Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Falls: what makes it different

Yosemite Falls is the Valley-floor trailhead that starts a wilderness trip with one of the park's oldest and steepest climbs, about 2,700 feet up switchbacks beside the tallest waterfall in North America. It sells 15 lottery spots and 10 week-ahead spots a day, and it is the way onto the north rim, Yosemite Point, Eagle Peak and North Dome.^1,2,9

Getting to the start

The trailhead is on the Valley Loop Trail near Camp 4, at Valley shuttle stop 7. NPS says the Camp 4 lot is for campers only. Overnight backpackers use the Yosemite Falls parking area across the road and just past the Camp 4 entrance, which also has food lockers for overnight parking.^2,1

Permits for this trailhead come from the Yosemite Valley Wilderness Center. NPS lists a flush toilet in Camp 4 and no other restroom on the trail. A drinking fountain stands near the trailhead and nothing runs on the climb, so NPS tells hikers to carry 4 quarts to the top.^1,2

The first leg

The trail was built between 1873 and 1877 and starts climbing at once through oak woodland. Columbia Rock sits one mile and about 1,000 feet up, and the upper falls viewpoint is another half mile along. NPS puts the walk to the top of the falls at 7.2 miles round trip with 2,700 feet of gain. Recreation.gov calls the same climb over 2,500 feet in roughly 3.5 miles, and an Outbound guide counts 3.2 miles to the junction at the top.^2,9,10

The top is the fork where the wilderness opens up. NPS says east to Yosemite Point adds 1.6 miles round trip and west to Eagle Peak adds 5.8 miles round trip. Recreation.gov also lists a way north toward Tioga Road.^2,9

Terrain and difficulty

NPS rates the climb strenuous and warns that the upper half is steep and rocky, with loose decomposed granite that can be slippery in summer. The upper section is exposed with no shade until late afternoon or evening. In winter that same upper stretch gets little sun and can be icy or buried in snow, while the lower part can be dry.²

A 2025 reviewer on Outbound called the climb a tough workout with a day pack or a full pack, and said the camp near the top was worth it because they had it to themselves.¹⁰

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Yosemite Falls, overnight wilderness, lottery share: 15 people a day. The 24-week lottery share for the Yosemite Falls trailhead on the NPS trailhead page, updated May 11, 2026.¹
• 2026 daily quota at Yosemite Falls, overnight wilderness, week-ahead share: 10 people a day. The share released first come, first served seven days ahead. NPS lists the two shares separately and does not print a combined total.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

A permit from a Valley trailhead stops being valid if you walk out through Yosemite Valley. NPS lets a trip begin or end in the Valley but not pass through it, so a loop that comes down the Yosemite Falls Trail ends the trip rather than continuing it.^3,4

The Valley reservation window on the NPS trailhead page for 2026 runs April 24 to October 18, wider than the Tioga Road trailheads. The NPS Wilderness Permits page (December 2025) says late April through October, while the Reservations page (June 2026) says May through October. This page follows the trailhead page.^1,5,6

Where it leads

Yosemite Point looks straight at Half Dome and up close at Lost Arrow Spire, according to NPS. Eagle Peak is the high point of the Three Brothers on the north rim, and NPS says it gives a different angle on the granite. Outbound counts 11.39 miles and 4,567 feet of gain for a round trip from Camp 4 to Eagle Peak, with 3.1 miles of that leaving the falls trail west.^2,10

Outbound's guide warns not to camp right at the point itself, since regulations forbid it, and to follow the rules printed on the permit.¹⁰

What trip reports say

A Yosemite Mountaineering School guide wrote on Field Mag in 2017 that he climbed from this trailhead at midday and slept out under the stars before Eagle Peak. Late snow and runoff covered about three miles of trail, so he found the route from footprints and cut logs. He met almost no one and had the summit to himself until a friend joined before sunset.¹¹

On Backpacking Light in August 2012, a hiker planning a Mirror Lake to North Dome loop that came down this trail was told water would be scarce in a dry year. Another poster who had walked it in mid-May found water in only a few spots, with Yosemite Creek above the falls reported dry and Royal Arch, Lehamite and Indian Canyon creeks seasonal. A permit-office staffer later told the planner Snow Creek was flowing.¹²

When to go from here

The waterfall sets the mood. NPS says the fall is at its peak in spring and is often a trickle by August, and the creek at the top is small in late summer. The hike is hot and dry in summer, so start early. The lower trail is often snow-free in winter while other Valley trails are icy.²

Water is the planning problem for an overnight on top. The 2012 and 2017 reports both found streams along the rim dry or snowbound depending on the year, so ask the Wilderness Center what is flowing before you leave the Valley.^12,11

Compare with nearby entry points

• Porcupine Creek: Porcupine Creek reaches North Dome from Tioga Road instead of climbing out of the Valley. NPS lists it at 10.4 miles round trip with 1,100 feet of gain, and its quota is 12 lottery and 8 week-ahead people, against 15 and 10 here. A reviewer on Outbound counts 10.04 miles and about 1,985 feet of gain.^7,1,13
• Mirror Lake to Snow Creek: Mirror Lake to Snow Creek has the same 15 and 10 quota and also climbs 2,700 feet to the rim, but NPS calls its switchbacks narrower and less crowded than this trail. It starts from shuttle stop 17 at Mirror Lake and has no parking at the trailhead.^1,8

Sources

1. Trailhead Information, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Yosemite Falls 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. Tioga Road (West of Olmsted Point) Backpacking Trails, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Snow Creek Trail, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Yosemite National Park Wilderness Permits (Yosemite Falls division), Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Backpack to Yosemite's Eagle Peak via Yosemite Falls, The Outbound, Andrew Upchurch, review 2025-09-01. Read 2026-10-15.
11. A Local's Guide to Backpacking Yosemite's Eagle Peak Trail, Field Mag, June 2017. Read 2026-10-15.
12. Yosemite Mirror Lake to Snow Creek (forum thread), Backpacking Light forums, August 2012. Read 2026-10-15.
13. Backpack to North Dome in Yosemite, The Outbound. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Yosemite Falls permit