Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Young Lakes via Glen Aulin Trail

Young Lakes via Glen Aulin Trail: what makes it different

Young Lakes via Glen Aulin Trail reaches the three Young Lakes north of Tuolumne Meadows by following the Glen Aulin Trail for its first 1.5 miles and then turning north. It has the smallest quota of the two Young Lakes permits, 6 lottery and 4 week-ahead places a day, against 12 and 8 for the Dog Lake route.^7,1

Getting to the start

NPS says to park at Lembert Dome parking, and the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center issues the permit. The trailhead has a vault toilet. An Outbound listing for the lakes also names the Lembert Dome parking area as the start.^1,10

The Sierra Rec Magazine trail guide puts the trailhead at 8,584 feet. It describes two ways in, the Glen Aulin Trail from Tuolumne Meadows, or the Dog Lake route from the lot east of the Wilderness Permit House. The Dog Lake route belongs to a different permit.^8,1

The first leg

Recreation.gov says the trail crosses Tuolumne Meadows to Soda Springs, follows the Glen Aulin Trail for a short while, then climbs through lodgepole forest toward Ragged Peak. It states the split at the first 1.5 miles. Sierra Rec Magazine says 1.6 miles across the meadow before the turn north.^7,8

After the turn, most of the climb is moderate. The route crosses Delaney Creek and Dingley Creek, follows a tree-lined ridge past grassy meadows and climbs to Lower Young Lake, according to Sierra Rec Magazine. Lower Young Lake sits at 9,880 feet and the high point is 9,973 feet.⁸

Terrain and difficulty

NPS counts 13.6 miles round trip and 1,300 feet of gain to the lakes. Sierra Rec Magazine gives about 6.4 miles each way and 1,389 feet of gain. Outbound counts 14.14 miles and 2,710 feet round trip. The gain figures disagree by more than a factor of two, so plan on the NPS number as the minimum.^3,8,10

NPS says the official trail ends at the first lake below Ragged Peak, and a well-used informal trail continues to the second and third lakes. Sierra Rec Magazine rates it suitable for beginner and intermediate backpackers.^3,8

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Young Lakes via Glen Aulin Trail, overnight wilderness, lottery share: 6 people a day. NPS trailhead page, updated May 11, 2026. Tuolumne Meadows window June 18 to October 14, 2026.¹
• 2026 daily quota at Young Lakes via Glen Aulin Trail, overnight wilderness, week-ahead share: 4 people a day. Released first come, first served seven days ahead. NPS prints it as a separate column.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

Recreation.gov warns that Tioga Road usually opens in late May, and that a reservation is not valid and not refunded if the road is closed. Tioga Road lottery dates apply from the third Thursday in June.^7,4

Where it leads

Three lakes sit in a chain north of Tuolumne Meadows with wide views of the Cathedral Range. Sierra Rec Magazine lists campsites on the north sides of the lower and middle lakes, on the west side of the middle lake and on the northwest side of the upper one, which it calls windy. Roosevelt Lake lies about two miles off trail beyond the upper lake.^3,8

Outbound recommends the upper lake for the best views. A photographer on G. Dan Mitchell's blog crossed the unmarked saddle beside Ragged Peak on another trip and called the boulder-strewn slope much harder than the maintained Glen Aulin trail.^10,11

What trip reports say

A July 2025 Sierra Rec Magazine trip ended its loop at Upper Young Lakes, where it found mosquitoes worse than at McCabe and a meadow camp with two other hikers across the lake and strong evening wind.⁹

Outbound reviewers in 2018 went up the Glen Aulin side and came down by Dog Lake. One said the lakes were worth the effort, and another got hit by altitude sickness and advised acclimatizing first. A 2016 reviewer did it as a day hike loop.¹⁰

G. Dan Mitchell's 2010 post describes a glassy morning on a lake under Ragged Peak and says that on a late-season visit he thought he had the lake alone until a backcountry ranger walked up the next morning.¹¹

When to go from here

Sierra Rec Magazine says the lakes are best from summer into fall. Mosquitoes were bad in early July 2025, and the late-season visit on the photographer's blog found solitude. The Tioga Road window of June 18 to October 14 covers it.^8,9,11,1

NPS pages disagree on the start of reservations. The Reservations page (June 2026) says May through October and the Wilderness Permits page (December 2025) says late April through October. For Tioga Road the trailhead page gives June 18.^6,5,1

Compare with nearby entry points

• Young Lakes via Dog Lake: The Dog Lake route to the same lakes has twice the quota, 12 lottery and 8 week-ahead people. Sierra Rec Magazine says its first mile is a steep switchback climb over the ridge behind Lembert Dome, and the section after dropping 500 feet and climbing back is its hardest. The Glen Aulin route is the moderate one.^1,8
• Glen Aulin: Glen Aulin has 15 lottery and 10 week-ahead places and requires the first night at the Glen Aulin camp. NPS rates its permit demand High against Medium for Young Lakes.^1,2,3
• Glen Aulin to Cold Canyon/Waterwheel: The pass-through permit follows the same trail past the Young Lakes turn and goes on toward Cold Canyon or Waterwheel Falls. It has 12 lottery and 8 week-ahead places.^1,2,7

Sources

1. Trailhead Information, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Trailhead Information, frequently asked questions, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Tuolumne Meadows Backpacking Trails, 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 (Young Lakes divisions), Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Young Lakes - Yosemite High Alpine Hike, Sierra Rec Magazine. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Where the Granite Whispers: A Yosemite Backpacking Story, Sierra Rec Magazine, Charlie Pankey, July 2025 trip. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Young Lakes, The Outbound, Kyle Frost, reviews 2016 and 2018. Read 2026-10-15.
11. Ragged Peak and Lower Young Lake, G. Dan Mitchell, September 2010. Read 2026-10-15.
12. Wilderness Regulations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Young Lakes via Glen Aulin Trail permit