California Riding and Hiking Trail

The California Riding and Hiking Trail is the piece of a 1945 statewide plan that actually got built — a 51-mile backcountry route managed by the Sierra National Forest that begins right at Yosemite's southern boundary and runs south to the Dusy-Ershim OHV Route. Inside the park, you reach it by climbing to Fernandez Pass, a high alpine crossing near 10,000 feet. This isn't a day hike off the Valley floor — it's a remote, permit-required backpacking route reached from trailheads well outside the park.

A Statewide Trail Plan, One Working Piece

California's 1945 Riding and Hiking Trails Act proposed a roughly 3,000-mile route running the length of the state, from the Mexican border to Oregon. Most of it was never finished. This segment — officially Trail #24E03, still carrying the original name — is one of the pieces that survived, linking Yosemite's southern high country to the Ansel Adams Wilderness and the rest of the Sierra National Forest.

Fernandez Pass and the Yosemite Boundary

Hikers reach the park-boundary section from the Fernandez Trailhead, at roughly 7,600 feet, south of Yosemite in the Sierra National Forest. The climb to Fernandez Pass tops out near 10,000 feet, high enough that the Forest Service bans campfires above that elevation. Despite "riding" in its name, current Forest Service designation limits use to hiking and backpacking only — no stock.

What to Know Before You Go

• A wilderness permit is required; advance reservations carry a $6 permit fee plus $5 per person through Recreation.gov, with separate walk-up availability at the trailhead.
• This is remote alpine terrain with no facilities, no cell coverage, and real mileage between water sources and camps — plan for multiple days.
• Call the Sierra National Forest's Bass Lake Ranger District ahead of your trip to confirm current trail and snow conditions.