Tahoe–Yosemite Trail

The United States Forest Service had begun work on the Tahoe–Yosemite Trail by 1916 with the intent of providing a path from Meeks Bay at Lake Tahoe to the northern boundary of Yosemite National Park. The expectation was that the National Park Service would then complete the trail south to Tuolumne Meadows and connect it to the John Muir Trail (JMT).{{cite journal|last=Huber|first=Walter L.|date=1917|title=Forestry Notes: Tahoe–Yosemite Trail|journal=Sierra Club Bulletin|publisher=Sierra Club|location=San Francisco|volume=10|issue=2|pages=256–257|url=https://archive.org/details/sierraclubbullet1019sier/page/256/mode/2up}} Work on the trail was interrupted in 1918 due to the country's involvement in World War I.{{cite journal|last=Mulford|first=Walter |date=1918|title=Forestry Notes: Tahoe–Yosemite Trail|journal=Sierra Club Bulletin|publisher=Sierra Club|location=San Francisco|volume=10|issue=3|pages=374–375|url=https://archive.org/details/sierraclubbullet1019sier/page/374/mode/2up}}{{cite journal|last=Mulford|first=Walter |date=1919|title=Forestry Notes: Tahoe–Yosemite Trail|journal=Sierra Club Bulletin|publisher=Sierra Club|location=San Francisco|volume=10|issue=4|pages=486|url=https://archive.org/details/sierraclubbullet1019sier/page/486/mode/2up}}

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) was first proposed in the 1920s and was to link several existing long-distance trails to create a continuous path from Canada to Mexico. Early maps and descriptions of the PCT delineate these trail segments, which included the TYT and adjacent JMT.{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www.pcta.org/about-us/history/|publisher=Pacific Crest Trail Association|access-date=2014-10-02}}{{cite book|last=Clarke|first=Clinton C.|title=The Pacific Crest Trailway|location=Pasadena|publisher=The Pacific Crest Trailway Conference|year=1945|url=http://pcttrailway.pctplanner.com}}{{cite book|last=Rogers|first=Warren L.|title=The PCT Relays|location=Santa Anna|publisher=Warren L. Rogers|year=1968}}{{cite web|last=Allen|first=Jae|url= http://traveltips.usatoday.com/trails-were-combined-form-pacific-crest-trail-106196.html|title=Which Trails Were Combined to Form the Pacific Crest Trail?|publisher=USA Today|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062931/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/trails-were-combined-form-pacific-crest-trail-106196.html|archive-date=4 March 2016}} The PCT path described in the Federal Register in 1973, however, does not make reference to the TYT, and today the TYT is considered an unofficial path.{{cite journal|last=USDA Forest Service|date=1973|title=Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail Route Selection|journal=Federal Register|volume=38|issue=19|pages=2832–2944|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5311121.pdf| url-status=live| access-date=2022-02-13| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024195844/http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5311121.pdf| archive-date=2020-10-24}}

First published in 1970, Thomas Winnett's The Tahoe-Yosemite Trail popularized the trail. He described a {{convert|186|mi|km|adj=on}} route that combined segments of the PCT path, historical TYT/PCT paths that had long been rerouted off roads and moved onto newly constructed trail, and altogether new routes chosen by the author. The result was a route that included Forest Service and Park Service maintained trails, road walks, trails no longer maintained, and cross-country routes through trailless terrain. Winnett hoped the book would encourage the Forest Service to officially recognize his TYT route, but even with five editions, the last published in 1987, the TYT remained an unofficial route.

There is continued interest in Winnett's route for hikers seeking remoteness, the challenge of route finding and cross-country travel, and the opportunity to visit lower-elevation ecosystems as the route detours west of and below the Sierra Crest.Personal web pages, blogs, and videos posted on the web reveal continued interest in the Winnett Route for the reasons cited. These accounts of navigating the Winnett Route provide valuable information for hikers considering undertaking the trek.

Hiking from Meeks Bay to Tuolumne Meadows can be done on officially recognized and maintained trails. The Forest Service recognizes the beginning of the TYT as the Meeks Bay Trailhead.{{cite web|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/ltbmu/recarea/?recid=11826|title=Meeks Bay Trailhead|publisher=Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, USDA Forest Service|access-date=2021-05-24}}{{cite web|url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5176363.pdf|title=Hiking Trails: West Shore |publisher=Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, USDA Forest Service|access-date=2022-02-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105104457/https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5176363.pdf |archive-date=2020-11-05 |url-status=live}} The trail runs {{convert|12|mi|km}}, generally southwest, to join the PCT one mile north of Middle Velma Lake. The PCT is then followed {{convert|171|mi|km}} south to Tuolumne Meadows. This route is {{convert|183|mi|km}} long with the lowest elevation being {{convert|6240|ft|m}} at the Meeks Bay Trailhead and the highest elevation being {{convert|10880|ft|m}} on the ridge south of Sonora Pass. The total elevation gain along the trail is {{convert|35100|ft|m}} and the elevation loss is {{convert|32700|ft|m}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.pctmap.net/maps/|title=Halfmile's PCT Maps|date=7 January 2014|publisher=Halfmile Media|access-date=2014-10-02}}

A permit is required to hike the TYT and can be obtained from the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit{{cite web|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/ltbmu/passes-permits/recreation| title=Recreation Passes & Permits| publisher=Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, USDA Forest Service|access-date=2022-02-13}} for hikers beginning at the Meeks Bay Trailhead and from Yosemite National Park{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildpermits.htm|title=Wilderness Permits|publisher=Yosemite National Park|access-date=2014-10-02}} for hikers beginning at Tuolumne Meadows. Food must be stored in approved hard-sided bear canisters within the backcountry of Yosemite National Park.{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bearcanisters.htm|title=Bears and Food Storage While Backpacking|publisher=Yosemite National Park|access-date=2014-10-02}}

The TYT crosses paved roads at or near Echo Summit, Carson Pass, Ebbetts Pass, and Sonora Pass, which facilitates resupplying for thru hikers and provides trail access for section hikers.

• Ecology of the Sierra Nevada
• John Muir Trail
• Long-distance trails in the United States
• Pacific Crest Trail
• Tahoe Rim Trail

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{{California hiking trails}}

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Category:Lake Tahoe

Category:Long-distance trails in the United States

Category:Yosemite National Park

Category:Hiking trails in California

Category:Sierra Nevada (United States)