Hi Elan,

Thanks. You don’t need a permit to dayhike from Tenaya Lake to Clouds Rest. Wilderness permits are required for backpacking and camping in Yosemite’s backcountry. And the only dayhike that requires a permit in Yosemite is Half Dome, as this story points out. Good luck and do that Clouds Rest dayhike, it’s one of the best.

Thanks.

You bet, Bree, and enjoy your hikes in Yosemite.

You’re welcome, Kari, I hope this article helped you out.

Hi Bill,

Thanks, I’m glad this story is helpful for you. I’ll point out that early June is still “late winter” in Yosemite (and the entire High Sierra above around 8,000 feet). Yosemite Valley is open year-round and you’ll be able to hike some trails from the Valley, at least up to whatever elevation you first hit snow, which will typically be spotty, depending on aspect and sun exposure. The Mist Trail-John Muir Trail loop will be mostly or entirely accessible by then; expect to get very wet on the Mist Trail, the waterfalls may be full and roaring at that time of year, which is really impressive.

Your timing is good to start planning a potential Half Dome hike. The park holds a lottery for Half Dome dayhiking permits in March at recreation.gov/permits/234652 and the cables usually go up on Half Dome on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. See at my tips on hiking Half Dome.

Other parts of the park may not be accessible in early June. Tioga Road is open seasonally, depending on when snow gets cleared from the road. It often opens by sometime in May—especially in more-recent years—but sometimes not until June or early July, and typically is closed for the winter by sometime in November. See a historic record of when Tioga Road and other seasonal roads open and close at nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/seasonal.htm.

The park is requiring a daily reservation to drive into Yosemite during peak hours (6am to 4pm) from May 20 through September 30, 2022. If you have a permit to hike Half Dome, you do not need an additional peak-hours reservation. However, to stay overnight in the park, you must have either a wilderness permit, lodging reservation, or campground reservation. See nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/faq.htm.

If you’d like my help planning your trip, see my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can do that for you.

Thanks for the questions. Good luck. I’ve hiked trails above the Valley in June, it’s a great time of year, especially to see the waterfalls.

With so many great hikes, I need to put together a two-day plan for these guys, one that will give them a great view of the beauty and grandeur of the park. We’re all in our late 60s, in good shape, can do 8-10 mile hikes. I thought the Mist Trail-John Muir Trail Loop would be good for the first day.

Do we need any special permits for general hikes, and getting into the park from the outside? I may look into getting a Half-Dome permit, just in case.

Many thanks,
Bill Blanning

Thanks, Brian, and I do agree about Mount Dana and hope to get up there. I’ve also yet to hit the Panorama Trail but it’s on my list. And my first time backpacking over Clouds Rest included a friend who crawled the entire ridge while I doubled back to carry his pack across.

The Panorama trail leaving from Glacier Point to Nevada Falls is also very nice and less strenuous option to get there.’

I like the picture on the hump at Clouds Rest, should include a note about the massive drop off on each side, I know a few people whose hike ended before crossing that.

Thanks, Bill. Enjoy.

Great suggestion, Matt. I’ve been wanting to knock off Dana for years (my wife has done it), and I plan to do it sometime. As you know, Dana lies just south of the park’s east entrance station at Tioga Pass, at nearly 10,000 feet, where the hike begins, and it’s a hard, 3,000-foot ascent following an unmaintained “user” trail up the mountain’s northwest/west slope to the summit. Super hike. Thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks, Hiking Grandma, and I hope you make that trip to Yosemite happen.