Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp

Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp is seasonal backcountry lodging at 7,800 feet beside White Cascade on the Tuolumne River. It has eight rustic tent cabins, and camp meals let overnight guests leave some food and camping gear behind. This is a reserved stay reached on foot, not a roadside stop. From Lembert Dome parking, the National Park Service lists an 11-mile round trip taking six to eight hours; the camp is about 5.5 miles each way, with roughly 800 feet to climb on the return.

The approach descends along the river through meadow systems and forest. Tuolumne Fall and White Cascade are on the route, and the camp sits beside the cascade and its pool. The trail has narrow, rocky, uneven sections and several unbridged stream crossings. In early season those crossings can be cold, high, and swift; turn back if the water is unsafe. Tioga Road is seasonal, so check road and trail conditions before setting out. Dogs aren't allowed on park hiking trails, and this route is not wheelchair accessible.

High Sierra Camp stays include family-style breakfasts and dinners in a dining tent; overnight guests can also arrange a packed lunch. The camp provides clean drinking water for guests to refill bottles, but treat stream and lake water on the hike. Glen Aulin does not offer the separate meals-only reservation option, so don't plan on it as a trail-side cafe. A nearby backpackers' camping area is separate from the concessioner's cabins.

The name Glen Aulin comes from Gaelic for “beautiful glen.” A hikers' camp was chosen for the valley in 1923 and built downstream in 1927; mosquitoes prompted a move to the present spot beside White Cascade. The concessioner dates Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp's establishment to 1929, a later milestone in that same story.

White Cascade drops into a pool just beside camp; farther downriver, the Tuolumne enters a granite canyon with California Fall, LeConte Fall, and Waterwheel Falls. Reaching Waterwheel is a much longer outing: the National Park Service lists a 19-mile round trip from Lembert Dome parking. At camp, the cabin-and-cascade setting gives a more distinctive picture than the waterfall alone, while the cabins face evening sunsets with Mt. Conness in the distance.