Savage-Lundy Trail

The Savage-Lundy Trail drops from a ridgetop trailhead near El Portal down into the South Fork Merced River canyon, losing nearly 1,900 feet over 3 miles to Devil's Gulch — a 6-mile round trip rated difficult. It's one of the more remote and demanding trails in the Yosemite area, best suited to hikers comfortable with steep, exposed terrain and no cell service.

What the Trail Is Like

The route starts among pine and oak, then quickly drops into chaparral — locals call it the "elfin forest," a dense tangle of brush and low shrubs with almost no shade for most of the descent. The payoff is a run of wide-open views over the South Fork canyon that you don't get on the shadier trails closer to the Valley. Water only shows up at the very bottom, where the trail meets Devil's Gulch creek nearly 2,000 feet below the trailhead; dispersed camping is available downstream from there.

When to Hike It

This is a low-elevation, unshaded trail, which makes it dangerously hot in late spring, summer, and early fall. Plan on October through May instead. A high-clearance or 4WD vehicle is recommended to reach the trailhead off Hite Cove Road, and because the return climb reverses that 1,900-foot elevation loss, budget real time and water for the way back up.

A Little History

The trail's name honors Major James Savage, often credited as the first non-Native discoverer of Yosemite Valley, and Otto Lundy, a miner who owned the nearby May Lundy Mine. The route down to Devil's Gulch was cut around 1927.