Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Best day of the week to get walk in permit in Sept

Hey Guys...
I'm planning a hiking/mountain biking extravaganza this Sept and Whitney will be my first stop (to hike..not bike). I've successfully dayhiked the mountain twice and thought I was done...but well...you guys know how it gets in your system. I'm planning a midweek trip in Sept and wondered what day of the week give me the best chance of getting a walk in permit. On a side note: Do they have the same sort of walk in permit system for Half Dome?
Thanks!
Bryan

I have looked back at the last two years, and there was NO weekday that there was not a dayhike permit available in Sept either year.

There is no walk in permit system for Half Dome.

I've looked at the permits left after the lottery for years between July 1st and the end of the Labor Day weekend, consistently the best days to get a leftover is day hike permit is Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm sure this pattern carries into September. I'm coming up for a day hike permit in September and have no plans to pay for a reservation.

With that said, there is a day I would not come up and attempt to get a day hike permit. However, I am perfectly satisfied doing a Plan B in the Sierra, many of which have turned out better than the Plan A.

No walk in permits, but they do have an online lottery for some permits 2 days before entry.

Half Dome Permits for Day Hiking

Daily Lottery
Approximately 50 permits will be available each day by lottery during the hiking season. These permits will be available based on the estimated rate of under-use and cancellation of permits (the exact number may change through the summer). The daily lotteries will have an application period two days prior to the hiking date with a notification late that night. (So, to hike on Saturday, you would apply on Thursday and receive an email notification of results late on Thursday night. Results will also be available online, or by phone the next morning.) The application period will be from midnight to 1 pm Pacific time.

How to Apply for a Permit
To apply for a permit, visit Recreation.gov or call 877/444-6777 (call center is open from 7 am to 9 pm Pacific time; online requests can be made any time during a lottery period).

Thanks Guys! Looks like I'll be doing a Wednesday hike and (thanks to the Half Dome info!) hopefully a Thursday Half Dome hike before moving on to Mammoth, Northstar and Downieville to do some Mt.Biking.