Lyell Canyon (Donohue Pass eligible) Gear Checklist

What shapes your gear on Lyell Canyon

What makes this permit different

Lyell Canyon is one of only two Yosemite trailheads that let you exit the park over Donohue Pass. The pass has its own quota of 45 people, and 30 of those places belong to Lyell Canyon.

From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Wilderness Permits Frequently Asked Questions

The walk in

The canyon floor is nearly flat. One hiker counted about 500 feet of gain over roughly 10 miles of meadow, another went 8 miles with under 400 feet of gain. The steep climb to the pass starts after the canyon ends.

From Wandering the Earth and Explore With Alec

Donohue Pass itself

The pass tops out at 11,031 feet. Markers show where Yosemite ends, but you cannot see both sides from the saddle, so hikers take photos of the canyon before losing sight of it. A trip report advises against camping on the top because of wind, exposure and thunderstorms.

From She Dreams of Alpine, Wandering the Earth and One Cool Thing Every Weekend

Season and weather

One hiker calls September the best month, with fewer mosquitoes, while June can hold too much snow and October brings the first snowfalls. A group arriving on Columbus Day weekend drove into a dusting of snow at Tuolumne Meadows, and a snowy storm moved through the canyon the first evening.

From She Dreams of Alpine and Explore With Alec

Water

Reliable water runs along the canyon and one group filled up from the river beside camp each evening. On the south side of the pass in early October the meadows were mostly dry, and a hiker found only stagnant puddles until a pond about 3 miles from Thousand Island Lake.

From She Dreams of Alpine and Wandering the Earth

What hikers carry on Lyell Canyon

• A canister you have already planned and packed

  The slowest part of one group's morning at the Tuolumne wilderness center was deciding what goes in the canister versus what stays handy, and it pushed their start to nearly 11 am. A trip report from the canyon adds that the area sees a lot of bear activity.

  From Explore With Alec, One Cool Thing Every Weekend and Yosemite National Park (NPS): Bears and Food Storage While Backpacking

• A warm sleep system for the shoulder season

  A hiker who went in October packed a sleeping bag good to minus 20°F, about 1.5 pounds heavier than a summer bag, even though a heat wave had hit. A Columbus Day group had their shelters up and food eaten before snow rolled in. Even in September, a group at about 9,000 feet reported the night was cold.

  From Wandering the Earth, Explore With Alec and She Dreams of Alpine

• Repair supplies and camp shoes that can double as spares

  Both boot soles of one hiker in a three-day group peeled off at mile 18. Second skin glue and climbing tape held them, and the hiker covered 5 miles in the camp sandals he had packed. The tape job lasted to the end of the trip.

  From She Dreams of Alpine

• A paper map and GPS, plus margin on the mileage

  Online reports said the trip to Devils Postpile was 31 miles. The group's own track, and the map they checked at the pass, showed about 38. Their advice is to plan roughly 5 extra miles over what you read, and they carried a trail map and a GPS to catch it.

  From She Dreams of Alpine

• A scale and a realistic pack weight

  The group weighed packs at the wilderness center before starting. Five packs came in between 30 and 42 pounds, and the writer found the flat first day a good time to get used to a pack that heavy.

  From She Dreams of Alpine

• Extra food, beyond the planned meals

  A hiker who planned two nights of meals and three days of snacks packed an additional bag of granola in case a third night was needed. The rule given: never carry exactly the food you planned.

  From Wandering the Earth

• A liter or more of spare water capacity south of the pass

  In early October the descent from Donohue was mostly dry. The hiker said an extra liter was needed from the first real pond before going on, and that only desperate hikers would refill from the stagnant puddles in between.

  From Wandering the Earth

• Enough warm clothes and food to stay out a night

  A hiker who left the tent, bag and canister at a lake below the pass and day-hiked over still packed cold-weather clothing and food in case a night out came up, and saw rain falling south of the pass on the return.

  From Wandering the Earth

Gear questions for Lyell Canyon