High Sierra Camp Loop

High Sierra Camp Loop is the full 48.2-mile circuit connecting Tuolumne Meadows with Yosemite’s five High Sierra Camps. Starting at the Sunrise Lakes Trailhead beside Tenaya Lake, this mapped direction passes May Lake and Glen Aulin, crosses Tuolumne Meadows, then climbs through Vogelsang and Merced Lake to Sunrise Camp and back to Tenaya. It is a true multi-day wilderness trip, with 6,450 feet of total climbing. The 33.3-mile Vogelsang–Merced Lake–Sunrise loop is a separate, shorter route.

Allow about 40 hours of walking, usually spread over five to seven days at this altitude. The camps are roughly 6 to 10 miles apart, but the high passes and long days make this a serious backpacking objective.

May Lake gives you Mount Hoffmann reflected in the water. Farther around, Glen Aulin sits at about 7,800 feet beside a waterfall and pool on the Tuolumne River, with Mount Conness in view. The route then crosses high country around Vogelsang before dropping through Merced Lake and climbing back toward Sunrise. Vogelsang Pass reaches about 10,750 feet, so altitude is part of the effort.

The High Sierra Camps are optional stops, not services included with the trail. Reserved camp stays offer lodging and meals; all camps have restrooms, while showers are available at May Lake and Sunrise when water allows. Glen Aulin has been there since 1929. Sunrise Camp, built in the early 1960s, was the last camp added and sits beside an alpine meadow at about 9,400 feet, looking toward Mount Florence and Mount Clark.