Gallery photos coming soon
A high-country trailhead into Yosemite's alpine passes
Mono Pass Trailhead sits in Tuolumne Meadows and sends hikers up into some of Yosemite's finest high-country terrain, earning a 4.7-star rating across 35 reviews. The route climbs gradually through forest and open meadow before reaching the alpine basin at Mono Pass, with wildflowers, seasonal stream crossings, and long views toward the Sierra crest along the way.
Visitors consistently describe gentle grades for most of the route, with one steeper stretch near the final approach to the pass. Wildflower-filled meadows and small streams — easy to rock-hop across later in the season — line the trail, and several reviewers report close encounters with pika scrambling through the boulder fields. Beyond Mono Pass, the trail connects toward Parker Pass and the saddle between Koip and Parker peaks, where hikers describe sweeping views of both the Yosemite high country and the Mono Lake basin.
The trailhead itself is listed as open 24 hours a day, with no posted access restrictions, so an early start is easy to plan for a long alpine day.
Distances vary by destination: hikers report about 3.7 miles one-way to Spillway Lake, roughly 8 miles round trip to Mono Pass itself, and considerably more for extended routes into Pioneer Basin and Golden Lake.
Several reviewers specifically recommend the shorter trip to Spillway Lake as an easy, kid-friendly hike, while the full route to Mono Pass involves more elevation gain and a longer day out.
Reviewers highlight wildflower meadows, stream crossings, alpine terrain, and wildlife such as pika, plus views toward Koip and Parker peaks and the Mono Lake basin from the higher sections.
No — the trailhead is listed as accessible 24 hours a day, every day, so hikers can start as early as they'd like.
35 reviews
2 weeks ago
Beautiful ~8 mile hike to Mono Pass, through pretty woodlands and meadows filled with wildflowers. Stream crossings were fine - you can rock hip to keep your feet dry now. Very pretty views of mountains with many patches of snow. The incline to the pass is mostly gentle, with just one short steep section after the junction. And we saw only 2 other people the whole time. A great hike!
11 months ago
11 months ago
11 months ago
Up and down Mono Pass trail not bad, but we day hikes to Pioneer Basin and returned up Golden Creek to Golden Lake then back up the Mono Pass. Pretty tough day hike. Approximately 12 hours and 19.5+ miles RT. Absolutely incredible views on every corner. One of my favorites.
a year ago