Glen Aulin - May Lake Trail

Glen Aulin - May Lake is a 7.8-mile, one-way connector from the Glen Aulin camp area to a junction on the May Lake approach. Allow about eight to nine hours for the steep high-country route, which gains roughly 1,900 feet and reaches about 9,400 feet. The saved line ends near May Lake rather than at the lakeshore or road, so allow extra walking at that end. A same-car day trip means retracing the connector, more than 15 miles before either access walk.

The route climbs through lodgepole pine and damp meadow ground near McGee Lake. A route account describes a stream crossing there and a smaller clear lake higher on the climb. From there, a long run of switchbacks gains the ridge. The route is strenuous and remote; it makes most sense as part of a planned wilderness crossing, not a casual out-and-back.

The upper climb crosses open granite before the view widens toward southern Yosemite. From the ridge near May Lake, Half Dome's far side appears beyond the granite slopes. This is the walk's payoff. For a photo, keep some of the pale rock in the foreground so the distant face has scale.

The Glen Aulin end is a wilderness camp, not a roadside trailhead; NPS directs Glen Aulin visitors to park at Lembert Dome and walk in. At the May Lake end, continue along the local approach to the Tioga Road trailhead. If you cannot arrange a through-hike, returning to the same car doubles the connector distance, plus the approach walks. Yosemite requires a wilderness permit for overnight backpacking, but not for day hikes. Pets are prohibited on park trails; service animals are allowed. Tioga Road access is seasonal, usually closed from November to late May or June, and high trails can be snowy and hard to follow during that period.