Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Cathedral Lakes

Cathedral Lakes: what makes it different

Cathedral Lakes is a short, steep backpack from Tioga Road to two lakes at the foot of Cathedral Peak. It is one of the few Tuolumne trailheads that can carry a Half Dome add-on, it has no toilet at the start, and the Park Service rates demand as very high. Mosquitoes are the thing past hikers write about most.^6,1,2,9

Getting to the start

Recreation.gov puts the trailhead along Tioga Road on the west side of Tuolumne Meadows, with the trail heading south. It adds that overnight parking with food storage is also available at the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center.⁷

A 7x7 guide describes the trailhead as about half a mile west of the visitor center, with scarce parking and a shuttle stop. A reviewer on Yosemite Hikes wrote in October 2023 that a large new lot has replaced the roadside parking. It is better, but the walk now starts farther back and adds distance.^10,9

The 2026 table lists no toilet at this trailhead and names the Tuolumne Wilderness Center as the issuing station. Tioga Road is closed in winter and typically opens in late May, and Recreation.gov says a permit is not valid if the road is shut when you arrive, with no refund.^1,7

The first leg

The Park Service lists the Cathedral Lakes trip at 7 miles round trip with 1,000 feet of gain. A 7x7 guide measured about 3.5 miles one way, a steady climb to roughly 8,600 feet, with a fork about 2.8 miles in: left for Upper Cathedral Lake, right for Lower Cathedral Lake, each about half a mile from the fork.^6,10

Somewhere Sierra counted about 8 miles round trip with 1,624 feet of gain on an August 2022 overnight, and says roughly 1,000 feet of that comes early in the walk.⁸

Terrain and difficulty

The Park Service describes the lakes as sitting at the base of Cathedral Peak, on a stretch of the John Muir Trail that gets heavy use all season, with rock climbers working the peak. The same trail connects onward to Long Meadow, Sunrise High Sierra Camp and Sunrise Lakes.⁶

Recreation.gov calls it a popular trail into the heart of the Cathedral Range with several loop options. Yosemite Hikes reviewers found parts eroded or hard to follow: one in October 2012 described sandy, dusty tread, and two others lost the route under snow in May 2014 and July 2019.^7,9

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Cathedral Lakes, overnight wilderness, lottery share: 15 people a day. This is the lottery share, drawn 24 weeks ahead, from the Park Service trailhead table.¹
• 2026 daily quota at Cathedral Lakes, overnight wilderness, week-ahead share: 10 people a day. This share opens a week before the trip. The table prints no combined total, and Recreation.gov availability for this permit would not load.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

The Park Service lists Cathedral Lakes among the backpacker trailheads that can add Half Dome. The add-on costs $10 a person and is added when you pick up the permit.^2,1

Campfires are banned in both the Upper and Lower Cathedral Lake basins, and anywhere above 9,600 feet. The written rules give no camping distance specific to this trail, so the general rules apply: 100 feet from water and trails, and a bear canister.³

Somewhere Sierra writes that camps must be 200 feet from lakes, streams and trails, which is wider than the 100 feet the Park Service rules state. Ask the ranger at pickup which figure applies.^8,3

Where it leads

Lower Cathedral Lake usually offers more camp choices, because a loop trail circles it, according to a 7x7 guide. Somewhere Sierra camped on a flat spot just over the ridge above Upper Cathedral Lake for meadow views and found it quieter.^10,8

A Stanford writer in October 1999 camped on the North Ridge of Tresidder Peak, which drops to Upper Cathedral Lake. A June 2015 reviewer on Yosemite Hikes says Tresidder is fine without a trail if snow is thin.^11,9

The Park Service also lists a 22 mile one-way John Muir Trail walk to Yosemite Valley that uses the Cathedral Lakes trailhead, at 1,750 feet of gain from Tuolumne.⁶

What trip reports say

Somewhere Sierra, August 6 to 7, 2022: rangers patrol the trail and check permits, summer mosquitoes were severe at both lakes, and the writer skipped Lower Cathedral Lake because of them. The writer swam in Upper Cathedral Lake.⁸

Jordan on Yosemite Hikes, June 22, 2018: mosquitoes were so thick that repellent did nothing, so a two night plan became one. They thinned out at dusk. Mark, June 29, 2015, strung a bed net between trees and called it worth the weight.⁹

Stephen on Yosemite Hikes, June 11, 2013, passed only about 25 people on a 7 mile day in early June, and found the trail nearly empty. Paul, writing about July, had no mosquito trouble and thinks earlier in the year is worse.⁹

A Stanford group in October 1999 counted themselves lucky to get an overnight permit, since this is one of the hardest permits in the park. They say October has the best availability.¹¹

Erin, September 2022, started feeling altitude sickness at the trailhead lot, which sits near 8,500 feet, and suggests sleeping at that elevation first.⁹

When to go from here

The 2026 window for Tioga Road and Tuolumne trailheads runs June 18 to October 14. Because snow lingered on the route in May 2014 and July 2019 reports, early dates mean route-finding on white ground.^1,9

On the general start date the Park Service pages differ: the wilderness permits page, updated December 31, 2025, says late April through October, and the reservations page, updated June 22, 2026, says May through October. The trailhead table's dates for this road are the ones that count here.^4,5,1

Mosquito complaints in the reviews come from June and July trips, and the October 1999 Stanford overnight found permits easiest to get in October.^9,11

Compare with nearby entry points

• Lyell Canyon (Donohue Pass eligible): Lyell Canyon (Donohue Pass eligible) has a flush toilet, a bigger 18 plus 12 quota and no Half Dome add-on. Cathedral Lakes has no toilet, a 15 plus 10 quota and a Half Dome add-on.^1,2
• Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley: Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley also carries a Half Dome add-on and the same 15 plus 10 quota. It starts in the Valley, has a flush toilet and forces the first night at one campground, where Cathedral Lakes has no required camp.^1,2

Sources

1. Trailhead Information, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Wilderness Permits Frequently Asked Questions, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Wilderness Regulations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Wilderness Permits, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Wilderness Permit Reservations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Tuolumne Meadows Backpacking Trails, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Yosemite National Park Wilderness Permits, Cathedral Lakes division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Backpacking to Cathedral Lake in Yosemite, Somewhere Sierra. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Cathedral Lakes Trail Hiker Reviews, Yosemite Hikes. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Backpacking for Beginners: Cathedral Lakes at Yosemite National Park, 7x7. Read 2026-10-15.
11. Cathedral Lakes / Tresidder Peak, Stanford Exploration Project, Morgan trip photos. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Cathedral Lakes permit