Backpacking the Hetch Hetchy Loop to Lake Vernon in Yosemite
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Tucked away in the remote wilderness of Yosemite National Park, Lake Vernon is a stunning alpine lake escape along the Hetch Hetchy Loop trail that remains a hidden gem for backpackers.
Unlike the packed trails in Yosemite Valley, this serene backcountry route offers solitude, breathtaking views, and an unforgettable adventure that’s accessible from early summer to late fall.
Whether you’re looking for a challenging overnight trek or a more leisurely multi-day excursion, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know—from how to get permits to camping tips and the best scenic spots along the way.
Trail Stats for Lake Vernon – Rancheria Falls Loop in Hetch Hetchy
You’ll hear this hike called a bunch of different things: the Hetch Hetchy Loop, the Lake Vernon – Rancheria Falls Loop, or just referred to the Lake Vernon Loop. They’re all the same hike!
- Location: Hetch Hetchy, Yosemite National Park, California
- Distance: 25.5 miles
- Elevation Gain/ Loss: 5,730 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Route Type: Loop
- Time to Complete: 2-3 days
- Best Time to Go: Late Spring – Fall
- Permits Required? Yes
- Water Availability: Limited
- Campsite Availability: Medium, Dispered
- Pets allowed: No
- Trailhead Coordinates: 37.94633192667891, -119.78738565517432
- Parking & Fees: Park at backpacker’s lot. $35 park entry fee required.
- Cell service: No
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Why Hike the Hetch Hetchy Loop to Lake Vernon
Lake Vernon is awesome for the hikers that really want to get away from the crowds. Hetch Hetchy is one of the least visited areas of Yosemite National Park, and the northern wilderness beyond the reservoir is even less visited.
This is hike is perfect if you want variety in terrain: you get oak and chaparral forest, aspen trees, meadows, and of course, a gorgeous granite dome-lined alpine lake.
John Muir called Hetch Hetchy so beautiful that it rivaled the amazingness of Yosemite Valley. Sadly, it was flooded to create drinking water for San Francisco. As a hiker, you get to immerse yourself in some of this beauty while walking across the O’Shaughnessy Dam and gazing across the reservoir at Tueeulala and Wapama Falls, then scale the valley walls and hike through chaparral forest that turns to aspen trees as you gain elevation.
Best Time to Hike the Lake Vernon – Hetch Hetchy Loop Trail
The Hetch Hetchy area is accessible to hikers year-round since it’s elevation is similar to Yosemite Valley. However, Lake Vernon sits at 6,500 feet and will definitely experience snow over the winter.
Because of the lower elevation of Hetch Hetchy, this spot also gets really hot in the summer. The last time I visited in early June, it was 90°F during the day.
I think the best time to hike this trail is late spring (think: Memorial Day weekend) before it gets too hot and the bugs get bad, or the fall, which is when I hiked this trail.
My trip was in mid-October after the first snowfall of the year, but before the heavy snow came. The days were very mild, but the night was cold, but me and my hiking partner only saw two other people on our trip. Talk about solitude!
In reality, this hike is great from early June – late October, as long as you are prepared for heat in the middle of the summer and snow in June and October.
Always check the current conditions in Yosemite for trail closures. Sometimes the Wapama Falls footbridge is closed when the flow is unsafe. More on that below!
Backpacking Permits for Lake Vernon & Yosemite National Park
Wilderness permits are required year-round for backpacking in Yosemite. Permits are released 24 weeks in advance via a weekly lottery system. You can also try to get them one week in advance of your trip start date.
You’ll want to read my detailed permit guide about the intricacies of Yosemite’s permit system, and get your permits from recreation.gov.
There are two trailhead options for Lake Vernon depending on which direction you want to hike this trail. You also don’t need to hike to Lake Vernon as a loop – you can do it as an out-and-back hike, but I generally prefer loops so I can see different things!
- Trailhead 1: Beehive Meadows
- Trailhead 2: Rancheria Falls
The Beehive Meadows trailhead will bring you to Lake Vernon in ~9.5 miles, and is the most direct route to the lake. If you choose to hike in via Rancheria Falls, you must hike counter-clockwise, and your first night’s camp will probably be at the camping area near Rancheria Falls.
You can turn your permit reservation into a real backpacking permit at the Hetch Hetchy entrance station by talking to a ranger there.
Permits booked up? Outdoor Status will notify you the minute there is an opening!
Hetch Hetchy Loop Itinerary Options
There are a couple of ways to hike this trail depending on how much ground you want to cover per day. If you’re looking for a more leisurely trip, this could be done in four days. On my trip, we did this just as an overnight at Lake Vernon. I have to say though, I was hurting on the way back to the car. There was so much steep elevation loss that even my young, fit knees were throbbing.
If you want a short trip, definitely go clockwise and camp at Lake Vernon first. If having an easier first day on trail is a priority, opt for Rancheria Falls to be your first night’s campsite. I’d only recommend the four day itinerary if you just really want to spend more nights outside. I haven’t been to Laurel Lake personally, but the pictures are not nearly as stunning as Lake Vernon.
2 Day Itinerary
- Day 1: O’Shaughnessy Dam – Lake Vernon (9.5 miles)
- Day 2: Lake Vernon – O’Shaughnessy Dam via Rancheria Falls (16.5 miles)
3 Day Itinerary via Rancheria Falls, Counter-clockwise
- Day 1: O’Shaughnessy Dam – Rancheria Falls (6 miles)
- Day 2: Rancheria Falls – Lake Vernon (10 miles)
- Day 3: Lake Vernon – O’Shaughnessy Dam (9.5 miles)
4 Day Itinerary via Beehive Meadows, Clockwise
- Day 1: O’Shaughnessy Dam – Laurel Lake (7.3 miles)
- Day 2: Laurel Lake – Lake Vernon (4.7 miles)
- Day 3: Lake Vernon – Rancheria Falls (10 miles)
- Day 4: Rancheria Falls – O’Shaughnessy Dam (6 miles)
What You Need To Know Before Your Hetch Hetchy Backpacking Trip
Weather
Overall, the weather in the Hetch Hetchy area in Yosemite is hot in the summer, and warm in the spring and fall. This entire trail is very exposed, with very little shade and tree cover, so expect the temperature to feel warmer on a sunny day.
Even though this trail is a little lower in elevation, it’s still in the Sierra, which is known to have afternoon thunderstorms from July – August. You won’t be on the top of any peaks on this trail, but just be aware of thunderstorms and that they sometimes bring a sudden drop in temperature along with precipitation. Getting a mid-summer hail storm isn’t unheard of in the high country!
Because of the overall lower elevation of this trail, it can be a good option for getting into the high country early in the season. In low snow years, this hike could even be accessible in early May! You do need to be prepared for leftover snow and possibly some wet camping areas.
Water
The water on this trail is scarce, especially on the hike to Lake Vernon. I did not pass any streams on day 1, so it is important to carry enough water with you to reach the lake.
On the second day, there was accessible and good water in Tiltill Valley. I would hazard a guess that the insane winter of 2017 is to thank for there still being flowing water in this area in mid-October.
I would advise you to carry enough water to at least Rancheria Falls from Lake Vernon, and make the detour to the top/ near the water to filter if you need more to make it to the trailhead.
You won’t see any more accessible water until the trailhead spigots if you don’t fill up in Tiltill Valley or Rancheria Falls. The crossing over Tiltill Creek is on a high footbridge and the water is inaccessible. You might be able to grab some water at the base of Wapama Falls – at the end of one of the footbridges, there seemed to be easy access to a pool on the cliff side of the base. Extreme caution should be used, however. Also note that in 2025, a bridge project over Wapama Falls was completed, which may make the water inaccessible.
Camping Options
The best camping on this route is at Lake Vernon and Rancheria Falls.
We decided to camp on the northern side of Lake Vernon and I thought it was a really nice area with lots of Leave No Trace friendly campsites and easy access to the lake. There were also campsites on the southeast side of the lake, accessible after crossing the lake’s outlet.
I haven’t camped in the Rancheria area before, but I’ve heard there are some really nice campsites near Rancheria Creek at the base of the falls. When I was hiking past this area on the trail, I noticed a large turn-off on my left that seemed to lead to a wooded camping area.
Campfires
Campfires are allowed on this trail since it’s below 9,600 feet. Remember that you are only allowed to have a fire in pre-made fire rings. You are not allowed to build your own fire rings or have a fire outside of a ring. If there are fire restrictions in place, the ranger will let you know when you pick up your permit. Fire restrictions preventing any kind of fire in the summer are very common in Yosemite.
Tuolumne Watershed
All creeks and streams on this hike feed the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which is a drinking source. Because of this, all washing and waste needs to be taken 300 feet away from water sources. You also can’t swim within a mile of the reservoir.
Swimming in Lake Vernon is fine, but if you want to swim in the Rancheria area, you need to swim above the footbridge at the top of the waterfall, which is very dangerous in the early season. You’ll want to save this for the fall season when water flow is very low. Be sure to double check these regulations with rangers when you pick up your permit to clarify where swimming is ok.
Bears in Yosemite
Bears are definitely out and about in this area! And they are especially active in the fall due to entering hyperphagia: they must eat thousands of calories per day in order to sustain them through hibernation.
We saw three bears on our trip, including one mom and cub. The other group we saw on our trip said they saw a mom with two cubs as well.
You must be alert while hiking and give the bears space, and always use your bear canister! You might be thinking about bringing bear spray, but it’s actually illegal in Yosemite, and really isn’t necessary when dealing with Black bears.
Bugs
Bugs aren’t a super big issue along the trail by the reservoir, but I experienced a ton of gnats and flies in October in the valley areas. And there were some swampy areas along the Lake Vernon lakeshore, so I would expect that spot to be mosquito central in June.
Snakes
Snakes are seen in Yosemite up to ~6,000 feet in elevation. A lot of this trail is below or around 6,000 feet, so be on the lookout! Rattlesnakes are the snake you’ll need to worry about the most. Just be sure to watch the sides of the trail, especially in the chaparral areas of the hike and near Rancheria Falls and Tiltill Valley.
Getting To Hetch Hetchy
Hetch Hetchy is a little different than the rest of Yosemite. It has a different entrance than the rest of the park, accessible only from Evergreen Road off of CA-120 on the western side.
For security reasons, the entry gate is closed overnight. So, you need to time your arrival at Hetch Hetchy correctly. This means arriving the night before the gates close (and staying in the $8/ person/ night backpackers campground) or arriving after the gates open the morning of your hike.
The gate hours currently are:
- April 1 – April 30: 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
- May 1 – Labor Day: 7:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Day after Labor Day – October 31: 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
- November 1 – March 31: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Either way, if you are backpacking, park in the backpacker campground lot, your first left turn after the entrance station. In this area is the backpacker’s campground, food lockers to leave behind any scented items you don’t want to take with you into the backcountry (but please clean your stuff out after you get back!), and flush toilets.
There is a social trail from the camp to near the trailhead.
Where To Stay Before & After Your Hike
Luckily, the backpacker’s campground in Hetch Hetchy is super convenient as a place to stay for one night before or after your backpacking trip. These campgrounds are set aside for backpackers only and you must have a wilderness permit to stay there.
There aren’t any services in Hetch Hetchy though. So if you wanted to grab a meal after your hike, you’re out of luck unless you leave the park. But there’s plenty to eat in Groveland – Around the Horn is one of my favorites – and lots of places to stay the night if you are craving a bed after your hike.
Route Description & Itinerary for Lake Vernon in Hetch Hetchy
Day One: O’Shaughnessy Dam – Lake Vernon
Day one Trail Info
The trail officially begins at the O’Shaughnessy Dam. Walk over the dam and through the tunnel blasted through the granite. It’s amazing to think about this dam (or any dam) holding back this much water. Though I am a resident of the Bay Area whose water comes from Hetch Hetchy (great drinking water, BTW), I am against the dam being here and in favor of restoring Hetch Hetchy, but I’ll let you research that for yourself. For now, I stand in awe and sadness of the reservoir.
After a mile, you’ll come across the first trail marker. You’ll want to head to your left, and begin switchbacking up the walls of the valley.
You’ll start to gain elevation quickly, but will also get some great views of the reservoir on your way up! And soak them in now, because you won’t see it again until your second (or third) day!
Soon enough, the switchbacks will let up, and you’ll reach another trail junction. Keep following the signs to Lake Vernon. We took a little rest at this trail junction to eat some snacks. It’s a perfect spot with boulders and a large, open space. After continuing along for a little bit, we began seeing lots of fresh bear scat on the trail, easily identified by the amount of berries in it.
And sure enough, we rounded a bend in the trail and there was a mamma black bear and her cub! We were a little frightened: I hadn’t been this close to a bear before, and Jazmin had never seen one in the wild. As one does with a black bear, we slowly backed away, maintaining eye contact and started talking loudly to it. They eventually moseyed away, and we gave them more time to get ahead of us, since they were obviously using the trail for getting around.
We kept running into them on the trail until they finally moved off of it, and hung out under a tree farther away and watched us hike and talk to a pair on the trail. The cub was definitely curious but cautious: looking at us while standing behind his mamma. The cub was so dang cute!
After our close encounters, we hustled up the trail, definitely with more attention. We also started talking more, to give any bears out there a heads up. The trail continued steadily climbing, but the incline was not too bad, and the fall colors were so beautiful, we had to stop to admire them.
There was a good amount of burned areas on this trail, but you could tell it was from a while ago since the growth coming back was pretty nice. It was nothing like the burned section of the Lost Valley like I experienced this summer.
We climbed a little more, then took a lunch break in Beehive Meadows, at the junction to Laurel Lake. We only had a little longer to go before arriving at camp! The trail continues into the burnt forest, not nearly as exposed as the trail had been so far, and soon enough, after the junction to Jack Main Canyon, we started descending into the granite bowl of Lake Vernon, classic Yosemite high country!
After only another mile hiking over the granite, we were at the lake! We found tons of campsites on the northwest side of the lake that are Leave No Trace friendly (aka on sandy/ granite surface, with pre-built fire rings, and 200 feet away from the lakeshore). We also saw some that clearly were not LNT friendly (within 100 ft of water, makeshift fire rings), and I went on a spiel about LNT to Jazmin. I think our campsite was AMAZING, and it was LNT approved!
After setting up camp and doing some camp chores like filtering water and re-arringing our food into the bear canister, it was time to relax! I walked around our campsite and the lake a little bit and just admired the beauty. It was so quiet – we had the whole place to ourselves, which was amazing!
While I took photos (and marveled at the fall colors), Jazmin studied for her upcoming chemistry test!
Pretty soon, the sun started to set (so quickly in the fall!) so we prepared some yummy Mountain House Beef Stroganoff, got ready for bed, and hit the sleeping bags early!
Day Two: Lake Vernon – O’Shaughnessy Dam via Rancheria Falls
Day Two Trail Info
We woke up early the next day, since we had a lot of ground to cover! About 16 miles, to be precise. I have to say, if I were to do this exact trail again, I would definitely split this day into 2 days, set up camp near Rancheria Falls and explore the swimming holes above the falls, and then exit the wilderness on day 3. But, this was Jazmin’s first trip to Yosemite, and I wanted to show her around the Valley more after the trip, so we made do with two days!
When we woke up, we found our bear canister was a little frosty! We got the water boiling and then wrestled with the semi-frozen can with semi-frozen fingers until we finally got it open. Good thing I slept with my water filter last night, or it probably would have cracked and broken!
After another delicious breakfast by Mountain House (breakfast hash!) we broke down camp and promptly got hiking! After meeting up with the trail, we faced a lovely reminder that our first destination, Tiltill Valley was almost 7 miles away.
We had barely started hiking when we crossed the Lake Vernon outlet (aka Falls Creek) that will eventually lead to Wapama Falls! It really reminded me of the Merced River.
After crossing the river, we saw lots of great campsites on this side of the lake too, and they seemed to be LNT friendly! We then started climbing the granite switchbacks up and up, and got amazing views of Lake Vernon from above!
Good thing the views were so amazing – we needed an excuse the stop every few switchbacks and admire the beauty! Soon enough, we began leveling out and getting some distant views of the Hetch Hetchy Valley area (and some fire haze) before heading back into the forest.
The forested area was gorgeous. It reminded both of us of Washington.
The rest of the climbing wasn’t too bad. We eventually gained a total of 1,000 ft from the lake, in about 2.5 miles. Pretty quickly, we emerged from the forest, and were welcomed by the beating morning sun and many many switchbacks down to Tiltill Valley.
After the burned switchbacks, we ended up in a nice forest of California Black Oak and Canyon White Oak trees, which were shedding their leaves and their acorns all over the trail. This area was pretty slippery and a little rocky. Tiltill Valley was absolutely gorgeous! Seeing it in the fall, I wonder what it looks like in the spring and summer! It was super dry and golden this time of year.
This was also the location of our second bear sighting! We saw some scat on the trail, and about 100 yards in the distance, on a rock formation in the middle of the meadow, we saw our third bear! This one definitely looked bigger than the mamma we saw yesterday, and much more similar in size to the one I saw in the summer, so we think it was a male (also, no cute cubs were following it around).
We were slightly nervous again since we couldn’t tell which way the bear went, and the grass was so tall, we couldn’t see the ground. But, we were pumped when we saw the trail marker!
For some reason, we felt like Hetch Hetchy should be so much closer than 9 miles away! But the marker was right: we still had quite a ways to go! After Tiltill, the trail gained about 500 feet of elevation again, and then the landscape shifted suddenly back to the Hetch Hetchy area: dry, rocky, and desert-like.
This is when the trail started dragging on for me. The Hetch Hetchy valley walls seemed so close, yet so far away at the same time! We were descending pretty rapidly on the rocky trail too, slipping in areas due to loose rock and steepness. But, we got to the top of Rancheria Falls pretty quickly. As I said earlier, if I were to do this again, I’d stop in the nice, open area here (slightly past the trail junction) and spend the rest of the day looking for the swimming holes above the falls (especially in late summer & early fall when it’s still hot enough to warrant swimming & the water levels drop rapidly).
But, we continued on. We only had 5 miles left, though they would prove to be the longest miles of the day! We tracked our progress by footbridges.
The rest of the trail was decently difficult (at least, after already walking 10+ miles). I didn’t read my topo maps closely enough, so was surprised by the up and down nature of the trail, especially surprised by the ~500 foot gain before Wapama Falls. We eventually made it through, with rests! Once we reached the Wapama Falls footbridges, I felt much better. Kolana Rock was behind us, the dam was looming larger, and the wind picked up, which drove the gnats away. We were in the home stretch!
Once the trail became less rocky and a little more level, we knew we were almost done!
Finally, we had reached the tunnel, and then the dam. We were done! We just had to walk back to the car and get back down to the valley! Overall, this was a successful, fun, and beautiful trip! I had never been to Hetch Hetchy, so it was cool to see a different side of Yosemite and have a new perspective.
As I said earlier, I would split day 2 into 2 days, and turn this into a 3-day, 2-night trip, just so day 2 would be a little more enjoyable. Or, if doing this in 2 days again, I would do and out-and-back to Lake Vernon, because the first day’s trail was very nice! But it was good to push the limits.
What to Pack for Backpacking
Gear can really make or break your backpacking trip! This hike has a lot of elevation gain and loss, so I would focus on only bringing the absolute essentials with you on this trip. I’m a proponent of ultralight backpacking gear and think it shines on this trail. You can check out my backpacking gear guide to learn what I pack on every trip.
There are a few pieces of gear that you’ll definitely want to consider bringing.
- A bear canister. You can rent one for a small deposit in Yosemite Valley, but I find it easier to have my own and pack it at home. With so many places requiring them now, you might consider having your own.
- Water filter. You always want to filter backcountry water! No reason to get Giardia or crypto.
- Trekking poles. With so much steep elevation gain and loss on this hike, your knees will thank you for taking some pressure off!
- Pack towel. If you do end up swimming, sometimes it’s nice to have a towel to dry off – a luxury item for sure!
Final Thoughts
I’m so happy I decided to hike this trail. It was so amazing seeing three bears and experiencing this Yosemite Wilderness with almost zero other people! I recommend doing this hike as a two night trip though so all of it can be fully enjoyed.
This trail is a really good option for backpackers looking to do their first multi-night backpacking trip since it’s well signed, there are lots of camping options, and water sources are defined.
If you’re looking for more Yosemite backpacking trip ideas, check out my list below!
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