Re: White Wolf Smith Meadows Trailhead Options

Hi, I'm wanting to hike the Grand Canyon of the Tuolomne in August. the White Wolf Pate Meadow allocation is taken, but there are plenty of White Wolf Smith Meadows permits available for my dates. In reading the restrictions, it says you can't camp the first night on the trail "toward Pate Valley". Does that mean we can use this permit if we intend to go all the way to Pate Valley the first day?

And does it allow us to start at the White Wolf Campground as does the Pate Valley permit?

Thanks

If you had a White Wolf to Smith Meadow permit, you would have to camp at Harden Lake the first night, or beyond Harden Lake along the trail to Smith Meadow. The next day, you could head down the trail towards Pate Valley and hike the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. So essentially it will add a day to your trek.

You would start at the trailhead at White Wolf campground, and could stay in the backpackers camp there the night before your trek. (The hike to Harden Lake is a bit over three miles, so depending on when you can arrive it might make more sense to just hike in and spend your first night there rather than at the backpackers camp).

Thanks, very helpful. I think we'll stay at Harden Lake on Day 1 after arriving instead of backpackers campground, then set off into the GCT.