Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Lyell Canyon (no Donohue Pass)

Lyell Canyon (no Donohue Pass): what makes it different

Lyell Canyon (no Donohue Pass) is the small quota for people who want to camp in the flat upper canyon or branch to Ireland Lake, but not leave Yosemite on the John Muir Trail. It holds 10 people a day. The sibling trailhead that does allow the Donohue exit holds three times as many.^1,2,5

Getting to the start

Lyell Canyon parking is at the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center or the Dog Lake lot, and the trail starts near the Tuolumne Lodge parking lot, per Recreation.gov. The trailhead has a flush toilet.^1,5

The Park Service says Tioga Road trailheads have no vehicle access when the road is closed, typically from November to late May or June, and overnight parking on Tioga Road is not allowed from October 15.¹

Permit pickup happens at the same wilderness center. A 2009 Calipidder trip found a long line there because a party of 14 without a reservation was using up the rangers' time, and the writer's reserved permit took about an hour. An Oct 2018 trip waited 20 minutes behind three groups.^6,7

The first leg

The Park Service lists Lyell Canyon at 11.4 miles round trip with just 300 feet of gain, and rates demand very high. A 2018 report from Explore with Alec put the first camp 8 miles in with under 400 feet of climbing, mostly meadow.^4,7

Sierra Rec says the first mile alone is worth a day, with both the Dana Fork and the Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne crossed in it. The Rafferty Creek trail splits away early, and the canyon stays flat and open for the first 8 miles, per Calipidder.^8,6

Terrain and difficulty

Recreation.gov describes the trail as meandering along the Lyell Fork toward Donohue Pass to the south and toward Ireland Lake and Tuolumne Pass to the west. The canyon is open and grassy, shared by the John Muir and Pacific Crest trails, per the Park Service.^5,4

The hard climbing waits beyond this permit. Calipidder breaks the climb from the canyon to the pass into three roughly 800 foot steps, about 2,500 feet in all.⁶

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Lyell Canyon (no Donohue Pass), overnight wilderness: 10 people a day. 6 through the lottery 24 weeks ahead and 4 first come, first served one week ahead, per the NPS table. Recreation.gov availability for this permit would not load.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

The Park Service says this trailhead is not eligible to exit Yosemite on the John Muir Trail, and Recreation.gov notes it carries no JMT or PCT access. Choose Lyell Canyon (Donohue Pass eligible) for that.^1,5

How far you must walk before camping depends on the page. Recreation.gov's long note says at least four and one-half miles out Lyell Canyon, its short site note says 4 miles, and the Park Service rule is four trail miles from Tuolumne Meadows. Plan on the larger number and ask at the wilderness center.^5,3

Fires are prohibited above 9,600 feet, and in the Tuolumne watershed washing and waste must stay 300 feet from water. Recreation.gov says bears have been getting food from backpackers here.⁵

No Half Dome add-on comes with this trailhead.^2,5

Where it leads

Ireland Creek and Ireland Lake. Sierra Rec says the Ireland Creek junction is about 6 miles in and calls it the first place in this region where backpackers may camp. That conflicts with the 4 to 4.5 mile figures on the booking page, so check where legal camping starts.^8,5

The Park Service describes the Ireland and Evelyn Lake loop as 22.2 miles with 2,150 feet of gain: up Lyell Canyon, out of it at Ireland Creek and back by Rafferty Creek. It is rated very high demand.⁴

What trip reports say

Calipidder, July 2009, walked the canyon on the way to Donohue and says it lulls you with eight flat miles. The writer camped in the lower meadow above the footbridge, saw an afternoon storm with hail, and caught small brook trout.⁶

Explore with Alec went in on Columbus Day weekend 2018. Snow fell that evening, but the group's tents were up in time and the writer called the sunset over the canyon far better than expected.⁷

Sierra Rec says backpacking in the canyon needs a permit, day hikers from Tuolumne Meadows are welcome on the trail, and Donohue Pass has daily exit quotas, so day hikers cannot cross it.⁸

When to go from here

Tuolumne reservations for 2026 open June 18 and close October 14. The October 2018 report shows how fast the weather turns at this altitude: sun in the morning, snow by evening.^1,7

Compare with nearby entry points

• Lyell Canyon (Donohue Pass eligible): The Donohue-eligible sibling holds 30 people a day (18 plus 12) and joins a 45 person park-wide exit quota with Happy Isles, 30 of those for Lyell Canyon. This one holds 10 and cannot leave over the pass.^1,2
• Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang: Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang climbs instead of walking the flat canyon, carries a quota of 20 and can add a Half Dome permit.^1,2
• Glen Aulin: Glen Aulin heads down the Tuolumne River on the opposite side of the meadows, with a required first night at its camp and a 25 person quota.^1,5

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, Lyell (No Donohue Pass) division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Tuolumne to Agnew Meadows, Day 1: Lyell Canyon, Calipidder. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Backpacking Yosemite: Lyell Canyon Day 1, Explore with Alec. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Hiking Lyell Canyon and the JMT From Tuolumne Meadows, Sierra Rec Magazine. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Wilderness Permits, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Wilderness Permit Reservations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Lyell Canyon (no Donohue Pass) permit