Canyon for the John Muir Trail—the demand is extreme. Success rates for these routes are often in the low single digits (3-5%).
2. The 7-Day Window: The remaining 40% of permits are released exactly seven days in advance on a first-come, first-served basis. For any desirable route, these are gone in seconds. This system works for locals who can make a last-minute decision, but it’s useless if you need to book a flight, rent a car, and take time off work.
This system effectively forces out-of-state visitors to rely on the 24-week lottery.
The Hidden Work in the Lottery
Here’s the part most people don’t realize: you can’t just apply for your single dream trailhead. To have a realistic chance, you need to use the lottery application’s feature that lets you list up to eight different trailhead options.
This is where the real work begins.
To fill out the application properly, you must first research, plan, and map out at least three itineraries, with the risk that you may not get any of your top 3 choices. You have to check mileage, elevation, water sources, and shuttle logistics for all eight of your choices to make sure your backup options are viable and are trips you actually want to do.
It’s a massive time sink. You’re essentially forced to become a part-time route logistics expert, planning eight different trips just for a chance to get a permit for one of them.
To make it more complicated, permits are non-transferable and non-refundable. This means there’s no incentive for people to return permits they can’t use, so they rarely go back into the system for others.
This is exactly why we built our service differently. Instead of betting your vacation on lottery odds, we handle all permits and logistics from our portfolio of lesser-known, high-quality trailheads that provide spectacular wilderness experiences without the permit competition.
Our Approach: Expertise Over Chance
We built our service to solve this specific problem. Our all-inclusive model handles permits, gear, food, and Bay Area airport transportation—so you never have to navigate the permit lottery, rent a car, or worry about trailhead parking.
Our expertise isn’t just in gaming the system. It’s in knowing the routes. We’ve spent years identifying the high-quality, lesser-known trailheads that provide spectacular wilderness experiences, the ones that aren’t on every blog post.
We offer two distinct trip styles – Sierra Immersion (depth over distance, base camp exploration) and Sierra Traverse (point-to-point classic journeys), and we match you with the perfect route based on your goals, not just whatever permit we could get.
We secure permits in advance from our portfolio of proven routes. We don’t bet your vacation on a 5% lottery chance. We handle the 40+ hours of research so you can just focus on getting ready for your trip.
Wondering how this all works? Learn about our charter system or read about what’s included in your all-inclusive package.
Ready to skip the permit lottery?
Request a free consultation and we’ll match you with the perfect Yosemite wilderness route—no lottery required. Or explore our trip styles to see which experience fits you best.
