by AlmostThere » Tue Jun 16, 2009 10:17 pm
I realize it's frustrating, but you're trying to make a reservation for the most popular hike in the park, bar none.
Fax the form with several trailheads on it - make your first choice Happy Isles to LYV, then the second choice from Glacier Point down Panorama Trail. Stay two nights, the first night in Ilillouette (very easy first day) and then the second and third can be in Little Yosemite Valley. This maximizes your chances of a permit. It's very likely that the Happy Isles trailhead is booked already on the dates you are trying for. Everyone is trying to get Half Dome/LYV permits.
The other option, if your group is not large, is to get to the wilderness office in Yosemite Valley (it has priority over the Happy Isles trailhead) early in the morning. I got there at 5 am once and found three people sleeping on the porch, we all waited until 7:30 am when the office opened, and they got three of the walk up permits and I got six, then there were only a few left. You have to do this the DAY BEFORE you intend to start your hike. You can stay in the backpackers campground that night and have a leisurely day walking around in the valley with the tourists, get a fresh start in the morning, and spend the night in Little Yosemite with the crowds. The other thing if you cannot get permits the day before is to wait until after 10 am the day you want to leave, and see if there are unclaimed permits - people frequently bail and don't bother notifying the rangers.
Yes - it absolutely is that crowded. It's Yosemite. Attendance may have gone down from "incredibly overwhelmed" to "overwhelmed." You wouldn't know it to look at the traffic.
You can only reserve wilderness permits six months in advance. Many people book reservations by faxing on the first day the permits come available at 12:01 am.