How hard to get permits to camp at Cathedral Lakes?

Hi everyone,

I am thinking of a weekend backpacking trip to camp at Upper Cathedral Lakes. As far as I know this should be a popular location. Do you guys know if the permit is really hard to obtain? How do you guys usually get it? By walking or apply online?

Thanks,
Yang

Permits?
60% of all Yosemite permits are designated reservable...alas long gone 6 months ago for Cathedral Lakes.
However, that leaves 40% as "next day". You get in line in Tuolumne Wilderness or any Yosemite Wilderness office but Tuolumne takes care of their line first (Rangers ask those in line in Tuolumne at 10:30 if anyone is going Cathedral before releasing any remaining slots to other Permit offices over the phone) and if a slot is still open, you get a permit next day...(BTW, stay Tuolumne BP camp the night before).
Specifically, there are ~30 slots for Cathedral TH...18 reserved and 12 next day.

They start giving out the next day permits at 11:00 AM...there will be a line. Suggest getting in line early...around 8:00 AM and you should be fine.
In addition, of those permits "reserved", many make plans long in advance...IE...reserved for six hikers and made back in January... but there is a large drop-out rate. The Rangers Tuolumne have no way of knowing that a "reserved" party of 6 is only 2 until the reserved party (was 6, now 2) comes into the office Tuolumne to pick up their 2 permits and then states their number has dropped.

The remaining 4 "now open" slots are put into the "next day" slot with the others - released at 11:00.
Bottom line, if you are a one or two, your chances are pretty good if in the Tuolumne line befre 9:00 AM



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/2014 12:14PM by markskor.

Thank you so much, markskor!

Rafferty, Lyell, Cathedral, Sunrise - those 4... good luck on weekend without burning a day as said above.
Group over 2. Especially wish you well. For that TH.. I'd reserve ahead whever possible.
You can find the quotas here:
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/trailheads.htm
(15 reservable / 10 fcfs for Cathedral)

Two words: Good Luck

and of course...
Have fun

ok... two more... Backup Plan

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Just got back from a Tenaya Lake to Cathedral Lakes loop beginning at the Sunrise trailhead. Nice trip, but I left yesterday, went solo, and got to the park early. There were just a few permits left for Cathedral and Sunrise when I got there. No way would I even count on getting one on a weekend.

A portion of the hike that I really enjoyed, quite unexpectedly, was the trail along 120 between Tuolumne Meadows and Tenaya Lake. The part following the old road alignment was really great.

Quote
KC
A portion of the hike that I really enjoyed, quite unexpectedly, was the trail along 120 between Tuolumne Meadows and Tenaya Lake. The part following the old road alignment was really great.

Exactly. Old guy and I did this last weekend. Had only been on it once before in mid November and just was
going "wow... you know... this is just stellar" ...
We hiked from TM to Tenaya Lake... and the domes were calling... so I ended up running up to Lower Cathedral
and down Cathedral Creek on the way...



Mentioned the old road along that trail here:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,46622,75294#msg-75294

Enjoy

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