first-come first-served Wilderness Permits

[amigo]

My friend and I will be in Yosemite mid-August, our first time there. We're from out east. We missed out on booking a wilderness permit for the trailhead we wanted not too far from Tuolumne Meadows as the reservable ones were all booked up.

How early should one arrive at the Tuolumne Meadows wilderness permit office the day before a trek to be assured of getting a first-come first-served permit? Is 30 minutes generally ok, say on a Thurs? I don't think I want to wait in line for too long but there aren't very many of these permits available.

Thanks.

[AlmostThere]

I would plan several trips from several trailheads, prioritize them, and show up on a weekday around the time the office opens. That would mean a three hour wait for most offices.

"Unreserved permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 11 am on the day before the intended entry date. All reservations (same day and next day) and same-day unreserved permits may still be picked up when the wilderness center opens for the day. "

Why so early? They still release unclaimed reserved permits for that day at 10 am. Your first chance will be to grab an unclaimed permit for two. Your second will be for an actual first come/first serve permit.

I have managed to get a walk in at 9:30 am (under the old schedule, when the office opened at 8 am for walk in permits) on Tuesday for Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. I suspect the later in the week it gets, the harder it gets. You might get a permit for the same day, you might get one for the next day. If for the next day there is always the backpacker campground....

[KC]

Good advice there from AlmostThere. Get a good map, evaluate your possibilities, and develop a couple options. There are places that get used a lot and places that don't. Try for the one you want most, and work your way down.

Frankly, I don't think I've ever felt cheated by any trip I've done. It's just tough to go wrong in (or near) Yosemite.