Emigrant Wilderness Lakes
North of Yosemite (Sonora Pass area) · near Pinecrest / Sonora · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Fishing · Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Best season
- July–September (snow-free)
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 30 miles
- Elevation gain
- 4,500 ft
- Time needed
- multi-day
- Best season
- July–September
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+) required. The Emigrant Wilderness, north of Yosemite near Sonora Pass, holds scores of trout-filled granite lakes reached by trail from trailheads like Kennedy Meadows and Crabtree. Wilderness permit for overnights (Stanislaus NF, quota). Uncrowded backcountry.
- Permit required
- Yes
- How the permit works
- Stanislaus National Forest wilderness permit, obtained in person (or self-issued) — no online quota lottery, making this a great option when the marquee areas are booked out. Trailheads at Kennedy Meadows and Crabtree.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 2 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Scores of trout-filled granite lakes · Quieter than Yosemite's backcountry · Brookies, rainbows & goldens · Classic Sierra backpacking fishery
- Features
- Granite lake country north of Yosemite · No online quota · Quiet alternative to Yosemite · Historic cattle-country dams
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Fishing detail
- Water type
- high-sierra
- Water
- fresh
- Methods
- Fly · Casting
- Boat
- shore
- Target species
- Brook trout · Rainbow trout · Brown trout · Golden trout (some lakes)
- Intl tip
- License required (permit for overnights, quota, Stanislaus NF). Scores of trout-filled granite lakes north of Yosemite — quieter and less pressured than the park or Eastern Sierra. Brookies everywhere, goldens up high. Backpack from Kennedy Meadows/Crabtree. July–September. Combine with Sonora Pass and the gold country. Underrated solitude.
Hiking detail
- Nights
- 3–4
- Resupply
- None needed. Bear canister recommended; food storage rules apply.
- Intl tip
- This is the go-to when Yosemite and the Inyo permits are all gone — the in-person permit system means procrastinators and spontaneous trips are welcome. Kennedy Meadows (the Sonora Pass one, not the southern Kennedy Meadows) has a pack station and a rustic resort with a bar and burgers at the trailhead for your finish.
The guide
The Emigrant Wilderness, a vast expanse of granite domes, meadows, and lakes just north of Yosemite near Sonora Pass, is one of…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Emigrant Wilderness Lakes — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.22, -119.75