A four day trek, just under 40 miles, endless river swimming, a calf destroying climb, a momma bear with a cub, and a relaxing river. Oh, not to mention the whole things was a bit smoky!

So, you want to experience more than Yosemite Valley on the visit to Yosemite National Park? Well, I have the perfect idea for you! Yosemite National Park’s high country has fewer people exploring and the further you go, the more secluded your trip will become. So, make the trip up Tioga Pass and drop into Tuolumne Meadows to snag your backpacking permit for the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River. Below, you will find a wide variety of information on backpacking the Grand Tuolumne River as well other options for when you visit Yosemite National Park.

Mother black bear with cub on trail while hiking the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River

Trip Details… The Data

The Route: Glen Aulin to White Wolf (reversible)

Length: 30.8 miles

Elevation Change: 5,774 feet

Season: Late Summer

Days: Three nights, four days

The headwaters to the Grand Canyon of Tuolumne. — The headwaters to the Grand Canyon of Tuolumne in Yosemite National Park, CA.

Backpacking Story

Day One:

After a long wait to acquire our backpacking permits and filling our bear bins we headed down the relatively flat Glen Aulin trailhead. Scott was my trail buddy for this trip and it was also his first backpacking trip! Stopping to adjust our packs, fill water in the creeks, and take a couple of dips, we eventually made it the Glen Aulin high sierra camp. This would be our home for the night.

Over the past several years, I have made a trip out the Glen Aulin with my Mom, friends, and alone. This place is magical! If you are ever passing through here, make sure to take the time to swim in the water fall!

Day Two:

As we did this route “backwards” Scott and I had headed downhill for the majority of the trip. While I am not sure if I would recommend this, as the last day is a B#$% of a climb, it is pleasant to walk downhill for two days. Scott and I were not in rush, so we took two days to walk the Grand Canyon. Along the steep cliffs and pools of water, we stripped down and swam in the river pools. The water was cold, so make sure you are ready to cool down before getting in. Day two was a solid hike, but the best part was calling it early, setting up camp, and reading our books next to the river as we sipped our tea. As the tea lost flavor, we crawled into our sleeping bags, the night didn’t call for a tent.

Day Three:

Waking up with crusty eyes and a little bit of a sore throat—there was a fire in the area and the smoke settled into the canyon over night—we made a quick breakfast and headed out. Walking down hill along the river, the cliffs grew steep and consequential if you fell. Excited about the opportunity to cross the canyon and head to Harding lake, there was still a good amount of trail ahead of us. Playing trail games while backpacking is a great way to pass time. My favorite is posing this question, “What does your ideal 24 hours look like if you can teleport and time-travel?” Gosh, the answers for this are incredible.

I have to note, Scott was crushing this backpacking trip and it was his first time! No complaints, no whining, no hot spots! Impressive.

On our thigh burning ascent, Scott and I decided to take the scenic route and stay out, under the stars one final night. As we made the right hand turn to Harding Lake, we crossed path with a cub and its mom… scary, but also amazing! As all four of us observed each other, I snapped a couple photographs of these two (see the top image). Eventually, they decided we didn’t matter and wandered off into the woods.

Scott and I made our way to the lake, set up camp, and, of course, made afternoon tea.

Day Four:

Knowing that we were going to need to hitch-hike back to our car, Scott and I woke up early, broke down our tent, and hit the trail. Backpacking is one of those great activities because you can move slow, or fast, and this morning was a “fast” morning. Getting out of camp around 8:00am we were at the trailhead with our thumbs out by 10:00 am. Personally, I pick up hitch hikers, which I think gives me good karma as we both got picked up by our second car. The man was kind and fun, giving us information for Mount Tyndall, which we climbed a few days later.

By the end of the trip, our legs were sore. We made some tea and headed to HWY 395 for a little climbing and some more mountain fun!