By Katie Kommer, 2019 JMT hiker
See our John Muir Trail gear list here
The John Muir Trail is a permit-required 211-mile trail through California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. Most of the trail follows the Pacific Crest Trail, and can be done safely between June and September.
Region: Pacific West (Sierra Nevada, California)
Length: 211 miles (12-25 days)
Physical Difficulty: Difficult
- High elevations, consistent camping above 10,000 feet
- Variable weather conditions, dangerous stream crossings early season, and snowstorms late season
- Lots of elevation gain and loss, six mountain passes over 11,000 feet
Logistical Difficulty: Moderate
- Competitive permit system
- Resupplies needed but resupply system is well-established
- Transportation needed between two trailheads (Yosemite National Park and Mount Whitney Portal)
Season: Summer (July – September).
Average Elevation: ~8,500 feet
Total Elevation Gain: 46,000 feet
Hiking the John Muir Trail
Every time I hear a story detailing Pacific Crest Trail hikers struggling on the John Muir Trail portion, I feel extremely validated. The JMT was my second backpacking trip longer than one night. With minimal research and planning, we scraped together a 17-day trek the week before, relying on the walk-up permit process, and driving our resupplies to their locations. Do I recommend doing it this way? No. Does it puff my ego to know that this is the section where PCT thru-hikers break down and face their limits? Yes.
Personal anecdotes aside, I do not recommend this trail for beginners. The Sierra Nevada mountain range features extremely difficult terrain and varied weather conditions. Each day we hiked 15 to 20 miles, climbing anywhere from 2,500 to 4,500 feet of elevation. The solitude in stunning, jaw-dropping wilderness is magical, yet isolating. Even though I had my best friend and trail brother with me, I had a couple of weepy, existential nights in my sleeping bag.
If you’re looking to dip your toe into long-distance backpacking, I recommend sectioning the JMT or picking a shorter High Sierra trip. The John Muir Trail is perfect for extremely experienced backpackers, or individuals contemplating a longer thru-hike. Even though there’s more than one video of me crying on this trail, it gave me a taste of the hiker trash lifestyle that I’m not prepared to give up anytime soon.
How to Get to the John Muir Trail
Transportation is a bit of a doozy for the JMT, given its remote location. Many hikers drop a car at each terminus, or arrange a ride from a friend. There are public transportation options available.
Northern Terminus: Happy Isles Trailhead
Closest Cities: Merced, California (~80 miles) or Modesto, California (~114 miles)
Closest Major City: Oakland, California (~150 miles)
Southern Terminus: Mount Whitney Portal
Closest Cities: Bakersfield, California (~150 miles) or Bishop, California (~60 miles)
Closest Major City: Los Angeles, California (~210 miles)
John Muir Trail Southern Terminus
Cars are allowed to drive and park in Yosemite Valley. You’ll need to make sure you’re at the right parking lot for Happy Isles Trailhead, and that overnight parking is allowed. We wrote a note with our itinerary and placed it on the dashboard to ensure our car wasn’t marked as abandoned. Also, you will need to remove absolutely all scented items from your car before hitting the trail, due to high bear activity in the valley.
Amtrak, Greyhound, and YARTS all work in conjunction to provide public transportation from the California Bay Area into Yosemite. From Oakland or San Francisco, hikers can chose Amtrak or Greyhound to take them into Merced, where YARTS (Yosemite’s transit system), shuttles into the valley. More information here.
Whether you are starting at Tuolumne Meadows or Happy Isles, you will need a national parks pass to enter the park.
The Yosemite Valley hikers bus travels from the valley to Tuolumne Meadows during peak season. You will need to purchase a ticket; check here for more information.
John Muir Trail Northern Terminus
Getting from Whitney Portal back to Yosemite Valley is a bit of a drag. I recommend staying at least one night in Lone Pine after your trek, to soak in your experience at the Whitney Portal Hostel. Also, The Grill serves enormous, delicious portions of post-hike heavenly food.
Between Whitney Portal (the trailhead) and Lone Pine is a 10-mile mountain road. There are independent shuttle services available (like this one), but this is also a very easy hitch. Though the hiker smell is rank by this point, day-hikers may be eager to give some JMTers a ride into town.
There is no direct route from Lone Pine to Yosemite Valley via public transportation. However, the Eastern Sierra Transit goes from Lone Pine to Mammoth Lakes, where you can transfer to YARTS into the valley or Tuolumne Meadows.
When to Hike the John Muir Trail
Throughout all the summer months the JMT features extraordinary wildflowers, plentiful water, and snowcapped peaks. The month you choose will dictate which difficulties you face, whether it be weather, bugs, or river crossings. On low snow years June is possible, if you’re prepared to cross rivers and hike with microspikes and an ice axe. September is ideal (no bugs), though toward the end of the month winter storms may arrive.
June: Though you won’t yet be assaulted by mosquitoes, I would only plan for a June thru-hike if you have experience hiking through snow. Or, on a low snow year, consider a walk-up permit. The summer crowds won’t be out in full force yet.
July: The weather is best in July, though at lower elevations the mosquitoes will be out in full force. Creek crossings will also be less of an issue by July.
August: The weather will still be warmer, but bugs may be less of an issue. August and July both will bring more crowds to the trail.
September: The weather will be on the chillier side, but still manageable with the right gear. Bugs will only be an issue at the lowest elevations, and the crowds will thin out. In 2019, the first snowstorm hit the region on September 29, our exit day. We had to wait an extra day in Lone Pine to be able to drive back into Yosemite National Park. Consider the possibility of winter storms coming very early.
John Muir Trail Terrain
The JMT is established and relatively easy to follow. Even on the highest mountain passes, there is a blazed trail to the top and no scrambling is required. Though the passes are challenging and steep, there are switchbacks the entire way up.
The trail itself is a mix of dirt and granite, with a few rockier sections. I opted to wear trail runners and appreciated the agility, though the shoes were completely busted by the end due to the varied terrain. Depending on when you go, there are a number of river crossings. If you opt to bring camp shoes, make sure they’re waterproof.
John Muir Trail Resupply Strategies
There are a handful of spots along the JMT to either mail or stash a resupply. I recommend selecting at least two locations to resupply. Bear in mind that ~7 days of food will fit in a large (BV500) bear canister. Here are the different options for resupply, and how to get your food there. The JMT FarOut app will help you dial in exactly how close you are getting to your resupply point.
Tuolumne Meadows: Mile 23.9. Some people send a resupply here in order to start off with 1-2 days worth of food. Very smart. There is also a restaurant and small convenience store here. Here is information on how to send a package there.
Red’s Meadow Pack Station and Resort: Mile 57.3. This is a popular resupply, and also an opportunity to hitch into the town of Mammoth Lakes. There is a restaurant, a small convenience store, showers, and laundry available here. Read here for information on how to ship a resupply to Red’s Meadow. They do charge a holding fee upon arrival, and the shipping charge is already steep. We drove our resupply here a week before our hike, and only paid the holding fee.
Vermillion Valley Resort: Mile 86.5. VVR is a ferry ride away from the JMT, but rumor is you get a free beer upon arrival. There is a restaurant and small store available, as well as lodging and camping. Read their website for information on how to ship to VVR.
Muir Trail Ranch: Mile 106.4. MTR is just a short detour from the JMT, but offers considerably fewer resources than VVR. Though their hiker boxes are legendary, there is no restaurant, showers, laundry, or grocery shopping available to hikers. We were able to drive our resupply to a station across the lake from MTR and pay $30 for transportation, as opposed to an $85 shipping fee. Information on how to get your food to MTR is available here.
Onion Valley Campsite: Mile 177.9. This is an unpopular resupply point, but in my opinion it’s under-utilized. Though Onion Valley is a 15-mile round-trip detour from the JMT, stashing your resupply here is free. The campsite has large bear vaults to hold hikers’ food; just label it with your name and arrival date. If you don’t have the ability to drive out there, you can also ship a general delivery box to the nearby town of Independence and hitch a ride there.
Logistics: Permits, Bear Cans, Camping, Water
Permits: Permits are absolutely 100% required on the John Muir Trail, and are dutifully monitored. There are a few ways to go about getting a permit, despite the competitive system. If you have a wide range of dates available ~6 months out, follow this link to apply for a three-week rolling permit. This is only for SOBO hikers (Yosemite to Whitney) and has a few different starting trailhead options. Getting a permit to hike NOBO is much less competitive. This website lays out that process.
Another way to get a permit, if you’re a spontaneous son-of-a-gun, is the walk-up process. Both Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows have a specific number of permits allocated for walk-ups, so you just have to get in line first. Your desired starting trailhead may not be available, but chances are something will be. My hiking partner and I got our permits in Yosemite Valley the day before we started our thru-hike. We were able to do the entire JMT (Happy Isles to Mount Whitney), including a summit up Half Dome on day one. I am a walk-up process believer. This page has some information on the walk-up process.
Bear Cans: Hard-sided bear cans are required within Yosemite National Park and the Yosemite Wilderness. You cannot use bear bags or a different food-storage method. Though the other wilderness areas don’t require hard-sided canisters (bear bags are OK), the Pacific Crest Trail Association and the JMT Conservancy both implore hikers to keep their canisters the entire way.
Camping: Campsites are plentiful and absolutely stunning along the entire trail. There are a handful of no camping zones along certain protected lakes, but for the most part, you just need to be mindful of the basic LNT principles.
Water: The water is plentiful and delicious in the Sierra Nevada. The longest stretch without water is five miles, and oftent the trail follows creeks. A single water filtration method is plenty.
Half Dome Detour: We hit the jackpot with our walk-up permits, and were also able to snag two Half Dome tickets, so we tacked that onto our day one itinerary. However, when applying for a permit in advance, you do have the option to add on a Half Dome permit if you wish. It’s a 4-mile round trip detour from the JMT, and well worth it in my opinion. We were able to stash our packs at the junction where the JMT splits from the Half Dome Trail. The hike from this point on is very challenging, and I recommend leaving the heavy packs behind, and just taking food, water, layers, and gloves for the cables. Also note that Half Dome is more than just a steep hike: the cables section is incredibly steep and exposed, and if you hit the cables during the busiest time of day, it might be a long time waiting in line behind people on the route. It’s an amazing experience, but do your research before committing.
Know Before You Go
Cell Reception: There is none. I’ll admit it, the 7-day stretch without a single bar of service affected me more than I care to admit. Mentally prepare yourself to feel utterly disconnected from the world for as long as the trail takes you.
Extra Gear Needed: Bear cans are necessary, and there are some long food carries. Because of this, your pack may not be as light as you would like. Plan accordingly, and make sure you are adequately prepared for temperatures well below freezing. In September, we had some ~20 degree nights and I was NOT happy on my Therm-a-Rest Z-lite.
It’s Hard. Like Really, Really Hard. Train adequately. We saw a lot of people leave the trail because it was way harder than they expected. We credit ourselves with finishing (despite our lack of preparation) because we took it one day at a time, and didn’t have any expectations tied to the trail. The more you train, the more you will be able to enjoy your time.
Plan Your Resupply Strategy: If you are mailing boxes, you’ll want to have the details nailed down about one month in advance. The locations are extremely remote, and shipping takes quite a while.
John Muir Trail Resources
PCTA – John Muir Trail Resource Library
JMT Wilderness Conservancy – Hiker Resources
John Muir Trail Map on the FarOut app
Katie is a freelance writer based in Salt Lake City, Utah. When she’s not guzzling instant coffee in the backcountry, you can find her down the ski slopes or using inappropriate language around children at the climbing gym. For ramblings, rants, and the occasional dose of inspirational musing follow her on Instagram or her blog Small Towns to Summits. Maybe someday soon she’ll start posting there again, you’ll just have to follow to find out.
