Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Mono/Parker Pass

Mono/Parker Pass: what makes it different

Mono/Parker Pass is the Yosemite entry that starts on the east side of the park, just inside the Tioga Pass entrance, and heads out of the park toward the Ansel Adams Wilderness. NPS sells 9 lottery and 6 week-ahead places a day here, and Recreation.gov says you must cross into the Ansel Adams Wilderness before you camp.^1,7

Getting to the start

Recreation.gov puts the trailhead on the south side of Tioga Road, about two miles from the Tioga Pass entrance station. Two 2020 hiking write-ups on Sierra News put it 1.4 miles south of Tioga Pass and 5.6 miles east of Tuolumne Meadows Campground. Both mention restrooms and a bear box at the lot. NPS lists a vault toilet.^7,8,1

The author of the September 2020 write-up was the first car in the lot, and neither write-up gives a space count. The permit is issued at the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center, which NPS says is about a mile east of the visitor center.^9,1,6

Mono Pass and Parker Pass share the same trailhead and the first 3.5 miles of trail before they split, according to Recreation.gov. The July 2020 hiker found the junction marked, with the left fork going to the Golden Crown Mine and the right fork to Spillway Lake.^7,8

The first leg

The trail starts near 9,600 feet and wanders up through meadow and forest. The July 2020 hiker logged an elevation range of 9,596 to 11,151 feet over about nine miles, with Dana Fork near the start. That creek runs high early in summer. In July 2020 it was low enough to cross on rocks.⁸

Parker Pass Creek is the second crossing. The same hiker needed water shoes for it. A September 2020 hiker found it low, with small pools and boggy ground along the banks, and walked past old mining cabin remains.^8,9

Terrain and difficulty

Recreation.gov describes the route as a climb through alpine meadows toward the two passes and Spillway Lake, with trails continuing into the Ansel Adams Wilderness toward Mammoth Lakes. The September 2020 loop to Spillway Lake and back over Parker Pass measured 10.08 miles, with Spillway Lake at 10,476 feet.^7,9

Part of that loop left the trail. The author went cross-country from Spillway Lake up toward Parker Pass and picked the trail up again near the pass, and skipped the outlet of Parker Pass Lake because of willow thickets and boggy ground. A hiker with a permit should carry a map and a GPS device, as the July 2020 author did.^9,8

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Mono/Parker Pass, overnight wilderness, lottery share: 9 people a day. NPS trailhead page, updated May 11, 2026. The Tuolumne Meadows table shares one window of June 18 to October 14, 2026.¹
• 2026 daily quota at Mono/Parker Pass, overnight wilderness, week-ahead share: 6 people a day. The share released seven days ahead, printed in its own column by NPS. NPS prints no combined total.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

The wilderness regulations ban camping in the watersheds of Parker Pass Creek and the Dana Fork of the Tuolumne River. The two creeks you cross on the way up are exactly the ones where you cannot camp, so the first night has to be somewhere else.^3,8

Recreation.gov says backpackers must cross into the Ansel Adams Wilderness before camping. Campfires are banned above 9,600 feet, and the July 2020 hiker's elevation range of 9,596 to 11,151 feet puts nearly all of this route above that line. Dogs are not allowed on the trail.^7,3,8

Tioga Road is closed in winter and usually opens in late May. Recreation.gov states that a reservation made while the road is closed is not valid and is not refunded.⁷

Where it leads

Spillway Lake sits to the right at the first junction. Mono Pass and Parker Pass lead onward. The 2020 hikers also name Bingaman Lake at 11,160 feet, Sardine, Helen and Kuna Lakes, and Mount Gibbs at 12,772 feet visible to the east above the trees.^8,9

The left fork reaches the Golden Crown Mine, which the July 2020 hiker says was set up in 1879 and abandoned around 1890. She found some mining evidence off the trail but not the diggings shown on old maps.⁸

What trip reports say

In July 2020 a Sierra News columnist hiked about nine miles of the Mono Pass trail, mostly off trail. She found enough wind to keep the mosquitoes down, snow still on the descent, and brook trout biting.⁸

On September 29, 2020 the same writer started at 38 degrees F in smoke from a wildfire. She was first at the trailhead, did the Spillway Lake and Parker Pass loop, and waited about 30 minutes in a line of roughly 15 cars on the drive out because of the Blue Jay Fire.⁹

When to go from here

The trailhead page gives a reservation window of June 18 to October 14, 2026 for the Tuolumne Meadows trailheads. The Wilderness Permits page (December 2025) says reservations run late April through October, and the Reservations page (June 2026) says May through October. For this entry use the June 18 date from the trailhead page.^1,4,5

By late September the creeks were low and the air was cold, and smoke from wildfires was the main trouble in 2020. The July visit still had snow and mosquitoes. Early and late season both carry a cost.^8,9

Compare with nearby entry points

• Lyell Canyon (no Donohue Pass): Lyell Canyon (no Donohue Pass) also starts in the Tuolumne area but has a quota of 6 lottery and 4 week-ahead people and is not eligible to leave Yosemite on the John Muir Trail. Mono/Parker has 9 and 6 and has no Half Dome tag on the NPS table.¹
• Glen Aulin: Glen Aulin is a far busier entry. NPS lists 15 lottery and 10 week-ahead people, and rates its permit demand High on its trail page. Mono/Parker takes about 9 and 6.^1,2
• Sunrise Lakes (no Donohue Pass): Sunrise Lakes has the same 9 and 6 quota, but it is Half Dome eligible and NPS rates its permit demand Very High, at 6.8 miles round trip with 1,100 feet of gain.^1,2

Sources

1. Trailhead Information, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Tuolumne Meadows Backpacking Trails, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Wilderness Regulations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Wilderness Permits, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Wilderness Permit Reservations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Wilderness Permit Stations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Yosemite National Park Wilderness Permits (Mono/Parker Pass division), Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Adventures with Candace: Hiking Up Yosemite's Mono Pass Trail, Sierra News (July 2020 visit). Read 2026-10-15.
9. Hiking Yosemite's Mono Pass Area: Spillway Lake to Parker Pass Lake Looped Hike, Sierra News (September 2020 visit). Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Mono/Parker Pass permit