Mono Pass Trail

Mono Pass Trail is an 8-mile out-and-back from the signed Dana Meadows trailhead on Tioga Road to the Sierra crest. The climb is about 1,000 feet, but the trail starts near 9,700 feet and reaches roughly 10,600 feet, so give yourself time to adjust to the altitude. Allow 5 to 7 hours. The route rises gently at first, then climbs more steeply after the Spillway Lake junction.

The mapped route turns around at Mono Pass. For the broad view, continue about a quarter mile farther toward a shelf above Upper Sardine Lake; that adds roughly half a mile round trip. From there you can look over Bloody Canyon to Mono Lake.

Two marked right forks can send you onto other hikes. At about two miles, the right fork leads to Spillway Lake; stay left for Mono Pass. Near the pass, another right fork leads toward Parker Pass. Keep left again. The trail’s full distance is for the Dana Meadows start, not the separate approaches from Tioga Pass or Bloody Canyon.

The lower trail winds gradually through lodgepole pines and wet meadows, with streams crossing the route. Red mountain heather blooms beside the trail in mid-summer. After the Spillway Lake junction, the grade steepens as you climb to the pass. Several stream crossings are unbridged; early-season runoff can make them cold, high, and swift, and early summer can be muddy. Stay on the tread through puddles to protect the fragile meadow plants.

At the crest, the scenery changes quickly. The west side is greener, with meadows and water; beyond the pass, Bloody Canyon is rockier and drier, opening toward Mono Valley. The shelf above Upper Sardine Lake is the best place for the full view, with the lake below and Mono Lake in the distance. Keep some foreground rock in the frame to show the shift from the gentle western slope to the stark eastern side.

This was a trans-Sierra route long before the modern road. The descent through Bloody Canyon was rough enough to injure pack stock, which is where the canyon’s name comes from. The pass also marks the change between the wetter western slope and the much drier Mono Basin.

The signed Mono Pass Trailhead is on the south side of Tioga Road at Dana Meadows, about a mile west of Tioga Pass. The small lot has a vault toilet and a bear-safe food locker. Bring food and water for the day; there are no services on the trail. Dogs and bicycles are not allowed on Yosemite hiking trails. Tioga Road is usually open from late May or early June into October or November, but snow can close it early, so check current road conditions before setting out.