Can we talk about how long permit lotteries actually take?

I applied for the Rae Lakes Loop permit in Kings Canyon back in February and got waitlisted for 4 months before I finally got a spot. Is it worth spending all that time in the lottery or should people just gamble on walk-up permits instead?

4 comments

4 Comments

miles_hall23d ago

Walkup permits are the move, lotteries are brutal.

the_lisa23d ago

Start grabbing walkup permits at dawn before the crowds even think about lining up.

jakejones22d ago

Wait, actually don't walkup permits start getting handed out at a specific time depending on the park? I've definitely shown up at dawn before only to find out the ranger station doesn't open until 8 AM and they don't start issuing permits until then. If you're at a place like Yosemite or Rocky Mountain, the rangers usually open the office at 8 or 9, not at sunrise. So showing up at 5 AM could mean you're just standing around in the dark for hours with nothing to do. Better to check the exact time the permits go out online before you camp out in a lawn chair at some ungodly hour.

avery_jackson23d agoMost Upvoted

Totally agree about the "before the crowds even think about lining up" part. I got to the ranger station at 4:30 AM once and there were already like 10 people camped out in lawn chairs. By the time 6 AM rolled around there was a line snaking past the parking lot. But I scored a permit for the tallest peak that day while everyone else was still rubbing sleep out of their eyes.