Every Trail Tells a Story
Mono Pass
One hike, two Sierras: lush west, austere east, in a single view.
Historic pass with a jewel of a lake right on the crest.
Big-sky Mono Basin panorama that never gets old.
A historic trail leading to a historic pass, as well as stirring views from the eastern Sierra crest are some of the highlights of a hike to Mono Pass. Mono Pass is located on Yosemite’s eastern boundary, where the national park meets Inyo National Forest and the Ansel Adams Wilderness. From the often wind-whipped pass, the view encompasses Mono Lake and surrounding arid lands, as well as the White Mountains on the California-Nevada border
Long before Yosemite became a National Park, Native Americans travelled Mono Trail, which extended from the slopes above the west end of Yosemite Valley up to Porcupine Flat and then along a route much like that of today’s Tioga Road. Mono Trail then surmounted Mono Pass and descended infamous Bloody Canyon, so named by early prospectors and explorers for the sharp rocks that bloodied and often killed their horses and mules.
Mono Pass is a hike through the Sierra’s looking glass – west-slope meadow and lodgepole giving way to east-slope austerity in the space of a morning. From Tioga Pass, you rise gently through Dana Meadows, cross polished shelves where water lingers in bright pools, and then thread higher to the historic notch used by Native travelers and, later, miners chasing thin veins and thinner paydays. The moment the pass opens, the world tips: the light sharpens, the wind seems to come from far places, and the pale spread of the Mono Basin lies beyond like a map you could step into.
This is high country in contrast: West side: green and water, frogs, grasses and tarns. East side: old cabin ruins, Summit Lake, and that long view to Mono Lake. This hike – a modest effort by Sierra standards – is a fine trail for people who like their geology with a little story and their stories with a breeze.
Afternoon storms build fast along the crest – so start early and mind the sky. The elevation (10,600 feet at the pass) can steal a step or two; a steady pace pays dividends. When you sit at Summit Lake with boots off and watch swallows stitch the air, you’ll be glad you made the climb.
From Tioga Pass (elev. 9,943 feet), park at the Mono Pass trailhead just inside the park boundary on Tioga Road.
Follow a good path through Dana Meadows, with the Dana Fork glittering through grass. Cross open granite and small streamlets, then climb steadily into sparser forest. As the trail steepens near treeline, switchbacks deliver you to Mono Pass (10,600 feet).
A short spur leads right to Summit Lake – linger along its quiet shore. From the pass, look east across the Mono Basin and the White Mountains. Optional: a brief descent eastward toward old mining cabins gives a taste of the rain-shadow country.