Mount Gibbs

Mount Gibbs rises to nearly 12,800 feet on the Sierra crest just south of Mount Dana, overlooking Tioga Pass and the Mono Basin from the eastern edge of Yosemite. There is no maintained trail to the top. This is a cross-country scramble over compacted talus, reached from the Mono Pass trailhead on Tioga Road about a mile and a half west of the park's eastern entrance station. Strong hikers often link it with neighboring Mount Dana for one long day above 12,000 feet.

Getting There and the Route

Start at the Mono Pass trailhead off Tioga Road (Highway 120). Follow the pack trail toward Mono Pass, then leave it before the pass itself and climb east across talus toward the Gibbs summit ridge. The talus begins around 11,000 feet, and the standard route is rated Class 1 — no technical climbing, but steep, loose footing and thin air the rest of the way. There is no signed path past the pack-trail junction, so route-finding experience and a topo map or GPS track matter here.

Permits and Seasonal Access

• Day hikes to the summit do not require a wilderness permit.
• Overnight camping requires a Yosemite wilderness permit, and camping is prohibited on the mountain's west side, part of the protected Dana Meadows and Tioga Pass watershed.
• Tioga Road closes for winter and typically does not reopen until late spring or early summer, so the trailhead is only reachable part of the year.