Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Glen Aulin

Glen Aulin: what makes it different

Glen Aulin is the Tuolumne Meadows trailhead for people who want their first night at the Glen Aulin backpackers' camp, below White Cascade at the head of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. The permit requires that first night there. Hikers who want to walk past the camp need the separate pass-through trailhead.^5,1

Getting to the start

Park at the Lembert Dome parking area, as the Park Service directs for this trailhead. The walk begins near the stables in the Lembert Dome area, and the permit is issued at the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center. The trailhead has a vault toilet.^1,6

Tioga Road trailheads have no vehicle access while the road is closed, which is usually from sometime in November to late May or June. For 2026 the Park Service takes Tuolumne reservations from June 18 to October 14.¹

The first leg

The Park Service puts the round trip to Glen Aulin at 12.6 miles with about 750 feet of gain and rates demand high. A 2016 report on California Through My Lens measured it at about 12 miles and 800 feet. A listing on The Outbound shows 12.19 miles and 1,532 feet, so the gain figure is the one to treat loosely.^4,6,7

That report describes the way in as mostly downhill. You pass Soda Springs and Parsons Memorial Lodge early, reach the river near the 3 mile marker, and then drop through rock steps and a footbridge. It calls the last mile the steepest descent, which means it is the first climb on the way out.⁶

Falls come in sequence close to camp. The same report passes Tuolumne Falls, then White Cascade beside the camp, then crosses two bridges before the backpackers' sites and the High Sierra Camp.⁶

Terrain and difficulty

Granite slabs, meadow and forest on the Pacific Crest Trail, then a canyon along the Tuolumne River. The Park Service notes that Glen Aulin sits on the PCT, where several creeks join at the mouth of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, and that the area is very well traveled.⁴

Waterwheel Falls is the usual day trip from camp. The Park Service lists it at 20.6 miles round trip from Tuolumne Meadows with 1,850 feet of gain, and an Outbound listing calls it about 6 miles round trip from camp.^4,7

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Glen Aulin, overnight wilderness: 25 people a day. 15 go through the lottery 24 weeks ahead and 10 are released first come, first served one week ahead. This is the NPS table figure; Recreation.gov availability for this permit would not load.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

You must camp your first night at the established backpacker sites at Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp. Recreation.gov repeats it in the division's site notes. Fires are allowed only in the communal rings, and bear lockers are on site.⁵

Camping within a mile of any High Sierra Camp is limited to the designated campground, and in the Tuolumne watershed all washing and waste must be 300 feet from water. This permit includes no Half Dome add-on, so a Half Dome day hike needs its own permit.^3,5,2

Recreation.gov says bears are active here and have taken food from backpackers. A bear canister is required throughout the Yosemite wilderness.^5,3

Where it leads

White Cascade, the swimming hole at its foot, and the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne downstream. An Outbound listing calls the cascade an 80 foot fall at the edge of camp and says the granite promenades nearby are good spots for sunsets.⁷

Waterwheel Falls is the day hike. For McCabe Lakes the Park Service gives 29.6 miles round trip with about 1,950 feet of gain, starting from this same trailhead.⁴

What trip reports say

The 2016 California Through My Lens report suggests the back sites for quiet and views. The closer sites are noisier and busier, but they sit nearer the falls, the toilet and the drinking water. It describes a toilet and water at camp and the high-season warning that permits go far in advance.⁶

Outbound reviewers from 2016 and 2017 call it a good first backpacking trip because the camp has treated water and a composting toilet. One says the river was loud and the falls raging in a big snow year, and one said the pool at the foot of White Cascade is very cold but welcome after the hike.⁷

The two reports describe the camp's facilities differently (pit toilets in one, solar composting toilets in the other), so ask at the wilderness center when you pick up the permit.^6,7

When to go from here

Snowmelt decides the camp. One Outbound reviewer describes the river and falls roaring after a big winter. Check Tioga Road status before you drive, since Recreation.gov says a permit is not valid and not refunded if the road is closed.^6,7,5

Compare with nearby entry points

• Glen Aulin to Cold Canyon/Waterwheel: The pass-through trailhead has a quota of 12 lottery plus 8 week-ahead and lets you camp beyond Glen Aulin toward Waterwheel Falls or Cold Canyon on night one. This trailhead holds 15 plus 10 and ties you to the camp.¹
• Young Lakes via Glen Aulin Trail: Young Lakes via the Glen Aulin trail starts at the same parking, but its quota is only 6 plus 4, and the destination is the lakes below Ragged Peak instead of the canyon.^1,4
• Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang: Rafferty Creek heads the other way, up the Lyell Fork toward Tuolumne Pass and Vogelsang, and carries the Half Dome add-on that Glen Aulin does not.^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. Tuolumne Meadows Backpacking Trails, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Yosemite National Park Wilderness Permits, Glen Aulin division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Backpacking to Glen Aulin from Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park, California Through My Lens. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Glen Aulin, The Outbound Collective. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Wilderness Permits, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Wilderness Permit Reservations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Glen Aulin permit