Wilderness Permit Information

[Wandering Daisy]

I have had numerous questions about my Yosemite permits and used the "questions" box that goes to Yosemite Conservancy. They have been very good about answering.

My latest finding: You can use this method to extend the 10AM permit pickup time, but it has to be no more than 2 weeks prior to the starting date. This is a great relief, because I have had ZERO success at calling the Yosemite Wilderness Office. I think it is a good idea for everyone to extend their pickup time because you may not always have cell reception while driving to Yosemite: traffic delays and such do happen. I could probably get there by 10AM, but now I can be less stressed if I get stuck in some traffic.

[SNOOOOW]

What trailhead are you trying to get? I see all the Inyo trailheads on Recreation.gov reporting 99+ permit availability until April 30 (when the non-quota season ends.) https://www.recreation.gov/permits/2332 ... 2021-04-22

Looking for Cottonwood Pass, mid-late June (quota season begins June 25 for this TH). Rec.gov just shows blank spaces prior to this date. Same for a few other THs (River Trail, Shadow Creek, etc), except that these few show blank spaces (rather than “99+“ entries) prior to May 1st.
Maybe just a glitch ?

You are correct that Cottonwood Pass is non quota prior to June 25th. I spoke with the FS people and they told me that walk in permits will be available 2 weeks prior to your trip start date. So if you want to start your trip Friday June 18th for cottonwood pass then those walk in permits come available Friday June 4th 7am and since it IS non quota there is no need to actually be on the site at 7am since they cannot all get booked up. Hope this helped.

[grampy]

.. Hope this helped.

Yes, that was extremely helpful (and quite clearly explained).
Thank you !

[kpeter]

And for another entirely different system, Sanlislaus NF had NO trailhead quotas, and NO reservations. You just call the ranger station where you plan to pick up your permit two days ahead, you give your route information over the phone, and then you simply pick up your permit at the office, maybe even in a drop box. I like this system!

So, WD, for going in to the Kibbie Ridge, I would just call Groveland a couple of days before? Would want to talk to them anyway to find out the status of the road over the dam.

[Wandering Daisy]

You do not need a reservation because there are no quotas. But you do need a permit. You would have to call them to see if they have plans for internet permits in the future. Their website just said that currently they do not. At any rate, you should call Stanislaus NF and verify this. Sometimes the NF websites are outdated.

However, there are quotas on trails that go into Yosemite, like the Miguel Meadow trailhead. I saw on the Yosemite website that you can reserve Miguel Meadow TH on reserve.gov. Since the Kibby Ridge Trail does not go into Yosemite you would get that permit from Stanislaus. It is a bit vague about entering Yosemite off-trail, like Boundary Lake, but I would not worry about that.

[mort]

So, WD, for going in to the Kibbie Ridge, I would just call Groveland a couple of days before? Would want to talk to them anyway to find out the status of the road over the dam.

There is a new page about permits to Emigrant https://forms.office.com/Pages/Response ... NRSzdMNi4u on-line application!
New procedure. But also there is a Forest Order, concerning fire damage from last year, road and area closures. You should call when to plan your trip just to see if it's even possible. I was told Courtright's Maxon trail was closed, for instance.
-mort

[Wandering Daisy]

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/stan ... rdb5361242

This is the latest on permits for Stanislaus NF. You can either reserve 5-15 days or call 1-5 days (free and pick up at RS) before your trip. They do not write permits that go south of Hwy 120.

[SNOOOOW]

Also, just another FYI I realized today and not sure if it was addressed already is that the new "walk in permit" system that comes available 2 weeks prior to a specific date is not free. I went on recreation.gov to check walk in permits for Thursday May 13th, which is 2 weeks from today, and sure enough they are available online but still the same $5/person fee + $6 reservation fee. So now you not only have to reserve your "walk in" last minute overnight trips but you need to pay $11+ for them now. I have a feeling that free walk in permit will now be a thing of the past...

[Wandering Daisy]

Is the Rowell Meadow TH in Sequoia National Forest a quota trailhead? I am a bit confused about how they do permits. Their web site talks about "free" permit and "faxing" stuff to them. Is that still the case?

[grampy]

If you are only using the Rowell TH to access Jennie Lakes, it is non-quota. Actually, there is no permit required for travel into Jennie Lakes, but they request you “self-register” on a card at the TH so they can maintain some usage stats. See this:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/sequoia ... ecid=79914

For entry into SEKI, it is a “quota” situation; it’s listed (on Recreation.gov) under Belle Canyon and Sugarloaf trails for entry into the park. I believe the choice depends on your direction of travel - use Belle Canyon if heading towards Silliman or use Sugarloaf if heading toward Roaring River. Under normal (non-Covid) circumstances, you’d pick up the permit at Grant Grove.