Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Sunrise Lakes (no Donohue Pass)

Sunrise Lakes (no Donohue Pass): what makes it different

Sunrise Lakes is the Tenaya Lake trailhead for the south side of the road: three small lakes, the Clouds Rest trail, and the walk to Sunrise High Sierra Camp. It is one of seven Yosemite trailheads that can add a Half Dome permit when you pick up your wilderness permit, and it cannot be used to leave the park over Donohue Pass.^1,2,5

Getting to the start

The trail starts at the western end of Tenaya Lake on Tioga Road. The Park Service files it under Tuolumne Meadows, so the permit is issued at the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center, and the trailhead has a vault toilet.^1,5

Tioga Road has no vehicle access while it is closed, usually from sometime in November to late May or June, and overnight parking on Tioga Road is not allowed from October 15. Recreation.gov adds that a reservation on a closed road is not valid and not refunded.^1,5

The Park Service warns people who want the north side of Tenaya Lake (Polly Dome Lakes) to use the Murphy Creek trailhead instead. Sunrise is the south trail, for Clouds Rest, Sunrise Lakes and Sunrise High Sierra Camp.¹

The first leg

The Park Service lists the Sunrise Lakes round trip at 6.8 miles with about 1,100 feet of gain. One route listing puts the split for the lakes at 2.7 miles from the Tenaya Lake trailhead, where the Clouds Rest trail keeps going straight.^4,7

A 2013 Garden Betty report says the first lake sits half a mile past the junction, right beside the trail. The trail runs along the first and third lakes and passes about 300 yards south of the second lake, which has an island and sees fewer people because day hikers walk past the turn.⁶

The Hiking Project listing for the stretch from the Clouds Rest junction reads 2.6 miles point to point, with a high point near 9,755 feet and a low near 9,188 feet.⁸

Terrain and difficulty

Recreation.gov describes the start as switchbacks climbing from the lake toward Sunrise Lakes or Clouds Rest. The Park Service rates demand for both Sunrise Lakes and Sunrise High Sierra Camp as very high, and lists the camp at 10.4 miles round trip with about 1,650 feet of gain.^5,4

Clouds Rest from this trailhead is 14 miles round trip with 2,300 feet of gain, per the Park Service. An Outbound route listing says the second junction on that trail has no sign, only a rock arrangement that reads CR, with a short scramble at the top.^4,7

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Sunrise Lakes (no Donohue Pass), overnight wilderness: 15 people a day. The Park Service splits it into 9 for the lottery 24 weeks ahead and 6 for first come, first served one week ahead. Recreation.gov availability for this lottery permit could not be read, so this is the NPS table figure.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

This permit cannot go over Donohue Pass or onto the John Muir Trail south of the park. Only the Happy Isles past Little Yosemite Valley trailhead and Lyell Canyon (Donohue Pass eligible) allow that exit.^5,2

Everyone on the permit can add a Half Dome permit at pickup for $10 each. It is not valid for day hikers, and you do not reserve it ahead.^2,5

Recreation.gov says bears here have taken food from backpackers on a regular basis. Keep every scented item in a canister, camp 100 feet from water, and in the Tuolumne watershed keep washing and waste 300 feet from water.^5,3

Camping within a mile of any of the five High Sierra Camps is limited to the designated campgrounds, and fires are banned above 9,600 feet. Read the trailhead map before you pick a spot near Sunrise High Sierra Camp.³

Where it leads

Sunrise Lakes themselves: Hiking Project calls the lower lake the most visited, the middle one hard to spot and more private, and the upper one the largest of the three.⁸

Clouds Rest, Sunrise High Sierra Camp and Cathedral Lakes. Recreation.gov names Merced Lake and Half Dome as loop options from this trailhead. Camp at Sunrise Lakes first and walk Clouds Rest the next morning, or carry on toward Little Yosemite Valley with the Half Dome add-on.^5,7

What trip reports say

Garden Betty camped at the second Sunrise Lake on a ridge above Yosemite Valley and watched Half Dome turn pink and orange at dusk. She wished she had added a couple of days, and said in a reply to a reader that an overnight permit for the lakes was easy to get, since the lakes are not a big name draw.⁶

A 2016 Outbound reviewer called the trail underrated and much quieter than most of the park, while another reviewer that year warned that the Sunrise trailhead is known for out-of-bounds camping and heavy fines.⁷

One Outbound route author suggests splitting the Clouds Rest walk with a night at the lakes, or camping north of the summit on flat ground with a sunset view.⁷

When to go from here

For 2026 the Park Service opened reservations for Tioga Road trailheads on June 18, the same third Thursday in June its FAQ names as the first lottery start date. Recreation.gov says the road itself typically opens in late May, so an early-June walk-up is the gap to watch.^1,2,5

Compare with nearby entry points

• Cathedral Lakes: Cathedral Lakes has the larger quota (15 by lottery plus 10 week-ahead) and is also Half Dome eligible, but it has no toilet at the trailhead and sits on the John Muir Trail. Sunrise Lakes has a vault toilet and the lakes are quieter, per the Park Service.^1,4
• Murphy Creek: Murphy Creek starts across Tenaya Lake from the same road and goes north to Polly Dome Lakes. It has the same 9 plus 6 quota but is not Half Dome eligible and is rated medium demand against very high for Sunrise.^1,4
• Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang: Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang is also Half Dome eligible, but it starts at the Tuolumne Meadows wilderness center, has a flush toilet, and carries a quota of 12 plus 8.¹

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, Sunrise (No Donohue Pass) division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Epic Yosemite: The Start at Tenaya Lake, Garden Betty. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Sunrise Lakes to Clouds Rest, The Outbound Collective. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Sunrise Lakes Trail, Hiking Project. 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 Sunrise Lakes (no Donohue Pass) permit