Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Yosemite Creek

Yosemite Creek: what makes it different

Yosemite Creek is the Tioga Road permit for the southbound walk along the creek to the Valley rim and the top of Upper Yosemite Falls. NPS sells 15 lottery and 10 week-ahead places a day, with a vault toilet at the start.^1,7

Getting to the start

Recreation.gov says the Yosemite Creek Trail can be reached from two points: along Tioga Road, or from Yosemite Creek Campground when it is open. From either one the trail runs south from Tioga Road toward the north rim of Yosemite Valley.⁷

NPS has a direction rule for this creek: the Yosemite Creek Campground trailhead is for destinations southbound on the Yosemite Creek trail, and the Ten Lakes trailhead is for destinations northbound on it. NPS lists a vault toilet for Yosemite Creek and Big Oak Flat Information Station issues the permit.¹

A reply in a 2011 Backpacking Light thread suggested the Porcupine Flat trailhead as another way to start a Tioga Road walk to Yosemite Falls, and said that route had no stream-crossing trouble that year. Hiking Project describes the Yosemite Creek trail starting at the campground and passing a junction for the Lukens Lake trailhead.^10,8

The first leg

Hiking Project lists the trail as 5.5 miles point to point, descending gently through open forest from the campground. After about 1.5 miles it climbs a ridge away from the creek past large glacial boulders and views of domes, then switchbacks to the Lukens Lake junction before returning to run beside the creek.⁸

Terrain and difficulty

Recreation.gov calls the path beautiful and says it mostly follows Yosemite Creek to the Valley rim and Yosemite Falls. The listing on Hiking Project puts the high point at 7,321 feet and the low at 6,803 feet, with 272 feet of ascent and 631 feet of descent, and says snow can linger in the drainage until late June.^7,8

The same listing puts the Eagle Peak Trail junction a quarter mile past a large gravel bar and the seasonal Eagle Peak Creek. About 0.75 miles further a side trail leads to the brink of Upper Yosemite Falls, which it calls worth the detour if the falls are flowing strongly.⁸

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Yosemite Creek, overnight wilderness, lottery share: 15 people a day. NPS trailhead page, updated May 11, 2026. Big Oak Flat Information Station window: June 18 to October 14, 2026.¹
• 2026 daily quota at Yosemite Creek, overnight wilderness, week-ahead share: 10 people a day. The first come, first served share released seven days ahead. NPS prints it as a separate column.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

Recreation.gov warns that Tioga Road is closed in winter and usually opens in late May, and that a reservation made while the road is shut is not valid and not refunded. NPS adds that overnight parking is banned on Tioga Road and in lots reached from it starting October 15.^7,1

You must camp at least 100 feet from water and trail and at least one mile from any road, store food in an approved bear canister, and leave bear spray at home. Parties are limited to 15 people.³

Tioga Road lotteries apply only to start dates from the third Thursday in June, which is June 18 in 2026.^4,1

Where it leads

Upper Yosemite Falls and the Eagle Peak trail are the natural stops. A 2014 group climbed the Yosemite Falls trail out of the Valley and walked north on the Yosemite Creek trail to camp off trail near the creek, and a Backpacking Light replier recommended camping in the narrow middle section well above the falls and north of Bluejay Creek.^9,10,8

The Yosemite Conservancy runs a three-day guided trip here: about 4 miles on day one to a base camp beside the creek, a 4 to 5 mile day hike to the top of Yosemite Falls on day two, and the same route out on day three, at about 7,500 feet.¹¹

What trip reports say

A July 2014 group did the route backwards, from the Valley. They found the Yosemite Falls trail dry and dusty with full packs, camped off trail beside the creek after the permit office and bear vaults ate their morning, and next day bushwhacked to Tioga Road because a campground host told them the trail was closed for budget reasons.⁹

In a July 2011 thread a hiker planning Tioga Road to Yosemite Falls estimated 8 miles from a map. Repliers said one stream crossing is over knee deep in a normal year, that 2011 was a heavy snow year with the May Lake road still closed on July 4, and that crowds build up near where the trails converge.¹⁰

Hiking Project check-ins run from 2014 to 2026. One hiker in June 2016 wrote of great views and camping and walked on to Yosemite Falls for 11 miles, and another in July 2022 hiked only the lower half to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls.⁸

When to go from here

Snow sets the start. Hiking Project says the drainage can hold snow until late June and the 2011 thread describes a snow year that kept roads closed into July. The Big Oak Flat window on the trailhead page runs June 18 to October 14, 2026.^8,10,1

NPS pages disagree on when reservations start. The Wilderness Permits page (updated December 31, 2025) says late April through October. The Wilderness Permit Reservations page (updated June 22, 2026) says May through October. For this Tioga Road trailhead the June 18 start applies.^5,6,1

Compare with nearby entry points

• Lukens Lake to Yosemite Creek: Lukens Lake to Yosemite Creek reaches the same creek from the Lukens Lake lot west of Yosemite Creek, but NPS gives it only 6 lottery and 4 week-ahead people and no toilet, against 15 and 10 with a vault toilet here. Recreation.gov calls its descent to the slick granite of the Yosemite Creek watershed.^1,7
• Ten Lakes: Ten Lakes is the northbound door on the same creek, per the NPS direction rule, with 24 lottery and 16 week-ahead people. NPS rates its permit demand Medium and lists it at 11.8 miles round trip with 1,500 feet of gain; this trailhead has no NPS trail row.^1,2
• White Wolf Campground: White Wolf Campground has the smallest share on the same Big Oak Flat window, 6 lottery and 4 week-ahead people, and a flush toilet in the campground when it is open.¹

Sources

1. Trailhead Information, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Tioga Road (West of Olmsted Point) 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 Permit Frequently Asked Questions, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Wilderness Permits, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Wilderness Permit Reservations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Yosemite National Park Wilderness Permits (Yosemite Creek and Lukens Lake divisions), Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Yosemite Creek Trail, Hiking Project, trail listing with user check-ins 2014 to 2026. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Yosemite Wilderness, July 2014, TrailGroove forums. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Route to Yosemite Falls from Tioga Road (thread, July 2011), Backpacking Light forums. Read 2026-10-15.
11. Yosemite Backpack: Yosemite Creek, Yosemite Conservancy (July 24 to 26, 2026 program). Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Yosemite Creek permit