John Muir Trail
Reviews
Rangers said the Mist trail was closed so I am not entirely sure what that meant as I hiked the steep stairs up to the trickle of Vernal falls and others continued on — I was under the impression that I was on the mist trail. Anyway. It was round trip from the parking lot about 3.75 miles. Most of the climb was a paved road except for the steps to get to Vernal falls at the end just after the bridge and the bathrooms (closed for season). trail is marked there. Lovely hike. All Trails GPS failed to track most of my walk
This was an incredible experience. We started on August 30 and ended on September 15. Our group had a 19-day permit starting at Happy Isles in Yosemite NP and ending atop Mt Whitney then down to the portal. Overall, it ended up being just over 247 miles after adding on various side treks such as Half Dome, VVR, Muir Trail Ranch (MTR), and such. We resupplied at Tuolumne Meadows and MTR which made for long hauls with a lot of food to carry. The initial climb out of Yosemite Valley was brutal but very scenic, especially since we added Half Dome. We were all checked for our permit at Half Dome as well. Also, there was a 5-6 mile area where we could not make water (about 2 miles before Half Dome to about 2 miles after Half Dome) so be aware of that. This seemed to be the longest portion of the trip where we had to wait to get water. That day had over 6000’ of elevation gain. A day later, we found ourselves hiking over Donahue Pass & Island Pass to Thousand Island Lake for gorgeous views. We then passed several beautiful lakes and around day 5 ended up relaxing at Reds Meadows with hot showers, hot breakfast, and a supply store. After leaving Reds Meadows, there is a long climb up to Crater Creek. Eventually, you’ll ascend Silver Pass which was tough due to two false summits but had plenty of water. The next day, it was all descent to Thomas Edison Lake where we took a boat ride over to Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR). Our entire group loved this spot as they had hot food, warm showers, fresh spring water, etc. The next day, we took the boat ride back to the trail and returned onto the JMT eventually camping near Bear Creek. The next day, we ascended Selden Pass which had gorgeous views. The remaining section was a long steep descent all the way to our final resupply point called “Muir Trail Ranch” (MTR). At MTR, we recharged our electronics and were able to look through other unused buckets of leftover food and other supplies left behind by other hikers. After leaving MTR, we returned back on the JMT and soon entered Kings Canyon NP. We camped along the West Fork of the San Joaquin River. The next day, we hiked up to Evolution Meadow and then McClure Meadow. This was a spectacular area filled with wildlife and raging water. As we continued, there was a 1000' ascent that kicked my butt. We continued on and caped at a very cold and windy Sapphire Lake. The next day, we ascended over Muir Pass after briefly entering Muir Hut. Then, it was a steady and sometimes steep seven mile descent past Ls Conte Ranger Station. The net day, we hiked over Mather Pass. This was a very long but extremely beautiful ascent that took almost half the day. The next day, we hiked over Pinochet which is a 11,000' pass with over 2000' elevation gain and then a long steady descent towards Rae Lakes. Rae Lakes was a very beautiful but popular area and we camped there. The next day was one of the hardest days. We hiked over two passes, Glen Pass and Forester Pass. Forester Pass is over 13,000' high and was a beast of a pass. After reaching this pass, we descended to the first lake and camped there. The next day, we hiked up and down all the way to Guitar Lake which was another very popular area. Guitar Lake is only five miles to the summit of Mt Whitney; however, it's also a 3500' elevation gain to the summit. We woke up early and started hiking around 2 am in order to summit Mt Whitney before sunrise. Thankfully, we were able to summit well before sunrise. It was very cold on the summit. After leaving the summit, two of us decided to summit Mt Muir which is another one of the California 14ers. Mt Muir was short but very steep and had a few Class III sections. Lastly, we returned back onto the main trail and descended around 11 miles to Whitney Portal where we ended our long but incredible journey. The burgers ad beer were tasty! All in all, we had great weather with only about fifteen minutes of rain. Water was plentiful for the entire trip. It was the trip of a lifetime with continuous 360-degree views. This trip took us 17 days to complete with just under 250 miles total.
Did the whole trail SOBO (Tuolomne to Whitney Portal) from August 15-27th. Did the Happy Isles to Tuolomne section as a day hike on August 14th in order to do the whole thing. The trail is well marked the whole way, minus a ~3 mile stretch of blown-down before the Golden Staircase that was VERY slow going, but trail maintenance crews were hard at work clearing the fallen trees and brush. The new San Joaquin bridge is finally installed as well. Stopped at Red's for breakfast, VVR for the free beer and a shower, and MTR for my single resupply and spent the night (FYI it's EXPENSIVE). It was starting to get very cold at night: bring a 20° sleeping bag if starting August 15th or later. There were plenty of water sources throughout and there was only one section of 6 miles with no water. YMMV depending on the year though. Despite there being plenty of water, I never saw a single mosquito the whole 221 miles. Bring sun protective gear!!!
Completed the JMT in July 2024 from Happy Isles to Bishop Pass. Amazing 19 days. Very challenging with the elevation gain starting at Happy Isles. Should likely have started at Glacier Point or the meadows. Highlights were 1000 Island Lakes, Cathedral Pass, Muir Pass, Reds Meadow and Evolution Pass. An amazing solo hike overall and planning to finish the last week in 2025.
Entered via Florence Lake ferry; exited via Bishop’s Pass. Didn’t track my actual miles or stats on AllTrails, but used it a lot to way-find.
Great hike. Met some amazing people who made the experience unbelievable. It’s always very difficult but worth every moment.
Hiked from Lonely Isle to Mt. Whitney starting August 20th and finishing July 3rd (16 days). Beautiful, beautiful hike. Absolutely wonderful. Highlights included Muir Pass, Forester Pass, eating normal food at VVR, and some tough climbs (particularly Pinchot and Mathers). Trail was in generally good condition except for a really bad section before the Golden Staircase, full of downed trees. I hope this gets cleaned up soon.
Wow! What an incredible experience and an accomplishment that I can now say I’ve completed the entire John Muir Trail. I clocked 270miles over 22days going SOBO starting at Happy Isles in Yosemite and ending at Mt.Whitney at sunrise then going on to exit at Whitney Portal. I had collectively hiked about half of this prior but I have a whole new appreciation for the entire sierra now. The less traveled spots along the trail have so much beauty too. Only a few areas of the trail that were of concern. Between LeConte Ranger station and Palisades a bunch of down trees on the trail you’ll have to navigate through. Between woods creek suspension bridge and Rae lakes you’ll also have to navigate through avalanche debris but always take the low trail. It was a trip of a lifetime I’ll never forget!
Did the HI to Reds meadow section in July 2023, and HI to Whitney in 21 days (July-Aug) in 2024. In short, this is a life changing trail. No one section is particularly technically difficult, and on the trail I met everyone from teenagers to the elderly, all thriving. When the trail isn't buried by snow, it's shockingly easy to navigate and well-maintained despite its incredibly length. This can be your first thru-hike but should not your first backpacking trip, and shouldn't be taken lightly. I saw evacuations, altitude sickness and folks run out of food. Prepare by reading the Wenk book, get into the reddit/facebook communities and ask dumb questions, read Skurka's guides for how to drop a deuce in the woods, download Wenk's GPX waypoints into your inreach, learn to orient with map and compass, and dial in your gear as a holistic system. I mean really dial it in - know how many boils your stove gets at elevation, and know how long your DWR will last. Know how many calories you need, and craft a solid plan for resupplies. I recommend SOBO with a 21 day itinerary, and resupplying at Reds, VVR, and Onion Valley. Be advised that In a heavy snow year like 2023 was, July-Aug water crossings can be downright treacherous. In a normal snow year, you shouldn't ever need to ford anything higher than shin deep.
Easy hike from the parking lot to just wear. The trail meets up with the John Muir trail.Perfect picnic spot.
I did this back in 2021 but just got around to editing to footage and posting in on my youtube. If you have questions I would be happy to answer in the comments! I did it pretty aggressively so it was hard! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQIOXdhmDzc My Channel: www.youtube.com/@hikingengineer
A stunning part of the Sierras- I am so glad I had the opportunity to backpack here and soak it in. Some lingering snow on Silver Peak and Paiute Pass, with very little snow to navigate on Selden Pass— so trekking poles were definitely helpful. I was able to hike the trip in trail runners- and didn’t have microspikes. A few surprise hail storms and some gusty wind helped keep the mosquitoes at bay until the last day. Stunning landscapes, vistas, and a true pleasure to experience.
Solo NOBO, 8.29.23 - 9.13.23, Cottonwood Pass > Kersarge resupply > Bishop resupply > Piute to JMT > Tuolumne. 258 miles/58.3k Vert. Tons of PCTers finishing their yo-yos, and crowds calmed down after Labor day. Rained/hail/thunderstorms 5 of 15 including a 12 hour drenching. Snow mostly melted on N side of passes, lots of downed trees and water everywhere. I'll be going back to go SOBO.
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What is the expected weather this week for John Muir Trail?
- Fri, June 13 - 77 degrees/clear
- Sat, June 14 - 80 degrees/clear
- Sun, June 15 - 81 degrees/clear
- Mon, June 16 - 80 degrees/clear
- Tue, June 17 - 83 degrees/clear