Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Glen Aulin to Cold Canyon/Waterwheel

Glen Aulin to Cold Canyon/Waterwheel (pass-through): what makes it different

Glen Aulin to Cold Canyon/Waterwheel is the pass-through permit: it starts on the Pacific Crest Trail out of Tuolumne Meadows but lets you skip the Glen Aulin camp on night one and sleep farther on, in the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne or up Cold Canyon toward McCabe Lakes. It sells 12 lottery and 8 week-ahead places a day.^1,2,6

Getting to the start

NPS says to park at the Lembert Dome parking area, and the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center issues the permit. A Sierra Rec Magazine account from July 2025 parked below Lembert Dome and walked west past Soda Springs on the Pacific Crest Trail. An Outbound listing instead names the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center lot.^1,7,10

NPS lists a vault toilet for this trailhead. Reservations for Tioga Road trailheads begin on June 18 in 2026, the third Thursday in June.^1,5

The first leg

The trail follows the Tuolumne River downstream. The 2025 Sierra Rec trip lunched by the river, passed Tuolumne Falls and took a long break at White Cascade. Outbound counts 12.19 miles round trip and 1,532 feet of gain for the standard walk to Glen Aulin, and NPS counts 12.6 miles and 750 feet.^7,10,3

Terrain and difficulty

Beyond Glen Aulin the choices split. Waterwheel Falls is 20.6 miles round trip with 1,850 feet of gain from the Glen Aulin trailhead by NPS's count, and the northern loop through Glen Aulin is 76.4 miles with 13,300 feet of gain. McCabe Lakes is 29.6 miles round trip with 1,950 feet of gain.³

Recreation.gov says the permit leads down the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, up Cold Canyon into the northern part of the park, or toward May Lake and Ten Lakes. NPS describes the canyon as the place where several creeks join at the mouth of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River.^6,3

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Glen Aulin to Cold Canyon/Waterwheel (pass-through), overnight wilderness, pass-through, lottery share: 12 people a day. NPS trailhead page, updated May 11, 2026. Tuolumne Meadows window June 18 to October 14, 2026.¹
• 2026 daily quota at Glen Aulin to Cold Canyon/Waterwheel (pass-through), overnight wilderness, pass-through, week-ahead share: 8 people a day. Released first come, first served seven days ahead. NPS prints it as a separate column.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

NPS draws the line between the two Glen Aulin permits plainly. The Glen Aulin trail permit is for camping your first night in the Glen Aulin backpackers' camp. This pass-through permit is for passing Glen Aulin and camping on night one somewhere toward Waterwheel Falls or Cold Canyon.²

Recreation.gov says Tioga Road typically opens in late May and that a permit is not valid, with no refund, if the road has not opened.⁶

Where it leads

A July 2025 Sierra Rec trip went up Cold Creek canyon on the PCT, camped on a dry, breezy ridge with views of the Cathedral and Conness ranges, reached McCabe Lake the next day and ended at Upper Young Lakes. The lake was cold and clear, and the author did not make it to Upper McCabe.⁷

Going the other way, a 2012 Backpacking Light loop from White Wolf camped at Pate Valley after about 12 miles and 3,500 feet of descent, then climbed past Waterwheel Falls to Glen Aulin, which one poster named the highlight for its canyon views. Waterwheel Falls is named for the effect of the cascade at peak flow, NPS says.^8,3

What trip reports say

The 2025 Sierra Rec account found the Pacific Crest Trail busy with thru-hikers on day one, mosquitoes heavy at Cold Creek and McCabe, and only two other hikers at Upper Young Lakes. It covered about 30 miles in four days.⁷

In June 2020 a Backpacking Light member planning a Cold Canyon, Benson Pass and Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne loop from the Glen Aulin trailhead asked whether the Cold Canyon section carries water, and nobody in the thread answered. A reply warned of rattlesnakes in the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne.⁹

Outbound reviewers from 2016 and 2017 describe the Glen Aulin trail as a good first backpack, with strong water flow and a cold pool under White Cascade. One called it hot in summer.¹⁰

When to go from here

Water and mosquitoes set the season. In early July the Pacific Crest Trail was crowded and the mosquitoes thick up Cold Canyon, while a 2020 planner could not find out whether the lower Cold Canyon creek flows. That question went unanswered in the thread, so it is worth asking rangers about water before committing to the upper canyon.^7,9

Compare with nearby entry points

• Glen Aulin: Glen Aulin has the larger quota, 15 lottery and 10 week-ahead people, and requires a first night in the Glen Aulin backpackers' camp. NPS rates demand at Glen Aulin High.^1,2,3
• Young Lakes via Glen Aulin Trail: Young Lakes via Glen Aulin Trail leaves the same trail after about 1.5 miles and has a quota of only 6 and 4. NPS lists Young Lakes at 13.6 miles round trip with 1,300 feet of gain.^6,1,3
• White Wolf to Pate Valley: White Wolf to Pate Valley enters the same canyon from the west, dropping 4,000 feet to Pate Valley, with 18 lottery and 12 week-ahead places. NPS counts 30.8 miles one way from White Wolf, and Glen Aulin is the final camp before Tuolumne Meadows.^1,4

Sources

1. Trailhead Information, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Trailhead Information, frequently asked questions, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Tuolumne Meadows Backpacking Trails, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Tioga Road (West of Olmsted Point) Backpacking Trails, 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. Yosemite National Park Wilderness Permits (Glen Aulin divisions), Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Where the Granite Whispers: A Yosemite Backpacking Story, Sierra Rec Magazine, Charlie Pankey, July 2025 trip. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and Ten Lakes loop from White Wolf (trip report), Backpacking Light forums, June and July 2012. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Water and camping along Cold Canyon/Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne Loop, Backpacking Light forums, June 2020. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Glen Aulin, The Outbound, Alex Souza, reviews 2016 and 2017. Read 2026-10-15.
11. Wilderness Permits, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
12. Wilderness Permit Reservations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
13. Wilderness Regulations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Glen Aulin to Cold Canyon/Waterwheel permit