INFORMATION AND PERMITS: This trip is in Yosemite National Park: wilderness permits and bear canisters are required; pets and firearms are prohibited. Quotas apply, with 60% of permits reservable online up to 24 weeks in advance and 40% available first-come, first-served starting at 11 a.m. the day before your trip’s start date. Fires are prohibited above 9,600 feet. See nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildpermits.htm for more details.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: From the Tioga Road–Big Oak Flat Road junction in Crane Flat, drive northeast 27 miles up Tioga Road (CA 120) to May Lake Road, a segment of old CA 120. (This turn is 3.2 miles east of the Porcupine Flat Campground.) If you are driving from the east, the turn is 12.6 miles west of the Tuolumne Meadows Campground or 2.3 miles west of the Olmsted Point vista pullout. Follow May Lake Road 1.8 miles to its end; the trailhead is on the left near the toilets. Note the May Lake Road may be closed for several weeks after Tioga Road opens for the summer, adding 1.8 miles to your hike.