Hoover Wilderness Permit Guide 2026
Last-minute friendly
California · Leashed dogs OK
By Casey Rowan, Permit Ranger
Last updated
The Hoover Wilderness sits along the Sierra Nevada crest on the eastern edge of Yosemite, in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, with alpine lakes and passes reached from the Twin Lakes, Green Creek, Virginia Lakes, and Leavitt Meadows trailheads. A Hoover wilderness permit is required for overnight backcountry trips, and during the summer quota season the most popular trailheads can sell out.
Hoover Wilderness issues its wilderness permits through recreation.gov, and popular passes sell out ahead of the season. Quota season is June 15 – October 15: 50% of each trailhead's quota opens on a rolling 6-month window, advancing each morning at 7:00 AM Pacific. The remaining 50% drops 3 days before entry at 7:00 AM Pacific. Off-season, permits are still required (and still bought on recreation.gov) but have no quota - they never sell out. Permit Ranger watches every pass here and alerts you the moment a sold-out date opens.
When permits are released
Quota season is June 15 – October 15: 50% of each trailhead's quota opens on a rolling 6-month window, advancing each morning at 7:00 AM Pacific. The remaining 50% drops 3 days before entry at 7:00 AM Pacific. Off-season, permits are still required (and still bought on recreation.gov) but have no quota - they never sell out.
Quota seasons: June 15 to October 15, 2026; June 15 to October 15, 2027 - off-season: Permits are still required and bought on recreation.gov, but with no quota they never sell out - book anytime.
Fees
- Reservation: $6 per permit (non-refundable)
- Per person: $8 per person (ages 13 and up; children 12 and under free)
How to get a Hoover Wilderness permit
- Choose your trailhead (each has its own quota) and your entry date within the quota season, June 15 – October 15.
- For competitive dates, be ready when 50% of the trailhead's quota opens on a rolling six-month window, advancing each morning at 7:00 AM Pacific.
- If you miss the six-month opening, watch for the remaining 50% of the quota, which drops 3 days before the entry date at 7:00 AM Pacific.
- Book your permit on recreation.gov under the Hoover Wilderness permit (445856). Outside the quota season, permits are still required but have no quota and never sell out.
- If your dates are sold out, keep watching - cancellations return quota to recreation.gov at no set time, and Permit Ranger can alert you when a spot reopens.
Notable trails
Hoover's trailheads climb quickly to alpine lakes along the Sierra crest. A few of the most popular hikes:
- Barney Lake - 4.8 on AllTrails
- Horse Creek Trail - 4.8 on AllTrails
- Green Lake via Green Creek Trail - 4.8 on AllTrails
- Summit Lake via Virginia Lakes Trail - 4.8 on AllTrails
- Emma Lake Trail - 4.8 on AllTrails
- Tamarack Lake Trail (Twin Lakes) - 4.7 on AllTrails
- Buckeye Creek Trail to Kirkland Pass - 4.6 on AllTrails
- Leavitt Meadow to Fremont Lake - 4.4 on AllTrails
Top passes in this area
The most in-demand Hoover Wilderness entry points, each with its own detail page.
- Robinson Creek
- Little Slide Canyon
- Virginia Lakes
- Horse Creek
- Green Creek
- Leavitt Meadows
- Buckeye Creek
- Burt Canyon
Frequently asked questions
When do Hoover Wilderness permits open?
What if my dates are sold out?
Does Permit Ranger book the permit for me?
More permits in California
- Desolation Wilderness permit guide
- Half Dome Cables permit guide
- Inyo National Forest permit guide
- Joshua Tree National Park permit guide
- Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks permit guide
- Sierra National Forest permit guide
- Yosemite National Park permit guide
Last-minute & walk-up friendly permits
- Cedar Mesa (Bears Ears) permit guide
- Central Cascades Wilderness permit guide
- Glacier National Park permit guide
- Grand Teton National Park permit guide
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park permit guide
- Indian Peaks: Last-Minute permit guide
- Inyo National Forest permit guide
- Mount Rainier permit guide
Dog-friendly permits
- Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness permit guide
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area permit guide
- Cedar Mesa (Bears Ears) permit guide
- Central Cascades Wilderness permit guide
- Desolation Wilderness permit guide
- Indian Peaks Wilderness permit guide
- Indian Peaks: Last-Minute permit guide
- Inyo National Forest permit guide
Plan ahead
Sold-out dates reopen all the time from cancellations and quota drops. Permit Ranger checks recreation.gov around the clock and alerts you the moment your dates open. It never books for you.