Though we view the Mokelumne Wilderness from the perspective of long-distance Southbound backpackers on the main long-distance trails. Along our way we are going to find endless excellent short, medium, and long distance backpacking trips that are well suited for shorter trips to better explore the Mokelumne Wilderness. These are mostly in and out trips along the same route, or trailhead to trailhead hikes.

The reason for this is a lack of connector trails between the Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Trails across the Mokelumne Wilderness is the TYT-PCT wrap around different flanks of formidable terrain features decorating the heart of the Mokelumne Wilderness.
The massive bulk of the Deadwood Peak Massif and the configuration of the Summit City and North Mokelumne Canyons wrapping around it makes connecting the PCT and TYT across the Southern end of the Mokelumne Wilderness virtually impossible.
The Tahoe to Yosemite transits the Mokelumne Wilderness through a remote section of the Western flank of the Sierra Nevada, mostly through the two deep granite canyons of Summit City and the North Mokelumne Rivers. The only trail connecting the TYT and PCT routes once we enter these canyons is the trail running out the top of Summit City Canyon. South of this trail there are no links between the PCT and TYT until we reach Highland Creek to the South of Highway 4 in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness!
We can tie short bits of the TYT and PCT together for short backpacking loops around the North end of the Mokelumne Wilderness, from Carson Pass South down to Upper Blue Lake, and back through Upper Summit City Canyon, but that's about it.

The maps below show us why.

The Mokelumne Wilderness has many less loop routes than the Carson Iceberg or Emigrant Wilderness to our South, or the Desolation Wilderness to our North. This makes section hiking either the PCT and/or TYT our best bets hiking though the Mokelumne Wilderness. There's really not a practical loop that we can hike around the Wilderness by tying together the PCT and TYT, as there are in the Carson Iceberg and Emigrant Wilderness to our South.

To loop the Mokelumne we would either have to hitch-hike between the Lake Alpine (TYT) and Ebbetts Pass (PCT) Trailheads on Highway 4 or continuing South across Highway 4 (on either the PCT or TYT) to the Highland Creek Trail in the Northern Carson Iceberg Wilderness. The Highland Creek Trail is the first trail connecting the TYT and PCT once we hike South of Blue Lakes on the PCT or turn down Summit City Canyon on the TYT.

The terrain in the Mokelumne Wilderness is very unlike the Emigrant and Carson Iceberg Wilderness to our South where multiple connector trails link the PCT and TYT together, which opens up a heck of a lot of excellent long distance backpacking loop trips around both these fantastic wilderness areas.
These connector trails also open many alternative routes for long distance backpackers hiking across them.

Not so in the Mokelumne Wilderness! It's one route or the other across the Mokelumne Wilderness.

Permits
Permits South on the TYT from Carson Pass are had from the Amador Ranger District of the El Dorado National Forest. If you plan on hiking this section South out of Carson Pass check on the status of the Carson Pass Cabin with the Amador Rangers before you depart, if possible. The seasonal Carson Pass Cabin is the primary permitting authority at Carson Pass.
Northbound hikers into this section of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail from Bee Gulch will get permits from the Calavaras Ranger District of the Stanislaus National Forest.

The Long Perspective
TYT WEST
Southbound Long distance backpackers enter the El Dorado National Forest hiking through the Carson Gap out of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Tahoe to Yosemite Trail hikers depart the El Dorado and enter the Stanislaus National Forest at the very South end of the Mokelumne Wilderness crossing the North Fork of the Mokelumne River at Camp Irene.

PCT EAST
The Pacific Crest Trail travels through the Eastern edge of the Mokelumne Wilderness only nominally in the El Dorado National Forest. Most of our Pacific Crest Trail route is in the Toiyabe National Forest, which administers the Eastern flank of the Sierra from Lake Tahoe down to Yosemite.
The route of the Pacific Crest Trail pretty much stays in the Toiyabe National Forest through Ebbetts Pass on Highway 4 for the vast majority of its route down to its entrance into Yosemite National Park.

The Toiyabe National Forest covers Everything East of a line drawn North and South along the Sierra Crest from the crest of the Carson Range (bounding the Eastern and Southern shores of Lake Tahoe- the Sierra Range wraps around Tahoe's West Shore) South all the way down to Tuolumne Meadows. Three National Forests cover the same distance along the Western flank of the Sierra Crest.

Administrative Anomalies
The High Sierra mountain passes and their trailheads are technically split between the Eastern and Western flanks of the Sierra. In fact, the national forest boundary runs down the whole length of the Sierra Crest, and across all the mountain passes. One step West puts us on the Western flank and in one National Forest, one step East puts us on the East flank in a different national forest.
But the administration of the mountain passes South of the Lake Tahoe Basin down to Yosemite, being the Carson, Ebbetts, and Sonora Passes, are all administered by the Western National Forest. I figure the West flank Forests manage these shared trailheads because the Toiyabe National Forest is so frigging huge.
All the forests surrounding the Toiyabe administers the trailheads they share with the Toiyabe National Forest.
For whatever reason none of the PCT trailheads at the High Sierra mountain passes mention that the vast majority of the PCT across the North Sierra from our exit out of the Tahoe Basin to our entrance into the North Yosemite Backcountry is through the Toiyabe National Forest. It is.

Permits entering the Mokelumne Wilderness from the East are had from the Carson Ranger District of the Toiyabe National Forest from Carson Pass down to just North of Sonora Pass. The Bridgeport Ranger District handles East Sierra permits from just North of Sonora Pass down to the bottom of the Hoover Wilderness at Virginia Lakes.

Lake Alpine, where the route of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail crosses Highway 4, sits about 15 miles West of Ebbetts Pass down Highway 4. Lake Alpine and its trailheads North and South are administered by the Calavaras Ranger District of the Stanislaus National Forest.

The administration of the Mokelumne Wilderness on its Southern side along Highway 4 is also split following the roughly Southwestern bending course of the North Mokelumne River.
A narrow strip of the Southwestern end of the Mokelumne Wilderness, South of the North Mokelumne River, is administered by the Stanislaus National Forest's Calavaras Ranger District, while the Eastern Flank of the Mokelumne Wilderness North and East of Ebbetts Pass is monitored by the Carson Ranger District of the Toiyabe National Forest.

See the maps below for the visual details of these boundary lines.

The links along the top of this page leads to the contact information for these National Forests and their Ranger Districts that issue permits for whichever direction we enter the Mokelumne Wilderness.

Topo Hiking Maps for
The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail

Carson Gap to Lake Alpine
26.28 miles

7.5 min
USGS Backpacking Maps
1:24 000

30 min
USGS Backpacking Maps
1:100 000

Big Map
Carson Pass Region
Covering all our routes out of Tahoe Basin through the Carson Pass Management Area onto either the PCT or TYT routes to Highway 4.

Big Map
Summit City Creek to Mount Reba
The heart of the unmaintained section of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail through the Mokelumne Wilderness.

Detail Map
Summit City Creek to Enchanted Forest
Detailed look at the unmaintained section of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

Detail Map
Lower Ford of Summit City to Bee Gulch
Some say the short section from the lower ford through Enchanted Forest is the hardest part of the TYT.

Big Map
Bee Gulch to Lake Alpine
Crossing the North Mokelumne River puts us into the Stanislaus National Forest for the last bit of this section of the Tahoe to Yosemite.

New
Mokelumne Wilderness
Topo Hiking Map
The map above is an Index Map. The black dotted routes are linked to maps and the red dots to trail guide pages.

30 minute maps

1> Echo Summit to Round Top Lake
Wide view of surrounding terrain, trailheads and trails West of our PCT-TYT route along Highways 50 and 88.

2> Echo Summit to Lake Alpine
The whole next section of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail including the Meiss Country Roadless Area, the Carson Pass Management Area, and the Mokelumne Wilderness.

1x2 Topo Bad Test Map

Carson Gap to Lake Alpine

Click the Red Dots on the Topo Maps for the related Trail Guide page.

Miles and Elevations
on the
Tahoe to Yosemite Trail
between
Carson Gap and Lake Alpine

Maps
North
Meeks Bay Trailhead
to
Carson Gap

Maps
South
Lake Alpine
to
Saint Marys Pass

The next map South
on the
Tahoe to Yosemite Trail

Lake Alpine to Saint Marys Pass
30 min region map

This Large Map will give you context on the proximity of trails and resources:

Carson Pass to Bensen in Yosemite, 1x2 topo

This map tracks the Tahoe to Yosemite trail South into ...

The Pacific Crest Trail

The Pacific Crest Trail enters the Mokelumne Wilderness via the Toiyabe National Forest at Carson Pass.
The boundary between the Toiyabe and El Dorado National Forest follows the Sierra Crest through the Carson Pass.
Though the Carson Pass is split between National Forests, the El Dorado National Forest administers the Carson Pass through the Carson Pass Management Area.

Topo Hiking Maps for
The Pacific Crest Trail

Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass
27.88 miles

7.5 min
USGS Backpacking Maps
1:24 000

30 min
USGS Backpacking Maps
1:100 000

Big Map
Carson Pass Region
Covering all our routes out of Tahoe Basin through the Carson Pass Management Area onto either the PCT or TYT routes to Highway 4.

Carson Pass to Lost Lakes & Lost Lakes past Blue Lakes
Unlike the isolation along the TYT route, the PCT crosses the dirt road out from Red Peak Lake, PGE Campgrounds, and the paved Blue Lakes Road.

Blue Lakes to U. Sunset Lake
Four wheel roads mark the tattered Eastern boundary of the Mokelumne Wilderness.

Upper Sunset Lakes to Ebbetts Pass
The dry, desolate beauty of Raymond and Reynolds Peaks.

New
Mokelumne Wilderness
Topo Hiking Map
The map above is an Index Map. The black dots link to detailed maps and the red dots to trail guide entries.

30 minute map

Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass
The Pacific Crest Trail. Red dots lead to guide page entries, Black dots to detailed maps.

1x2 Topo Bad Test Map

Carson Gap to Lake Alpine

Click the Red Dots on the Topo Maps for related Trail Guide page.

Miles and Elevations
on the
Pacific Crest Trail
from
Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass

Topo Maps Index
North
Meeks Bay Trailhead
to
Carson Pass

Topo Maps Index
South
Ebbetts Pass
to
Sonora Pass

The next map South
on the
Pacific Crest Trail

Ebbetts Pass to Sonora Pass
30 minute USGS Topographic

The Large Map below will give you a grand context on the locations of trails and resources through the Mokelumne Wilderness.

Carson Pass to Bensen Lake in Yosemite,
1x2 topo, an ugly test map...

map index North
Echo Summit to the Carson Pass Maps

MAPS North: MEISS COUNTRY MAPS MAPS South: EBBETTS PASS to SONORA PASS

Map Credit

Free USGS Topo Hiking Maps

U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior

The
USGS

I love these folks.

USGS MAP LOCATOR

Move the Map to the Sierras. Select size of Maps you wish to locate. Click "Mark Point" on map to see the USGS map grid of the selected map scale.

Set up folders to download these bad boys into, then fire them up in Adobe Reader.

The crappy terrago toolbar will help you measure miles, if it does not screw up...

update
(...a year ((2014)) later they've cleaned up the terrago tool's linear measuring a bit...)

If programmers listened to users, software would be better...

Free Software for Backpackers

USGS Topographic Maps

Map Information

Map Symbols

High Sierra Backpacking Map
Information and Assets

Backpacking Map Information and Instruction

USGS Map Information

USGS Map Symbols

Online and Trail
Backpacking Maps

Decimal-Degree
Conversion Tool

USGS MAP LOCATOR
Free USGS Maps for Downloading

Navigation Page

Astronomical Information

Navigation Videos

Map Tools Tutorials
(excellent map tools too)

MAP NOTE
Those squares breaking the USGS maps up into grids are the Universal Transverse Mercator / Military Grid Reference System, otherwise commonly known as UTM.

What's important for our general reference purpose is that each side of a square is 1000 meters, or a Kilometer.

From my point of view that is 1000 yards or .62 of a mile.

Diagonal: 1414.22 meters, if my trig is correct.

That converts into 4,639.8 feet or .88 of a mile.

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