Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Pohono Trail (Glacier Point)
Yosemite National Park · California
This is the Glacier Point end of the Pohono Trail, the rim walk west along the south side of Yosemite Valley past Sentinel Dome, Taft Point and Dewey Point. NPS sells 9 lottery and 6 week-ahead places a day here, and a start here skips the long climb at the Tunnel View end.
Get an alert when Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) opens on your dates.
When it opens
- 24 weeks
- Lottery opens 24 weeks before your entry date, at 12:01 am Pacific60% of the quotaYou apply on Recreation.gov.
- 22 weeks
- First come, first served from 22 weeks before your entry date, at 9 am PacificYou book on the agency's site.
- 1 week
- First come, first served from seven days before your entry date, at 7 am Pacific, until three days before40% of the quotaYou book on Recreation.gov.
Source: recreation.gov, nps.gov
70% of the openings our scanner caught on Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) were gone within 30 minutes.
Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) reservation dates
We alert you to cancellations and the 7 am release. Your start day also sets your lottery week.
October 2026
- Your start date
- Same lottery week: one application covers all 7 days
- Outside the Wawona and Glacier Point Road reservation season (May 16 to Oct 14)
YOUR START
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Your lottery week is the October 11 to 18 lottery. It opens 178 days before you start.
1 · APPLY
Sun, Apr 19, 2026 to Sat, Apr 25
Opens Sunday 12:01 am, closes Saturday 11:59 pm Pacific. Up to eight options on one application.
Passed for this start
2 · RESULTS, THEN ACCEPT
Mon, Apr 27
Results by 5 pm. Accept by Thu, Apr 30, 11:59 pm.
Passed for this start
3 · YOUR 7-DAY RELEASE
Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 7:00 am PDT
The other 40% of the day's quota, first-come, first-served on Recreation.gov. Be logged in before 7.
Passed for this start
YOUR TIMELINE · LOTTERY WEEK, THEN THE LAST WEEK BEFORE YOU START
- SUN 12:01 AM · OPENSSun, Apr 19, 2026Applications open
- SAT 11:59 PM · CLOSESSat, Apr 25Applications close
- MON BY 5 PMMon, Apr 27Results
- THU 11:59 PMThu, Apr 30Accept by
- FRI 9 AMFri, May 1Leftovers go first-come
- 23 WEEKSCancellations any day. We alert you.
- 7 DAYS OUT · 7 AM PDTWed, Oct 7, 2026The other 40% open
- LAST DAY TO RESERVESun, Oct 11Three days before you start
- YOU STARTWed, Oct 14, 2026Pohono Trail (Glacier Point)
Source: National Park Service, Yosemite wilderness permit reservation window, 2026 table, and the wilderness permit FAQ. Times are Pacific.
Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) daily quota
15 people a day. 9 by lottery, 6 seven days out.
Counted in people, not permits
Lottery, 24 weeks out
60% of the day
9
7 days out, 7 am PDT
40% of the day
6
NPS trailheads table: Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) | 9 | 6 | Vault (Drinking water available in summer)
- max group size
- 15people
How to get a Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) permit
As of October 2026, Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) in Yosemite National Park, California requires a permit issued via reservation. Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) rates 6/10 on PermitSnag's demand index. Canceled Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) permits are re-released on the booking system, and PermitSnag alerts you the moment one opens.
- Type
- Overnight
- Location
- CA
Step 1: Create a Recreation.gov account
Sign up at Recreation.gov if you don't have an account. Have your payment info ready.
Step 2: Know the release schedule
Permits release on a rolling basis. Check the release time for your dates.
Step 3: Be ready when permits drop
Log in a few minutes early. Have your dates, group size, and payment ready to go.
Step 4: Monitor for cancellations
If your dates are sold out, people cancel all the time. Set up PermitSnag alerts to catch openings instantly.
More on Pohono Trail (Glacier Point): Live availability activityWhen Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) permits open up
Guides: Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) permit guidePohono Trail (Taft Point) permit guideGlacier Point to Illilouette permit guide
Pohono Trail (Glacier Point): what makes it different
This is the Glacier Point end of the Pohono Trail, the rim walk west along the south side of Yosemite Valley past Sentinel Dome, Taft Point and Dewey Point. NPS sells 9 lottery and 6 week-ahead places a day here, and a start here skips the long climb at the Tunnel View end.1,6,7
Getting to the start
NPS files this entry under Wawona and Glacier Point Road, with permits from the Wawona Visitor Center. The toilet is a vault, and drinking water is available at Glacier Point in summer.1
Glacier Point Road is closed in winter, which NPS says is typically from sometime in November to late May or June. Recreation.gov says the road usually opens in mid May. Overnight parking is banned on Glacier Point Road, including its lots, beginning October 15.1,6
The trail is also reached without a car. A December 2012 reviewer took the bus to Glacier Point, walked to Taft and Dewey Points and biked back down. A September 2018 reviewer warned that the Glacier Point bus must be booked ahead and that early slots sold out.7
The first leg
Recreation.gov says the trail heads west along the south rim of the Valley toward Sentinel Dome, Taft Point, Dewey Point and Inspiration Point. The Wildland Trekking guide lists Sentinel Dome as a 2.2 mile round trip and Taft Point as a 6.1 mile loop.6,9
The regulations require you to camp at least four trail miles from Glacier Point, and a mile from any road. A permit from this trailhead is therefore a walk, not a short hop to a viewpoint camp.2
Terrain and difficulty
A guide from Wildland Trekking calls the full Tunnel View to Glacier Point route strenuous and says most people go one way, starting at Glacier Point. It describes the first stretch from the Tunnel View end as a 2-mile, 2,000 foot climb, which the Glacier Point start avoids.9
Distance figures disagree. The guide prints a 13-mile stretch in its text and 26 miles in its table, and a July 2013 reviewer found trail signs reading 13 miles one way and 13.8 the other. Treat any single figure as approximate.9,7
The Dewey Point reports on The Outbound say there are only a couple of intermittent creeks to filter, and advise carrying your own water. A June 2012 reviewer who finished at Glacier Point had run out of water by then.8,7
Quota at this entry point
- 2026 daily quota at Pohono Trail (Glacier Point), overnight wilderness, lottery share: 9 people a day. NPS trailhead page, updated May 11, 2026. Wawona and Glacier Point Road table, window May 16 to October 14, 2026.1
- 2026 daily quota at Pohono Trail (Glacier Point), overnight wilderness, week-ahead share: 6 people a day. The share released seven days ahead. NPS prints it as its own column and gives no combined total.1
Rules specific to this entry point
NPS says camping is not allowed on the Panorama Trail or near Illilouette Fall. To camp in the Illilouette basin, NPS points you to a different entry, Glacier Point to Illilouette. The Pohono and Taft Point entries are separate trailheads with their own quotas.1
In winter, camping is permitted near Dewey Point and Glacier Point but not at the points themselves. The Outbound listing for Dewey Point adds that fires belong only in existing rings, and that food needs bear-safe storage.3,8
Where it leads
Dewey Point is the camp reviewers keep naming. A group camped a few hundred yards from it in December 2012 and kept food in a canister. A July 2024 reviewer found it beautiful but wanted mosquito nets.7
A June 2024 reviewer camped overlooking Stanford Point and had the area to themselves. The Wildland Trekking guide names the Bridalveil Creek campground as the camping spot beyond Dewey Point.7,9
What trip reports say
In December 2012 a reviewer camped near Dewey Point and had a five-minute encounter with a black bear and cub at sunset. His food stayed in a canister and nothing was taken.7
In July 2013 a reviewer rated the Stanford, Crocker and Dewey viewpoints the best part because of the lack of crowds. A July 2024 reviewer hit a heat wave, left by the 4 Mile Trail and advised hiking the other direction from the one that started at Tunnel View.7
When to go from here
The trailhead window is May 16 to October 14, 2026, a month before the June 18 Tioga Road window, because it opens with Glacier Point Road. The Wawona guide recommends May through October. Heat is the risk in July, going by the 2024 report.1,9,7
NPS gives different reservation start months on two pages. Wilderness Permits (December 2025) says late April through October, and Reservations (June 2026) says May through October. The trailhead page's May 16 date is the one for this entry.4,5,1
Compare with nearby entry points
- Pohono Trail (Taft Point): The Taft Point entry starts from the Taft Point trailhead on Glacier Point Road. Its quota is 6 lottery and 4 week-ahead people, against 9 and 6 here, and Recreation.gov says it continues west toward Bridalveil Creek.1,6
- Glacier Point to Illilouette: Glacier Point to Illilouette takes 18 lottery and 12 week-ahead people, twice this entry, and is the permit to use for camping in the Illilouette basin or beyond.1
- Glacier Point to Little Yosemite Valley: Glacier Point to Little Yosemite Valley is the Half Dome entry, with 6 lottery and 4 week-ahead people. It is not eligible to exit Yosemite on the John Muir Trail.1
Rules every Yosemite wilderness trailhead shares
- Any overnight stay in the Yosemite Wilderness needs a permit, all year; day hikes need none unless they go to Half Dome. Each trailhead has a daily quota.
- Reservations cover trips May through October. 60% of each quota goes by weekly lottery on Recreation.gov 24 weeks ahead; the other 40% opens first come, first served at 7 am Pacific seven days ahead.
- The fee is $10 per application plus $5 per person once a permit is issued, none of it refundable. Collect the permit in person the day before or the morning you start.
- Groups are 15 people at most, or 8 for cross-country hiking. Bear canisters are required throughout the wilderness, and you camp at least four trail miles from Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, Glacier Point, Hetch Hetchy and Wawona.
Sources
- Trailhead Information, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
- Wilderness Regulations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
- Wilderness Permit Frequently Asked Questions, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
- Wilderness Permits, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
- Wilderness Permit Reservations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
- Yosemite National Park Wilderness Permits (Pohono Trail divisions), Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
- Pohono Trail Reviews, Yosemite Hikes, reader reviews 2012 to 2024. Read 2026-10-15.
- Dewey Point via McGurk Meadow Trailhead, The Outbound, user listing with 2016 and 2017 reviews. Read 2026-10-15.
- Hiking the Pohono Trail, Wildland Trekking (guide company blog, April 2019). Read 2026-10-15.
When to hike Pohono Trail (Glacier Point)
Weather Forecast
Trailhead
Backcountry Tips
- Day 4: 83% chance of precipitation. Pack rain gear.
- Day 5: 73% chance of precipitation. Pack rain gear.
- Snow expected: Check current trail conditions before departing.
Today
48°
28°
Thu
45°
31°
Fri
34°
28°
24%
Sat
37°
29°
83%
Sun
42°
27°
73%
Mon
56°
28°
Tue
57°
38°
Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) rules, gear and safety
Safety & planning
Emergency Info
Emergency contacts, ranger station locations, and satellite communicator tips for Pohono Trail (Glacier Point).
Food Storage
Bear canister requirements, approved container lists, and rental locations for this permit.
Gear Checklist: Required and recommended gear for Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) · Shuttle Services: Trailhead transportation options · Guide Services: Experienced wilderness guides
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Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) FAQ
Can I camp at Glacier Point on a Pohono Trail permit?
Not close to it. The regulations require camping at least four trail miles from Glacier Point and a mile from any road, so you must walk out along the rim before you stop.
How long is the Pohono Trail from Glacier Point?
Sources disagree. A guide prints 13 miles in its text and 26 in its table, and a hiker found signs saying 13 and 13.8 miles. The NPS trailhead page gives no mileage for this entry.
Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) trail conditions and trip reports
Trail Conditions
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Write the First ReportAlternatives to a Pohono Trail (Glacier Point) permit
Where to stay near Pohono Trail (Glacier Point)
- Upper Pines CampgroundYosemite National Park
- Lower Pines CampgroundYosemite National Park
- North Pines CampgroundYosemite National Park
- All California campgrounds
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