Yosemite to Tahoe (or vice versa) via PCT permit(s)

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potatopants
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Yosemite to Tahoe (or vice versa) via PCT permit(s)

Post by potatopants »

Hello, all. I'm in the initial stages of planning a hike from Tuolumne Meadows to Tahoe City via the PCT. I don't really care if I go NOBO or SOBO -- whichever permit I can get is fine with me.

But I'm not clear on whether one permit will get me the whole way. Will a Glen Aulin permit get me all the way to Tahoe City? Or do I need to coordinate with the Wilderness areas north of Yosemite? Stanislaus NF issues free quotaless permits for Mokulumne and Carson-Iceberg, but I'll be on trail and wouldn't be able to get one. And I can print the Desolation Wilderness permit from home, but I'd need to know my entry date and over the course of the trip, things, of course, change.

And vice versa, would a Desolation Wilderness permit get me all the way to Tuolumne?

I'll call the issuing agencies, but I figured folks on this board also probably have lots of experience with this and would be willing to share that. Thanks for your help!

Brooke
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maverick
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Re: Yosemite to Tahoe (or vice versa) via PCT permit(s)

Post by maverick »

Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer

I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Re: Yosemite to Tahoe (or vice versa) via PCT permit(s)

Post by agfhst »

A friend and I hiked the Tahoe-Yosemite Trail southbound in 2015. The information in the weblink Maverick provided is consistent with our experience.

We got our permit from the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, where the people were very helpful. Your route will come up naturally if you call to get a permit, and I imagine they are familiar enough with the route of the PCT, but just make sure that they know you're traveling through Mokulumne, Carson-Iceberg and Yosemite Wildernesses (and maybe Emigrant Wilderness too?). If I recall correctly they will put that on the permit or otherwise indicate that you are clear to go to Yosemite.

At the time I don't believe there was an on-line option for getting a Desolation Wilderness permit, so I don't know if/how you would get a permit for multiple wilderness areas on line.

Nice thing about the Lake Tahoe agency was that they mailed us the permit. The webpage suggests that it may be more difficult to get a permit for the Desolation Wilderness trailheads as opposed to the Echo Lakes trailhead, but we had no problem getting one for the Meeks Bay trailhead, which leads towards the north end of Desolation.

-Andy
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Re: Yosemite to Tahoe (or vice versa) via PCT permit(s)

Post by potatopants »

Thanks for this! Now I just need to figure out if the same applies NOBO.
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