Rancheria Falls Permit and the Hetch Hetchy Road
Every night in the Yosemite wilderness needs a permit, and the backpacking trip to Rancheria Falls starts from a trailhead of the same name on top of O'Shaughnessy Dam. Two details catch people out at Hetch Hetchy. From about April through October the permit is picked up at Big Oak Flat, inside the park entrance just past the turnoff to the dam, and the Hetch Hetchy Road itself opens only from sunrise to sunset. We picked up a walk-up permit for April 25, 2024, and slept at the backpackers campground by the dam the night before.
The Rancheria Falls trailhead permit
Yosemite issues wilderness permits by trailhead and sets a daily quota for each one. The Rancheria Falls trailhead has a quota of 35 a day. Twenty-one places go out by lottery and 14 by the release seven days ahead. The permit covers camping near Rancheria Falls or in Tiltill Valley. Three trailheads start on O'Shaughnessy Dam, so pick the one that matches the first night of the trip.
- Rancheria Falls covers camping near the falls or in Tiltill Valley. Quota 21 by lottery and 14 seven days ahead.
- Beehive Meadows covers camping near Beehive Meadows, Laurel Lake, or Lake Vernon. Quota 21 by lottery and 14 seven days ahead.
- Miguel Meadow rounds out the three. Quota 9 by lottery and 6 seven days ahead.
The lottery and the seven-day release
- Reservations run from April 24 to October 18 in 2026. Outside those dates, permits are first come, first served.
- Sixty percent of each quota goes out by weekly lottery 24 weeks before the start date. Each group may submit one application per weekly lottery window, and a person may hold six future reservations at a time.
- Leftover lottery places go on sale first come, first served each Friday at 9:00 AM Pacific time.
- The other 40 percent opens seven days ahead at 7:00 AM Pacific time on Recreation.gov.
- Fees. Entering the lottery costs $10, which is not refunded. A confirmed permit adds $5 per person. A reservation made outside the lottery costs $10 per permit plus $5 per person.
Picking up the permit
- From about April through October, pick up at Big Oak Flat. The Big Oak Flat Information Station sits just inside the Big Oak Flat Entrance on Highway 120. After the entrance station, pull into the large parking area on the right, and the station is to the left of the restrooms. When the station is closed for the season, self-registration permits wait on the porch.
- Pick up the day before or the day of the start date, during open hours, which the park gives as 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM for the wilderness centers. No permit is issued after hours.
- Reach the station by 11:00 AM on the start date. A permit not picked up by then is cancelled. Within seven days of the start date you can request a hold for a late arrival.
- From November through March, self-register at Hetch Hetchy, at the rear window of the Hetch Hetchy Entrance Station kiosk.
- A reservation confirmation is not the permit. The trip leader or named alternate must collect the permit in person. A late-arrival hold still requires pickup during open hours on the entry date.
- Our walk-up permit. We walked in on April 25, 2024, before reservations for the season had opened, and took a walk-up permit with no reservation.
On top of O'Shaughnessy Dam at nine in the morning on April 25, 2024, at the start of the walk.
The Hetch Hetchy Road
- Open sunrise to sunset. The road is open only in daylight, and no one reaches the Hetch Hetchy trailheads by car when the road is closed. A late start or a slow walk out has to fit inside those hours.
- Snow closes the road. The road closes when snow is falling or forecast overnight, and from November through March may close or require chains for ice and snow. For the day's status, call 209-372-0200 and press 1, then 1.
- Vehicle limits. Vehicles or trailers longer than 25 feet or wider than 8 feet are not allowed on the narrow, winding road.
- The entrance station stands on the road before the dam, and the line can back up when the lot fills, typically midday on weekends. The standard private-vehicle entrance fee is $35 for seven days. Additional nonresident fees may apply unless covered by an eligible pass. Check the current fees and pass rules for your group. Yosemite requires no timed-entry reservation in 2026.
- Overnight parking. Backpackers leave the car in the overnight lot near the backpackers campground, a short walk from the dam.
The backpackers campground
The Hetch Hetchy backpackers campground sits beside the overnight parking lot and stays open all year, although the road limits arrivals to daylight. Wilderness permit holders may stay the night before the start date and the night after the exit date for $8 per person, and no reservation is needed. The Recreation.gov Scan and Pay option that works at other Yosemite backpackers campgrounds does not cover Hetch Hetchy, so check how to pay when you arrive. We slept there on April 24, 2024, the night before the walk in. The spillway was running beside the dam that evening.
Driving to Hetch Hetchy
The Hetch Hetchy Road leaves Highway 120 just outside the Big Oak Flat Entrance, so a backpacker picking up a permit in season drives into the park to Big Oak Flat and then back out to the turnoff. We drove from Sacramento in about three and a half hours. On the way we charged the car at a slow Tesla charger in Groveland. Check current charger availability and vehicle compatibility before planning the drive.
Questions people ask
Which permit do you need for Rancheria Falls?
A Yosemite wilderness permit for the Rancheria Falls trailhead, which starts at O'Shaughnessy Dam and covers camping near the falls or in Tiltill Valley. Every overnight trip in Yosemite needs a wilderness permit, and a day hike needs none.
How do you get a Rancheria Falls permit?
From April 24 to October 18 in 2026, reserve on Recreation.gov. The trailhead has a daily quota of 35. Twenty-one places go out by weekly lottery 24 weeks before the start date, and 14 open seven days ahead at 7:00 AM Pacific time. Outside those dates, permits are first come, first served.
How much does a Yosemite wilderness permit cost?
Entering the lottery or making a reservation costs $10, which is not refunded, and a confirmed permit adds $5 per person.
Where do you pick up a permit for Hetch Hetchy?
From about April through October, at the Big Oak Flat Information Station just inside the Big Oak Flat Entrance on Highway 120. From November through March, self-register at the rear window of the Hetch Hetchy Entrance Station kiosk.
What time does the Hetch Hetchy Road open and close?
The road is open only from sunrise to sunset, and closes when snow is falling or forecast overnight. From November through March the road may close or require chains. Call 209-372-0200 for current conditions.
Can you camp at Hetch Hetchy the night before a backpacking trip?
Yes. Wilderness permit holders can stay at the Hetch Hetchy backpackers campground, beside the overnight parking lot, the night before the start date and the night after the exit date, for $8 per person. No reservation is needed.
Plan the rest of the trip
The Rancheria Falls guide lays the walk out in one or two nights with the camp, the water, and a free GPX, and the Wapama Falls guide covers the footbridges at high water. The permit calendar shows when the lottery opens for any start date.
Sources
The quotas and the trailheads at the dam come from Yosemite's trailhead list, last updated May 11, 2026. The lottery shares, the seven-day release, and the reservation season come from the wilderness permits page, and the fees, the application limits, the Friday sale, and the 11:00 AM cancellation from the Recreation.gov permit page and the wilderness permit questions. The pickup locations come from the permit stations page and the wilderness conditions update. The road hours, the vehicle limits, and the entrance station come from the park's Hetch Hetchy page and current conditions, the entrance fee from the fees page, the end of timed entry from the reservations page, and the campground from the backpackers campgrounds page. The Rivian outpost comes from Rivian. Road, permit, campground, and park rules were reviewed October 22, 2026. Confirm each rule with the park before you go.
Plan the trip, then walk the plan
Backpackers Friend opens the Rancheria Falls plan as a trip on your phone, with the dam, both waterfalls, and the camp in place on a topo map. Planning is free with no account. Hetch Hetchy has no cell service, and Premium adds offline maps so the route and your position keep working without a signal.
