Yosemite
National Park Announces Half Dome Day Use
Permits to begin May 2010
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Hiking
to the top of Half Dome is one
of the most popular hikes in
Yosemite National Park. The
iconic granite monolith, at
8,842 feet above sea level,
attracts people from all over
the world who attempt to climb
to the summit. Most visitors
ascend Half Dome via the cables,
which are in place from mid-May
through mid-October.
Approximately
84,000 people climbed to the top
of Half Dome in 2008. Although
there are several trailheads
leading to the cables on Half
Dome, the majority of visitors
start their hike at the Happy
Isles Trailhead in Yosemite
Valley.
The
increase in popularity of the
hike has resulted in large
numbers of visitors using the
cables, particularly on weekends
and holidays. During last
summer, Saturdays and holidays
averaged 840 visitors per day.
On peak days, visitor numbers
were estimated at 1100 to 1200.
This increase has resulted in
significant safety concerns.
Specifically, there was both a
visitor fatality and a visitor
who sustained serious injuries
on the cables during two
consecutive crowded weekends
last summer. This increase in
use has also impacted the
resources and has negatively
affected the visitor experience.
For example, visitors have had
to wait up to an hour to ascend
the cables on a busy day.
In
an effort to address these
issues, the park will institute
an interim program that will
require a Day Use Permit to hike
the cables on Half Dome on
Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and
holidays starting in May, 2010.
Four hundred permits will be
issued per day, 300 of these
will be Day Use Permits and 100
will be included in wilderness
permits. These permits are
required for the use of the
trail from the base of the
Subdome to the summit of Half
Dome and include the Half Dome
cable route.
The
Half Dome Day Use Permits will
be available starting March 1,
2010 through www.recreation.gov
or by calling 1-877-444-6777.
Each person climbing the Half
Dome cables will be required to
have their own permit. Up to
four permits may be obtained
under one reservation. The
permits are free, however, there
is a non-refundable $1.50
service charge for each permit
obtained.
During
this interim program, visitor
use and impacts to the park will
be monitored. Yosemite National
Park Rangers will be studying
visitor use and safety,
assessing the visitor
experience, and compiling data
that will be analyzed by park
managers. At this point, the
interim program will be in
effect for the 2010 visitor
season, as well as the 2011
visitor season. An Environmental
Assessment process for a
long-term plan for the Half Dome
Cables will begin public scoping
in spring 2010.
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Media
Contacts:
Scott
Gediman 209-372-0248
Kari
Cobb 209-372-0529
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Information
is being provided on behalf of
Yosemite National Park
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