Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang

Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang: what makes it different

Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang is the Tuolumne Meadows trailhead for the Vogelsang lakes basin. It climbs the creek from Lyell Canyon to Tuolumne Pass, carries a 20 person daily quota, and is one of the few trailheads that can add a Half Dome permit. It is not a John Muir Trail exit.^1,5,2

Getting to the start

Park at the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center or the Dog Lake parking lot, as the Park Service directs. The trailhead has a flush toilet, and the permit is issued at the wilderness center.¹

The Rafferty Creek trail splits off the Lyell Canyon trail about 1 to 1.5 miles from the permit station, according to a 2020 report in Sierra Rec Magazine. Another Sierra Rec piece on Lyell Canyon says you cross the Rafferty Creek trail early in that walk.^6,8

The first leg

The Park Service rates Vogelsang at 14.4 miles round trip with about 1,600 feet of gain, high demand. The Sierra Rec author calls the climb to the Vogelsang area 4.5 miles of steady uphill, with the first mile the steepest.^4,6

The same author found the trail well used and tree covered for about the first 3.5 miles, then a large meadow with the first real view of Fletcher Peak. A 2000 Climber.org party reached the north side of Fletcher Lake after a nap stop below Tuolumne Pass to let the group adjust to altitude.^6,7

Terrain and difficulty

Recreation.gov describes the route as following the Lyell Fork through sub-alpine meadows and then climbing along Rafferty Creek to Tuolumne Pass, Vogelsang and beyond.⁵

The Park Service lists three bigger routes that start here or nearby: the Vogelsang to Cathedral loop (33.3 miles, 4,550 feet of gain, high demand), the Ireland and Evelyn Lake loop (22.2 miles, 2,150 feet, very high demand), and the 48.2 mile High Sierra Camp loop.⁴

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang, overnight wilderness: 20 people a day. 12 through the lottery 24 weeks ahead and 8 first come, first served one week ahead, per the NPS table. Recreation.gov availability for this permit would not load. The Sierra Rec author wrote that a normal year allows 12 reservable permits a day here, which matches the lottery half.^1,6

Rules specific to this entry point

Travel at least four miles from Tuolumne Meadows before you find legal camping. Recreation.gov also says there is no longer a toilet at the backpacker sites at Vogelsang, so spread out several hundred feet from the camp boundary near Fletcher Lake when you go to the bathroom.⁵

Fires are prohibited in the Vogelsang area, at Boothe Lake and above 9,600 feet. Camping within a mile of Vogelsang High Sierra Camp is limited to the designated campground.^5,3

Everyone on the permit can add a Half Dome permit at pickup for $10 each. Donohue Pass is not available from this trailhead; the Park Service says only Happy Isles past Little Yosemite Valley and Lyell Canyon (Donohue Pass eligible) allow it.^2,5

Where it leads

Boothe Lake, Fletcher Lake, Vogelsang Lake and Vogelsang Pass. The 2020 Sierra Rec trip went to Boothe Lake the first night, crossed the pass the next morning for views of the Clark Range, then walked to Fletcher and Townsley lakes.⁶

Tuolumne Pass, Emeric Lake and Ireland Lake. The Sierra Rec Lyell piece recommends the counterclockwise loop that goes up Rafferty Creek and returns down Lyell Canyon.^6,8

What trip reports say

The 2020 Sierra Rec trip found Boothe Lake empty apart from one visitor, with deer and marmots on the climb to Vogelsang Lake. The writer had read online that this route was very hard and found it the easiest Yosemite route he had done. That August had Covid limits and the High Sierra Camp closed, so the quiet was unusual.⁶

The same report calls Vogelsang High Sierra Camp one of the busiest backpacking destinations in the park, and notes the weekend had fewer people than the ranger on the lakeshore had ever seen.⁶

The 2000 Climber.org account from the Dog Lake trailhead hit mostly mosquito-free trail on a mid-June weekend, still had snow on much of the walk to Vogelsang Pass, and needed 4 hours to hike out the 7 miles from Fletcher Lake.⁷

When to go from here

Both reports are about snow timing. The 2000 June party was on snow about half the time near the pass, while the August 2020 group found the lakes warm enough to swim and had a low of 36 degrees at night. Tuolumne reservations for 2026 begin June 18.^7,6,1

Compare with nearby entry points

• Lyell Canyon (no Donohue Pass): Lyell Canyon (no Donohue Pass) shares the parking but runs flat up the canyon for miles instead of climbing, with a quota of only 6 plus 4, and it has no Half Dome add-on.^1,5
• Glen Aulin: Glen Aulin goes the opposite way, downhill along the Tuolumne River, requires a first night at its camp and has no Half Dome add-on. Rafferty Creek lets you choose your first night camp past four trail miles.^1,5
• Sunrise Lakes (no Donohue Pass): Sunrise Lakes is the other Tuolumne trailhead with a Half Dome add-on. It has a vault toilet, a 15 person quota and starts on Tioga Road at Tenaya Lake.^1,2

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, Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Backpacking Yosemite's Vogelsang Peak Region, Sierra Rec Magazine. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Vogelsang: Yeah, Right, A Beginner's Trip!, Climber.Org. 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 Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang permit