Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Beehive Meadows (Hetch Hetchy)

Beehive Meadows (Hetch Hetchy): what makes it different

Beehive Meadows is the Hetch Hetchy door to Laurel Lake and Lake Vernon, a climb out of the reservoir on an old road. NPS sells 21 lottery and 14 week-ahead places a day, the biggest share of any Hetch Hetchy trailhead, with a flush toilet at the start.^1,2

Getting to the start

The trailhead is in the Hetch Hetchy area of the park and the permit is issued at the Hetch Hetchy Entrance. NPS lists a flush toilet at the trailhead. The Wikipedia article on the Lake Vernon trail instead places the start in the parking lot close to O'Shaughnessy Dam. The two descriptions of the starting point do not match, so check the entrance station when you collect the permit.^1,9

Recreation.gov describes the first leg as an old road that switchbacks up the cliffs above Hetch Hetchy and then climbs through forest toward Beehive Meadow, Laurel Lake and Lake Vernon. NPS says the first four miles of the Laurel, Vernon and Rancheria loop follow the old Lake Eleanor Road as it climbs out of the valley.^8,3

The first leg

The 2011 Backpacking Light group that went to Lake Vernon passed a junction marked Beehive on their map several miles before the lake and saw one patch of snow there in early July. The 2013 east-to-west thru-hikers who came down from Lake Vernon walked past the Beehive and then switchbacked down across from Kolana Rock to the dam.^11,12

Terrain and difficulty

NPS rates both Laurel Lake and Lake Vernon at 2,700 feet of gain. Laurel Lake is 14.2 miles out and back, Lake Vernon is 19.1 miles round trip, and the Vernon and Rancheria Falls loop is 28.2 miles with 4,450 feet of gain. NPS lists permit demand as Low for all three, and the loop can also start at Rancheria Falls.²

A separate NPS day-hike page prints the Laurel, Vernon and Rancheria loop at 29 miles with 5,929 feet of gain, and it warns of rattlesnakes and poison oak. The Lake Vernon distance is a place where sources split: the 2011 trip report says roughly 11 miles total, Wikipedia says 11.5 miles one way, and NPS says 19.1 miles round trip. This page prints NPS's figure.^3,11,9,2

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Beehive Meadows (Hetch Hetchy), overnight wilderness, lottery share: 21 people a day. NPS trailhead page, updated May 11, 2026. Hetch Hetchy Entrance window: April 24 to October 18, 2026; other times first come, first served.¹
• 2026 daily quota at Beehive Meadows (Hetch Hetchy), overnight wilderness, week-ahead share: 14 people a day. The first come, first served share released seven days ahead. NPS prints it as a separate column.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

NPS requires camping at least four trail miles from Hetch Hetchy, campfires only in existing rings below 9,600 feet and at least 100 feet from water and trail, and approved bear canisters for all food. Bear spray is not allowed.⁴

Swimming and boating are prohibited in the reservoir to protect drinking water, and pets are not allowed on the dam or the trails.³

The Hetch Hetchy backpackers campground is open year-round. In winter the entrance station is one of the places that issues a wilderness permit, and it has a 24-hour bear canister drop bin.⁵

Where it leads

Laurel Lake and Lake Vernon are the two named lakes on the route. A reviewer on Hiking Project describes Lake Vernon as commonly backpacked, with a dangerous creek crossing at high water, white granite, dense pine forest and junctions with the Jack Main Canyon and Laurel Lake trails.^2,10

The 2013 thru-hikers reached Lake Vernon by an unmarked, cairned route down Falls Creek, and the next morning left early because Laurel Lake, the only other stop before the reservoir, did not appeal to them. They went on down to Hetch Hetchy.¹²

What trip reports say

In early July 2011 a Backpacking Light group trained for the John Muir Trail by doing Lake Vernon out and back. Creeks ran swollen and hard, the day before was very hot, mosquitoes were minimal but expected to hatch within a week or two, and people caught trout at the lake. A commenter relayed that above 9,000 feet it still looked like deep winter.¹¹

In July 2013 a Backpacking Light thru-hiker described the end of a five-day trip from Leavitt Meadows. He left Lake Vernon early because the weather looked poor, finished at the dam, and walked on to the Evergreen Lodge camp store. He had seen the Beehive under snow on an earlier visit, which is why it carries that name.¹²

A May 23, 2023 check-in on Hiking Project reports a 6.5 hour out and back from the reservoir where the planned loop was not possible because Falls Creek was deep and fast. The listing warns that bears are prevalent and food must be locked up.¹⁰

When to go from here

Snow and water decide the date. The 2011 report found snow gone to at least 7,500 feet and creeks swollen in early July, and the 2023 check-in turned back at Falls Creek in late May. The Hetch Hetchy window on the trailhead page opens April 24 and closes October 18, 2026, and the rest of the year the permit is first come, first served.^11,10,1

NPS pages disagree on when reservations start. The Wilderness Permits page (updated December 31, 2025) says late April through October. The Wilderness Permit Reservations page (updated June 22, 2026) says May through October. The trailhead page gives April 24 for this entrance.^6,7,1

Compare with nearby entry points

• Cottonwood Creek (Hetch Hetchy): Cottonwood Creek starts just inside the entrance station and has less room: 12 lottery and 8 week-ahead people, no toilet and no food lockers, against 21 and 14 with a flush toilet here.^1,8
• Rancheria Falls (Hetch Hetchy): Rancheria Falls is a different trip. NPS rates its permit demand Medium, against Low for Laurel Lake and Lake Vernon from Beehive Meadows, and lists it at 12.6 miles with 700 feet of gain on one page and 13 miles with 1,909 feet on another.^2,3
• Base Line Camp Road (Hetch Hetchy): Base Line Camp Road is the lightly used option. Recreation.gov warns that route finding skills are needed there, and NPS gives it 15 lottery and 10 week-ahead people with no toilet and no food lockers.^1,8

Sources

1. Trailhead Information, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Hetch Hetchy Area Trails, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service (updated November 13, 2019). Read 2026-10-15.
3. Day Hikes in Hetch Hetchy, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service (updated August 22, 2023). Read 2026-10-15.
4. Wilderness Regulations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Wilderness Permit Frequently Asked Questions, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Wilderness Permits, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Wilderness Permit Reservations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Yosemite National Park Wilderness Permits (Beehive Meadows, Cottonwood Creek, Base Line Camp Road divisions), Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Hetch Hetchy to Lake Vernon Trail, Wikipedia. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Lake Vernon Trail, Hiking Project, trail listing with a May 2023 check-in. Read 2026-10-15.
11. Lake Vernon, Hetch Hetchy area (trip report thread, July 2011), Backpacking Light forums. Read 2026-10-15.
12. Leavitt Meadows to Hetch Hetchy (trip report, July 2013), Backpacking Light forums. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Beehive Meadows (Hetch Hetchy) permit