https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/05/26/this-free-app-finds-just-canceled-permits-for-yosemite-other-california-parks/

Got a burning itch to hike Yosemite’s Half Dome but can’t get one of those permits, worth their weight in gold? You might try your luck with WildPermits, a free service that pings you the moment someone cancels a permit to Yosemite or other popular parks in California and the Pacific Northwest.

The service is the creation of Michael Feger, a recent San Francisco State University grad from Milpitas who enjoys backpacking in Yosemite National Park and Inyo National Forest. “Over the years, backpacking has gotten much more popular, especially after Covid,” he says. “It has gotten to the point where you have to pay to enter lotteries just for a small chance of getting your desired permit.”