Wilderness Permits

Your Gateway to Adventure

Wilderness designation helps preserve the natural state of the land and protects flora and fauna by prohibiting development and providing for non-mechanized recreation only.

Wilderness is a federal land designated by Congress. It is a place "where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain....which is protected and managed to preserve its natural condition - Wilderness Act of 1964.

In the Wilderness, preservation of the land, its natural processes, native vegetation and wildlife is the first priority of management. Human use is secondary. All mechanized equipment and vehicles are prohibited (including mountain bikes).

Wilderness is an indispensable part of American history. Native Americans depended on the bounty of wildlands for survival and held Earth and its wild places as sacred. The great western explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were inspired by the untamed beauty of wild places that became the forge upon which our distinctive American national character was created. After just 200 years from the time of Lewis and Clark, the essential wildness of America had virtually disappeared. As Americans realized that the long-term health and welfare of the nation were at risk, a vision for conservation emerged.

In 1964 our nation's leaders formally acknowledged the immediate and lasting benefits of wild places to the human spirit and fabric of our nation. That year, in a nearly unanimous vote, Congress enacted landmark legislation that permanently protected some of the most natural and undisturbed places in America. The Wilderness Act of 1964 established the National Wilderness Preservation System, the system of all America's wilderness areas, to "secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness."

The United States was the first country in the world to define and designate wilderness areas through law. Subsequently, countries around the world have protected areas modeled after the Wilderness Act. Wilderness is part of our history and heritage and is passed as a legacy to future generations. Indispensable to the American past, the legacy that is wilderness will remain indispensable to the American future.

Wilderness Permit Application Page

Wilderness permits are required only for overnight stay in the Golden Trout Wilderness on the Sequoia National Forest. Permits help the Forest Service to manage wilderness by tracking visitor use patterns. In some areas visitor quotas and trailhead quotas are in effect to protect the wildernesses from visitor impact and overuse. Wilderness permits are issued to anyone who will follow certain rules intended to protect both the visitor and the wilderness resource.

Do I need a Wilderness permit?

The Golden Trout Wilderness is the only wilderness in the Sequoia National Forest that requires a permit for overnight stays. Permits are not required for day use in any wilderness within Sequoia National Forest.

How much do Wilderness permits cost?

Wilderness permits are free when departing from trailheads in Sequoia National Forest.

Golden Trout Wilderness Permits

Wilderness permits are issued virtually through email, through hard copy mail and in person at Forest Service offices nearby. Please follow the steps below to obtain your permit at least 30 days prior to travel. 

  1. Print and completely fill out the Application for a Wilderness Visitor's Permit 

  2. Plan your trip accordingly - "Know Before You Go" by checking on road conditions, fire restrictions, and area closures here on our website. During winter months some locations may be inaccessible due to snow. Forest Closure Orders take place when safety concerns become present. Please call or email prior to departure to be certain no new orders have been issued that may affect your trip and to check for current fire restrictions.

  3. Scan and email your completed application to the Sequoia National Forest to SM.FS.SequoiaNF@usda.gov  (monitored Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.)

  4. Within a week, you will receive a response to your email, confirming receipt of your application and a permit for your planned travel. 

    Keep a copy with you and share the information with someone at home to anticipate your safe return. The Forest Service will keep an electronic copy of your application on file in case of emergency and for our records. It is your responsibility to monitor conditions and fire restrictions and provide for your own safety. Current road conditions and fire restrictions will be posted on this website throughout the summer.

Both Sequoia National Park and Inyo National Forest are issuing wilderness permits through  www.recreation.gov  the same reservation system used by most federal agencies for visitors to obtain campground reservations.

In Sequoia National Park, reservations for wilderness permits can be made for trip dates beginning up to 6 months in advance and will continue to be reservable up to 1 week prior to the start of the trip. A limited number of first-come, first-served permits will be available daily at select permit issuing stations in Cedar Grove, Grant Grove, Lodgepole, the Foothills, and Mineral King. For additional information, please visit

Inyo National Forest Wilderness permits are available on recreation.gov. On their home page search "Inyo National Forest - Wilderness Permits" to find a list of trails, or search "Mt Whitney" to find Mt Whitney Trail day-use and overnight-use permits. For more information, call Inyo National Forest (760) 873-2483 Open daily 8 am to 4:30 pm. (closed for lunch) May 15 through Oct 15. During winter months, closed on weekends and holidays. 

Campfires

In areas where campfires are allowed, you will need a valid Campfire Permit during the fire season when fire and stove use may be restricted. It is your responsibility to check on the current regulations at any Forest Service office or National Park office.

Please go to www.preventwildfireca.org to get your California Campfire Permit.



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