John Muir Trail hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a 211-mile (340 km) wilderness trail through the High Sierra of California, from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states (14,505 ft / 4,421 m). From the summit you still walk 10.7 miles (17 km) down to Whitney Portal, so the whole hike is about 222 miles (357 km). Most hikers go southbound and take about three weeks, camping almost every night in the wilderness.

The route

The trail climbs out of Yosemite Valley past Nevada and Vernal falls to the granite domes and meadows of Tuolumne Meadows, then follows Lyell Canyon to Donohue Pass, the exit from Yosemite. It crosses the Ansel Adams Wilderness past Thousand Island and Garnet lakes, drops to Reds Meadow and Devils Postpile near Mammoth Lakes, and continues through the John Muir Wilderness over Silver and Selden passes. In Kings Canyon National Park it enters the Evolution Basin, crosses Muir Pass, Mather Pass, Pinchot Pass and Glen Pass past the Rae Lakes, and climbs to Forester Pass (13,153 ft / 4,009 m) into Sequoia National Park before the final climb to Mount Whitney.

This guide follows the route as mapped on OpenStreetMap, including the descent to Whitney Portal, and splits it into 18 stages of about 19.6 km. The usual estimate for the total climb is 46,000 to 47,000 ft (about 14,000 m). The trail crosses about ten passes, six of them over 11,000 ft (3,350 m), and stays above 8,000 ft (2,440 m) for most of the way, so give yourself time to adjust to the altitude in the first days.

Highlights

• Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows: waterfalls, granite domes and wide alpine meadows
• Thousand Island Lake: a lake dotted with islands below Banner Peak
• Evolution Basin: a chain of high lakes below the Evolution peaks, and the stone Muir Hut on Muir Pass
• Rae Lakes: blue lakes and the Painted Lady below Glen Pass
• Forester Pass: the highest point of the Pacific Crest Trail
• Mount Whitney: the end of the trail, on the highest summit in the lower 48 states

When to walk the John Muir Trail

The usual season is July to September. Snow and ice can stay on the high passes into early July, and in big snow years the creeks run high and fast. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer; cross the high passes in the morning. Lodges, stores and buses near the trail only run in summer, and their dates change from year to year.

How many days do you need?

A typical hike takes about three weeks. The 18 stages here are a steady plan; fit hikers walk it in two weeks, and others take 25 days or more with rest days at the resupply points. You can also walk only part of the trail, for example from Yosemite to Reds Meadow.

Permits and logistics

You need one wilderness permit for the whole hike, from the agency where you start. Most Yosemite JMT permits are given by a weekly lottery 24 weeks before the start date, and only 45 people a day may leave Yosemite over Donohue Pass, so apply early. Southbound hikers can also start on the east side with an Inyo National Forest permit. Bear-resistant food canisters are required on most of the trail.

The usual resupply points are Tuolumne Meadows (store and summer post office), Reds Meadow, Vermilion Valley Resort and Muir Trail Ranch. They are seasonal and their services change every year, so check them before you mail food. After Muir Trail Ranch there is no resupply on the trail for about 110 miles (180 km), unless you hike out over a side pass.

To reach the start, take a train to Merced and the YARTS bus to Yosemite Valley. Whitney Portal is 13 miles (21 km) above the town of Lone Pine, with no public bus; book a shuttle or arrange a ride. Eastern Sierra Transit buses run from Lone Pine along Highway 395.

Difficulty

The JMT is a long, high and remote hike rather than a technical one: the trail is well built and there is no climbing. What makes it hard is the altitude, the long days of up and down, carrying a week or more of food in a bear canister, and the distance from help. There is no phone signal on most of the trail, so carry a satellite messenger and know how to treat water and cross snowmelt creeks safely.

History

The trail is named after John Muir, the Scottish-born naturalist who helped create Yosemite National Park and founded the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club pushed for a trail along the crest after Muir's death in 1914; building began with state funding in 1915 and finished in 1938. In 1968 about 160 miles of it became part of the Pacific Crest Trail.