Parker Pass Trail

Parker Pass Trail is a 10.5-mile out-and-back from Mono Pass Trailhead on Tioga Road. Follow the shared Mono Pass approach for about 3.5 miles, then turn onto the Parker Pass branch and climb to the pass. The mapped corridor is about 5.2 miles each way. Allow about eight hours for the high-altitude distance and sustained climbing; the route starts near 9,700 feet and reaches roughly 11,100 feet. This is a full-day hike, not a quick pass-side stop.

The trail starts through lodgepole pines and wet meadows, with several unbridged stream crossings. A branch for Spillway Lake leaves the main approach at about 2.3 miles; stay on the Mono Pass path, then take the Parker Pass branch around 3.5 miles from the trailhead. Early in the season, crossings can be cold, high and swift. Early-summer mud is common in this wet country, so stay on the tread instead of walking around puddles and widening it.

After the junction, the route crosses open meadow and climbs toward the crest. The trees fall behind, and views open toward Spillway Lake below and the Kuna Crest across the high country. At roughly 11,100 feet, Parker Pass is the turnaround for this mapped hike. Continuing toward Parker Pass Lake or over Koip Peak Pass adds distance and makes a different outing; neither extension is included in the 10.5-mile figure. For a photo, keep the meadow or trail in the foreground with the crest beyond it to show how the route crosses the basin.

The shared approach follows the old Mono Pass corridor, a trans-Sierra route used by Paiute and Miwok people for seasonal travel and trade between the Mono Basin and the Sierra high country. Rust-red metamorphic slopes around Mount Lewis and Mount Gibbs stand out against the granite crest. In mid-summer, red mountain heather blooms beside the trail, and the wet meadows hold other seasonal wildflowers.

Park at Mono Pass Trailhead in Dana Meadows, on Tioga Road. The trailhead has a vault toilet and animal-safe food-storage lockers; there is no food stop on the route, so bring what you need. Yosemite does not allow pets on hiking trails. Vehicle access depends on Tioga Road, which usually opens in late May or early June and closes sometime in October or November after snow. Check the road status before driving in.