John Muir Trail (JMT)

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The John Muir Trail offers hikers an opportunity for an extended stay in the Sierra Nevada. Usually completed in 2-3 weeks, the hiker travels through the heart of California's longest and highest mountain range. The route takes the hiker through many forested glens, along many lakes, over many mountain passes, through many rivers and creeks, and so on as it traverses the High Sierra crest.

Suffice it to say, the route is well known and for good reason. The demand for a permit is so great that the park service employs a lottery for this trail. Enter it here: recreation.gov/permits/445859/.

A little secret: if you decide you want to hike this trail but didn't win the permit starting at Whitney Portal or Happy Isles, you can still hike the majority of the trail starting at one of the many other trailheads that join the JMT.

If you are hiking South Bound (SOBO) this route starts in Yosemite National Park and ends in Sequoia National Park atop Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States.

Hikers will get an introduction to Yosemite National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia National Park, Devils Postpile National Monument and the Ansel Adams Wilderness. The JMT will take you over six mountain passes with elevations over 11,000 feet, with a cumulative trail elevation gain of 47,000 feet!

• JMT: Segment 1 - Happy Isles to Tuolomne Meadows
• JMT: Segment 2 - Tuolomne Meadows to Devils Postpile
• JMT: Segment 3 - Devils Postpile to Lake Edison
• JMT: Segment 4 - Lake Edison to Muir Trail Ranch
• JMT: Segment 5 - Muir Trail Ranch to Bishop Pass at LeConte Canyon
• JMT: Segment 6 - Bishop Pass at LeConte Canyon to Kearsage Pass Trail
• JMT: Segment 7 - Kearsage Pass Trail to Mt. Whitney

The summer season for hiking the JMT generally spans from July through September (though this will depend on the previous winter's snowfall). The majority of hikers will start their JMT journey from Happy Isles in Yosemite National Park. If you are starting in Yosemite Valley, don't be surprised to see large numbers of people traveling to the top of Vernal Falls (the first 2 miles of the route). This is an extremely popular day trip. For hikers traveling North Bound (NOBO) ending the trail in Yosemite Valley the crowds can be overwhelming after being on the trail for several days.

The John Muir Trail is the same path used by many people to climb to the top of Half Dome. It is not uncommon for Half Dome hikers to spend their first night around the Clouds Rest Trail cut off (about 7.5 miles from the valley floor) so JMT hikers might find this section quite impacted. Once the trail splits from the Half Dome route, the crowds become more manageable for the remainder of the journey.

If you are planning a through trip, resupplying will be required! Pacific Crest Trail Association does a great job listing the resupply options for the JMT. Both Red's Meadow and Vermillion Valley Resort offer fresh cooked meals and have small stores.

This trail, which traverses 211 miles through the Sierra Nevada, in all compass directions and elevations, will take the hiker through many of the Sierra Nevada's climates. Along this one trail a hiker can see the Sierra Newt and the endangered Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep, the Sierra Juniper and the Sugar Pine, Sky Pilot to the Columbine, and everything in between. Don't hike too fast.

As stated on the Pacific Crest Trail website:

"Exploring and mapping of the High Sierra was done in the late 1800′s by men like Theodore Solomons, Bolton Brown and Joseph LeConte. Solomons has been referred to as the 'father' of the JMT and was quoted as saying, 'the idea of a crest-parallel trail came to me one day while herding my uncle's cattle in an immense unfenced alfalfa field near Fresno. It was 1884 and I was 14.'"

The PCT's website further highlights in reference to John Muir, "John-of-the-mountains, as he was sometimes fondly referred to, was inarguably the most influential man in the history of the Sierra and its wilderness. His influence transcended his death, and in 1915 the Sierra Club won California legislation appropriating the first $10,000 for the construction of the John Muir Trail. Twenty-three years, and many man-hours later, the trail construction was completed in 1938; the year of the 100th anniversary of John Muir's birth."