Glen Aulin Gear Checklist
Glen Aulin is a short, mostly downhill walk from Tuolumne Meadows to a river canyon camp near 7,880 feet, so the pack is light and the decisions are about bear storage, bugs and water. The park's rules call for an allowed canister and also accept a bear box, and the camp has communal lockers that the park warns can be full. Writers add bug nets and long sleeves, shoes they can take off at creek crossings, and a sleeping bag they use as a quilt.
What shapes your gear on Glen Aulin
- Trailhead and quota
- The Glen Aulin trailhead has a daily quota of 15 people by lottery 24 weeks ahead and 10 more released a week ahead. It has a vault toilet, and you park at the Lembert Dome parking area. Reservations run June 18 to October 14 in 2026.
- The walk in
- Trip writers put the camp a little under six miles from Tuolumne Meadows. The way in is mostly downhill, which makes the way out the climb. One writer describes the steepest section as the last mile before camp, with rock steps set at odd angles. A 2016 account lists about 800 feet of elevation change.
From California Through My Lens, Drive. Hike. Repeat. and SD Peakbagger
- Food lockers at camp
- Food lockers sit at the backpackers campground next to the Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp. The park calls them limited, communal and sometimes full, and asks hikers to carry a canister anyway. Two writers found lockers at their sites, and one calls the camp a good first backpacking trip because of the lockers and outhouses.
From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking, SD Peakbagger and Drive. Hike. Repeat.
- Upper and lower camping areas
- Hikers split the backpackers campground into a lower part near the falls, toilet and the High Sierra Camp and an upper part on the granite. One 2010 writer calls the upper sites far nicer and more isolated, a 2016 account says the same, and a 2025 hiker found his whole set of upper sites on a granite ridge unclaimed. The lower sites are noisier and busier.
From Backpacking Light: Tuolumne Meadows, July 2-5 2010, California Through My Lens and SD Peakbagger
- High water in early season
- In early June 2016 a Tuolumne River hike found trail creeks running high. Two hikers took off their shoes at Dingley Creek, got a cold shock, and then spent a full hour looking for a way over Delaney Creek, finishing at 8:15 p.m. In early August 2011 about a third of a mile of trail a mile down was ankle deep in water.
From First Tracks Online and Backpacking Light: Brief Report: Glen Aulin and Yosemite Valley 08/5-08/10 mostly re: conditions
- Bugs and cool nights
- One August party found mosquitoes thickest in the evening at the High Sierra Camp, and a July party called the bugs intolerable low near the camp. The same July trip recorded roughly 35 F to 70 F. A 2025 hiker was a bit warm at this lower campground.
From Backpacking Light: Brief Report: Glen Aulin and Yosemite Valley 08/5-08/10 mostly re: conditions, Backpacking Light: Tuolumne Meadows, July 2-5 2010 and SD Peakbagger
What the agency requires on Glen Aulin
An allowed bear canister, or a bear box with room
The wilderness rules call for an allowed canister and accept a bear box, and food must be within eye and ear shot of your bed or in the container. Hanging food is illegal. Boxes beside the five High Sierra Camps are limited, shared and can be full, and personal locks are removed.
From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Wilderness Regulations and Yosemite National Park (NPS): Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking
A wilderness permit in hand
A permit is required for any overnight stay and must be on you and shown to a ranger on request. It is valid only for the trailhead, dates and party it lists.
A plan for camp near the High Sierra Camp
Camping within a mile of a High Sierra Camp is limited to the designated campground. Fires there are allowed only in the communal rings provided, and every fire must be attended.
A way to pack out paper
Used toilet paper and hygiene products are carried out, not buried or burned.
No pets, no drones
Pets and drones are banned in the Yosemite wilderness.
What hikers carry on Glen Aulin
A head net, DEET and long sleeves
A group that camped two nights at the camp said long sleeves, DEET and nets solved the evening mosquito problem completely, and one hiker wore permethrin-treated pants. A July 2010 trip said the bugs sat low near the High Sierra Camp, so they camped higher.
From Backpacking Light: Brief Report: Glen Aulin and Yosemite Valley 08/5-08/10 mostly re: conditions and Backpacking Light: Tuolumne Meadows, July 2-5 2010
Shoes with grip for granite and wet slabs
A 2010 hiker wore old running shoes and slipped in a few places, and would pick a trail runner with deeper lugs next time. Another writer describes granite slabs and awkward rock steps near the canyon.
From Backpacking Light: Tuolumne Meadows, July 2-5 2010 and California Through My Lens
Camp shoes you can swap in at creek crossings
In high water two hikers took their shoes off to cross Dingley Creek and felt the cold hit hard. A pair of sandals or spare shoes keeps boots dry for the rest of the climb out.
From First Tracks Online
A water filter and a collapsible bag
Water is the river beside camp. A 2025 hiker filled a water bag at the river's edge and filtered later, and a 2010 couple says you walk down from the upper sites to fetch it. A 2016 account lists drinking water at the camp.
From SD Peakbagger, Backpacking Light: Tuolumne Meadows, July 2-5 2010 and California Through My Lens
A sleeping bag you can open up like a quilt
One hiker wore shorts and a T-shirt to bed under his bag, spread like a quilt, and called the bag overkill. A July 2010 trip recorded 35 F to 70 F, and a 2025 hiker was a little too warm at this elevation.
From Backpacking Light: Brief Report: Glen Aulin and Yosemite Valley 08/5-08/10 mostly re: conditions, Backpacking Light: Tuolumne Meadows, July 2-5 2010 and SD Peakbagger
A canister even though lockers exist
A 2025 hiker left the canister in the car, relying on lockers, and a ranger on the trail said that was fine at sites with lockers but a canister is needed elsewhere. The park still asks hikers to carry one, and a 2023 writer says dispersed camping needs one.
From SD Peakbagger, Yosemite National Park (NPS): Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking and Drive. Hike. Repeat.
A pocket stove, a little spare fuel and a lighter
A couple on the 2010 Tuolumne trip carried a small stove, kept extra fuel, and listed a lighter and fire starting tabs in their kit. Fires at the High Sierra Camp campground are limited to the communal rings.
From Backpacking Light: Tuolumne Meadows, July 2-5 2010 and Yosemite National Park (NPS): Wilderness Regulations
A small repair kit with a pad patch and duct tape
The same couple packed a sleeping pad patch, seam sealer, duct tape, needles and thread in a plastic box.
A paper map of the high country
The 2010 couple navigated with a printed trail map of the Yosemite high country for their walk from Tuolumne Meadows toward Tenaya Lake.
From Backpacking Light: Tuolumne Meadows, July 2-5 2010, SD Peakbagger and California Through My Lens
15 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Glen Aulin
Extra food
The 2010 couple says the mileage and terrain were mild and they brought too much food. That is weight you carry back uphill.
A spare camera battery you forgot
One hiker's camera battery died on the trip and the spare was at home, so there are no photos of the hike.
A campsite choice near the High Sierra Camp
The close sites are noisier and busier, and a hiker who camped low says the bugs there were intolerable. The upper sites need a walk down for water but get the better views.
From Backpacking Light: Tuolumne Meadows, July 2-5 2010 and California Through My Lens
A late start on a high water day
A day hike that began at 10:30 a.m. ended in the dark because Delaney Creek ran fast and it took a full hour to find a log crossing. High water costs time on the return.
From First Tracks Online
Trusting the lockers to have space
The park says lockers can be unavailable or full in busy areas. A canister gives the freedom to camp away from the developed sites.
From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking
Gear questions for Glen Aulin
Do you need a bear canister at Glen Aulin?
Park rules call for an allowed canister and also accept a bear box. The backpackers campground next to the Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp has lockers, but the park calls them limited and sometimes full and encourages you to carry a canister anyway.
From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Wilderness Regulations and Yosemite National Park (NPS): Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking
Are there food lockers at Glen Aulin?
Yes. Yosemite lists lockers beside the five High Sierra Camps, including the Glen Aulin backpackers campground. They are shared and can be full. In 2025 a ranger told one hiker that a canister was not needed on his loop because every site there had a locker.
From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking and SD Peakbagger
Are campfires allowed at Glen Aulin?
Only in the communal fire rings at the High Sierra Camp campground, since fires near a High Sierra Camp are limited to those rings. Plan on a stove for cooking.
How many people can start from the Glen Aulin trailhead each day?
The park lists a daily quota of 15 people reserved by lottery 24 weeks ahead, plus 10 more released one week ahead. Parking is at the Lembert Dome parking area.
Are mosquitoes bad at Glen Aulin?
In summer they can be. One August group found them thickest at the High Sierra Camp in the evening and used long sleeves, DEET and head nets. A July party called the bugs intolerable at the low campsites.
From Backpacking Light: Brief Report: Glen Aulin and Yosemite Valley 08/5-08/10 mostly re: conditions and Backpacking Light: Tuolumne Meadows, July 2-5 2010
Sources
- Wilderness Regulations · Yosemite National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking · Yosemite National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Trailhead Information · Yosemite National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Tuolumne Meadows, July 2-5 2010 · Backpacking Light, Dylan Snodgrass · Forum thread
- Brief Report: Glen Aulin and Yosemite Valley 08/5-08/10 mostly re: conditions · Backpacking Light, Eli · Forum thread
- Tuolumne Meadows - Glen Aulin Hike, June 1, 2016 · First Tracks Online, Tony Crocker · Forum thread
- Backpacking to Glen Aulin from Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park · California Through My Lens, Josh · Blog
- Glen Aulin and the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne · Drive. Hike. Repeat., Michelle vanDellen · Blog
- Backpacking the Yosemite High Sierra Camps · SD Peakbagger · Blog