Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Happy Isles to Past LYV (Donohue Pass eligible)

Happy Isles to Past LYV (Donohue Pass eligible): what makes it different

Happy Isles to Past LYV (Donohue Pass eligible) is the permit for starting the John Muir Trail at its Yosemite Valley end and walking out of the park over Donohue Pass. It is the small half of a 45 person daily exit quota, and the one rule that catches people is that the first night cannot be spent at Little Yosemite Valley.^3,2,1

Getting to the start

Recreation.gov calls this a very popular trail that climbs past waterfalls to Little Yosemite Valley and is the start of the John Muir Trail. Going beyond Little Yosemite Valley takes you into the high country. The Park Service table lists a flush toilet at the trailhead and the Yosemite Valley Wilderness Center as the issuing station.^7,1

In 2012 one JMT hiker with no reservation walked into the Yosemite Valley permit office and was issued a permit for the next day. That predates the lottery and the 45 person Donohue cap, which the Park Service says has applied since 2015, so do not plan around a walk-up.^8,3

The first leg

The Park Service lists the John Muir Trail from Happy Isles to Tuolumne Meadows at 22 miles one way with 5,900 feet of gain, rated very high demand. It passes Vernal and Nevada Falls, runs below the south face of Half Dome, crosses Sunrise Meadow and skirts Cathedral Peak before dropping to Tuolumne.⁴

The 2012 hiker walked from the Valley campground to Happy Isles, about a mile, then climbed 11.3 miles and stopped about 2 miles short of Sunrise Camp. He called it the hardest day of the trip, with a full pack.⁸

A separate tahoetowhitney account walked the same line southbound and puts Little Yosemite Valley about 4 miles from Happy Isles, and Tuolumne Meadows 21.8 miles from Happy Isles. That is close to the Park Service's 22.^9,4

Terrain and difficulty

The Oregon Hikers writer's second day covered about 15.4 miles from below Sunrise Camp to the Vogelsang junction in Lyell Canyon, passing Sunrise Camp's meadow and Cathedral Peak and crossing the Lyell Fork.^8,4

Donohue Pass tops out at 11,056 feet, per the same report. A Calipidder trip going north to south describes the climb out of Lyell Canyon to the pass as about 2,500 feet in three steps of roughly 800 feet each.^8,10

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Happy Isles to Past LYV (Donohue Pass eligible), overnight wilderness, lottery share: 9 people a day. This is the lottery share, drawn 24 weeks ahead, from the Park Service trailhead table.¹
• 2026 daily quota at Happy Isles to Past LYV (Donohue Pass eligible), overnight wilderness, week-ahead share: 6 people a day. This share opens a week before the trip. Separately, the Park Service says 15 of the park's 45 daily Donohue Pass exits belong to this trailhead. Recreation.gov availability for this permit would not load.^1,2

Rules specific to this entry point

Your first night cannot be in Little Yosemite Valley. The Park Service states this on its John Muir Trail page, so plan the first camp farther up the trail than the Valley campground.³

Only two trailheads give direct access to the John Muir Trail over Donohue Pass: this one and Lyell Canyon (Donohue Pass eligible). Of the 45 daily exits, 30 go to Lyell Canyon and 15 to this trailhead.^1,2

This trailhead can add Half Dome for $10 a person at pickup. The Park Service also says a permit that starts outside Yosemite and ends inside does not cover Half Dome.^2,3

Where it leads

The line leads to Sunrise Meadow, Cathedral Peak, Tuolumne Meadows, Lyell Canyon and then Donohue Pass, the first major pass of the John Muir Trail going south. The 2012 hiker finished day three at Thousand Island Lake, 13.4 miles from the Vogelsang junction.^4,8

What trip reports say

Oregon Hikers, September 2012: a record low snow year, good temperatures and no bugs. The writer met few people over the first three days, passing one hiker on day two, and used a Tarptent in a typical Lyell Canyon campsite.⁸

Tahoe to Whitney describes Little Yosemite Valley's backpacker camp as usually full, with a solar composting toilet, and warns about slippery rock at Nevada Fall and heavy day-hiker traffic at the Mist Trail junctions on July weekends.⁹

Calipidder, July 2009: the reserved permit still meant about an hour in line at Tuolumne, because a group of 14 without reservations was using up the rangers. The writer camped in a meadow near a lake below Donohue Pass.¹⁰

When to go from here

The Valley window for 2026 runs April 24 to October 18. The Park Service pages disagree on the general start: 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.^1,5,6

Snow decides how the pass feels. The 2012 trip had record low snow and no bugs, and the Park Service season dates for the Valley are the only fixed limits on when you can start.^8,1

Compare with nearby entry points

• Lyell Canyon (Donohue Pass eligible): Lyell Canyon (Donohue Pass eligible) holds 18 plus 12 and takes 30 of the 45 daily exits. It starts at Tuolumne Meadows and issues permits there. This trailhead holds 9 plus 6, issues in the Valley and takes 15 of the exits.^1,2
• Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley: Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley holds 15 plus 10, requires the first night at Little Yosemite Valley and cannot exit over Donohue Pass. This permit does the opposite on both rules.^1,3

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. John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Yosemite Valley Trails, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Wilderness Permits, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Wilderness Permit Reservations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Yosemite National Park Wilderness Permits, Happy Isles to Past LYV division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
8. The John Muir Trail, 9/11 to 9/25/12, Oregon Hikers. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Yosemite Valley to Little Yosemite Valley, Muir Trail, Tahoe to Whitney. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Tuolumne to Agnew Meadows, Day 1: Lyell Canyon, Calipidder. Read 2026-10-15.
11. Wilderness Regulations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Happy Isles to Past LYV (Donohue Pass eligible) permit