John Muir Trail: The Essential Guide to Hiking America's Most Famous Trail

John Muir Trail: The Essential Guide To Hiking America’s Most Famous Trail

First edition, 1978; second edition, 1984; third edition, 1998; fourth edition, 2007; fifth edition, 2014; sixth edition, 2022

Copyright © 1978, 1984, 1998, 2007 by Wilderness Press

Copyright © 2014, 2022 by Keen Communications

Editor: Allison R. Dubinsky

Project editor: Ritchey Halphen

Cover design: Scott McGrew

Cartography: Elizabeth Wenk

Text design: Andreas Schüller, with updates by Annie Long

Photos: © Elizabeth Wenk, except as noted

Proofreader: Emily C. Beaumont

Indexer: Potomac Indexing

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Wenk, Elizabeth, 1974– author.

Title: John Muir Trail : the essential guide to hiking America’s most famous trail / Elizabeth Wenk.

Description: Sixth edition. | Birmingham, AL : Wilderness Press, 2022. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022014741 (print) | LCCN 2022014742 (ebook) | ISBN 978-1-64359-083-7 (pbk.) ISBN 978-1-64359-084-4 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Hiking—California—John Muir Trail—Guidebooks. | Backpacking—California— John Muir Trail—Guidebooks. | John Muir Trail (Calif.)—Guidebooks.

Classification: LCC GV199.42.C22 J6368 2022 (print) | LCC GV199.42.C22 (ebook) DDC 796.5109794/47—dc23/eng/20220512

LC record available at lccn.loc.gov/2022014741

LC ebook record available at lccn.loc.gov/2022014742

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Cover photo: Bubbs Creek with Forester Pass in the distance, Kings Canyon National Park; © Patrick Poendl/Shutterstock

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews.

SAFETY NOTICE Although Wilderness Press and the author have made every attempt to ensure that the information in this book is accurate at press time, they are not responsible for any loss, damage, injury, or inconvenience that may occur while using this book. You are responsible for your own safety and health while in the wilderness. The fact that a trail is described in this book does not mean that it will be safe for you. Be aware that trail conditions can change from day to day. Always check local conditions, know your own limitations, and consult a map.

Contents

LIST OF MAPS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

Using This Book

PLANNING YOUR HIKE

North to South, or South to North?

When Should You Go?

Wilderness Permits

Transportation

Trailhead Logistics

Gear Choices

Food and Resupplies

Maps

Emergency Beacons and Contacts

ON THE TRAIL

Where to Camp

Food Storage and Bears

Stoves, Campfires, and No-Fire Zones

Water Availability

Water Purification, Water Quality, and Camp Hygiene

Summer Rangers

Weather

Environmental Dangers

JMT HUMAN AND NATURAL HISTORY

Origins of a High Sierra Route

Plants

Animals

Geology

CUMULATIVE MILEAGE TABLE

NORTH TO SOUTH: Yosemite Valley to Whitney Portal

  Section 1 Happy Isles to Tuolumne–Mariposa County Line

  Section 2 Tuolumne–Mariposa County Line to Donohue Pass

  Section 3 Donohue Pass to Island Pass

  Section 4 Island Pass to Madera–Fresno County Line

  Section 5 Madera–Fresno County Line to Silver Pass

  Section 6 Silver Pass to Selden Pass

  Section 7 Selden Pass to Muir Pass

  Section 8 Muir Pass to Mather Pass

  Section 9 Mather Pass to Pinchot Pass

Section 10 Pinchot Pass to Glen Pass

Section 11 Glen Pass to Forester Pass

Section 12 Forester Pass to Trail Crest

Section 13 Trail Crest to Whitney Portal

APPENDIXES

Appendix A: Side Trips to Peaks, Vista Points, and Lake Basins

Appendix B: JMT Lateral Trails and Nearby Towns

Appendix C: Campsites

Appendix D: Food-Storage Boxes (Bear Boxes)

Appendix E: Plants Referenced in Text

Appendix F: Bibliography and Suggested Reading

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

List of Maps

SECTIONS 1–13

Map 1: Yosemite Valley to Sunrise High Sierra Camp (Miles 0–14)

Map 2: Sunrise High Sierra Camp to Lyell Canyon (Miles 12–29)

Map 3: Lyell Canyon to Rush Creek (Miles 27–41)

Map 4: Donohue Pass to Trinity Lakes (Miles 36–53)

Map 5: Shadow Creek to Upper Crater Meadow (Miles 47–64)

Map 6: Reds Meadow to Lake Virginia (Miles 59–75)

Map 7: Lake Virginia to Bear Ridge (Miles 74–92)

Map 8: Bear Ridge to Senger Creek Crossing (Miles 92–106)

Map 9: Senger Creek Crossing to McClure Meadow (Miles 105–121)

Map 10: Evolution Valley to Le Conte Canyon (Miles 119–137)

Map 11: Le Conte Canyon to Palisade Creek (Miles 133–145)

Map 12: Palisade Creek to South Fork Kings Crossing (Miles 144–158)

Map 13: South Fork Kings to Rae Lakes Basin (Miles 157–173)

Map 14: Rae Lakes Basin to Center Basin Junction (Miles 172–186)

Map 15: Bubbs Creek to Bighorn Plateau (Miles 186–196)

Map 16: Bighorn Plateau to Whitney Portal (Miles 195–222)

AREA OVERVIEWS, SIDE TRIPS, AND LATERAL TRAILS

John Muir Trail Overview

Map Legend

Transportation Network Accessing the JMT

Yosemite Valley

Tuolumne Meadows

Central Lone Pine

Devils Postpile

Trails Around Lake Edison and Vermilion Valley Resort

Columbia Finger Shoulder

Lembert Dome

Donohue Peak

Red Cones

Volcanic Knob

Mount Spencer

Black Giant

Split Mountain

Crater Mountain

Painted Lady

Mount Bago

Tawny Point & Bighorn Plateau Overlook

Wotans Throne

Cottonwood Lakes & Cottonwood Pass Trailheads: Northwestern Map

Cottonwood Lakes & Cottonwood Pass Trailheads: Southeastern Map

Acknowledgments

I wish to acknowledge the Indigenous tribes who have been the custodians of the Sierra’s lands for millennia and who continue to maintain a close cultural connection to these lands and waters. They were the first human explorers along the John Muir Trail (JMT) corridor and into every side basin in the High Sierra.

While only short stretches of the JMT have been rerouted in the eight years since the fifth edition of this book was published in 2014, a trail guide nevertheless requires updating, both to accurately represent the continually changing landscape and to reflect modern thinking and trends. For me, that required not just rehiking the JMT but also extensive consultation with others. Their knowledge and perspectives have made this book much richer—the exact same statement I made as I embarked on the previous edition is still accurate!

Isosceles Peak rises over Dusy Basin and the Middle Fork Kings drainage (see Appendix B).

I am especially appreciative of the interactions I have had with National Park Service (NPS) and US Forest Service (USFS) staff, including Tim Davis, Ed Dunlavey, Erik Frenzel, Chris Gooch, Jake Groce, Lissie Kretsch, Martijn Ouborg, Rob Pilewski, Tsipora Prochovnick, Spencer Rogers, and Greg Stock. As the JMT continues to grow in popularity, hikers increasingly impact the stripe of wilderness the trail passes through, and it is important to me to consult with the local rangers (broadly speaking) to minimize the impact. They spent time reviewing key information provided in the book and discussing their experiences with me. I thank them enormously for this input.

I would also like to thank the many hikers I met on the trail for their conversation and insights. Hiking a long trail is about more than covering the miles and seeing the scenery: it is also about the other people who are sharing the same experience, each through their own lens. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to others’ experiences and did my best to weave their suggestions into this updated edition.

Many scientists fact-checked sections of the book. Robert Derlet, professor emeritus of medicine at the University of California, Davis, researches High Sierra water quality and read through my text on water quality and treatment. Greg Stock, Yosemite National Park’s geologist, and Allen Glazner, professor emeritus of geological sciences at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, read through the geologic information included in the book. Roland Knapp, a researcher at the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory, reviewed the information about the mountain yellow-legged frogs; John Wehausen, a former researcher at the White Mountain Research Station, read through my text on large mammals; and Tim Davis, an NPS historian, read my human history section. More broadly, I am grateful for the enormous amount of time Sierra researchers across all disciplines invest in learning ever more about the Sierra, for in-depth knowledge of the ecosystem’s natural history enriches the hike for all of us.

And most importantly, I need to thank my family and friends, with whom I hiked and who made this experience possible. Leaving my husband to be a single parent for a month in the midst of continuing COVID-related uncertainties was difficult for him and for our two daughters, Eleanor and Sophia. The whole family was meant to have accompanied me on the trail. Thank you as well to Matthew Church, Robin Idestrom, Maya Land, Candace Renger, Carolyn Tiernan, and John Wehausen, each of whom accompanied me on a section of the walk.

—Elizabeth Wenk

Sydney, Australia, 2022

Introduction

The John Muir Trail—or, more simply, the JMT—passes through what many backpackers agree is the finest mountain scenery in the United States. Some hikers may give first prize to another place, but none will deny the great attractiveness of California’s High Sierra. This is a land of 13,000- and 14,000-foot peaks, of soaring granite cliffs, of lakes by the thousands, and of canyons 5,000 feet deep. It is a land where trails touch only a tiny portion of the total area, so that by leaving the path, you can find utter solitude. It is a land uncrossed by roads for 140 miles as the crow flies, from Sherman Pass in the south to Tioga Pass in the north. And perhaps best of all, it is a land blessed with the mildest, sunniest climate of any major mountain range in the world. Though rain does fall in the summer—as does much snow in the winter—it seldom lasts more than an hour or two, and the sun is out and shining most hours of the day. You are, of course, not the only person to have heard of these attractions, and the number of hikers along the JMT corridor has soared over the past decade. Although you may have to share popular campsites with another party, the trail itself is not crowded; you may need to step to the side and wave a hello a few times an hour, but you are mostly on your own. Moreover, the trail really is a thin line through a vast land; if you are willing to walk 10 minutes away from it every night, you will always be able to camp on your own.

This book describes the JMT from its northern terminus at Happy Isles to its southern terminus atop Mount Whitney, and then to Whitney Portal, the nearest trailhead, for a total of 222 miles of magnificent Sierra scenery. For those who prefer to walk south to north, a description written in reverse is available in a separate electronic version of the book. This book is aimed at all hikers: those completing the entire JMT in a single trip, as well as those walking a shorter section of the trail; those completing the route in 10 days and those taking a month. As a result, the guide does not include suggested daily itineraries, as each person or group has a different pace, as well as different desires for layover days, lazy afternoons around camp, or detours to nearby peaks or lake basins. Instead, this guide is meant to provide you with background knowledge and let you design your own trip, in advance or as you walk. The book provides information on distances, lateral trails, established camping locations, notable stream crossings, long climbs, especially splendid lakes, detours up worthy peaks, and a bit of natural history to encourage you to gaze at your surroundings. From there, you design the itinerary that best suits you.

Finally, one thought to carry with you on your walk: The nature of the High Sierra changes dramatically from north to south, and often from one mile to the next. With each step, enjoy and absorb where you are, rather than comparing it with where you have been or where you are headed. The grandeur and relief of the southern regions are undeniably striking, but there is no reason to expect (or desire) your entire journey to look like the headwaters of the Kern; if you did, you would spend three weeks sitting atop Bighorn Plateau. Instead, by hiking the length of the High Sierra, you are choosing to embrace the variation in landscape, topography, geology, biology, weather, and more. Could you possibly compare the domes of Tuolumne Meadows, the volcanic landscape near Devils Postpile, the dense stands of mountain hemlock north of Silver Pass, the lakes and granite slabs of Evolution Basin, the views from the Palisades, the Rae Lakes Basin, the foxtail pines on Bighorn Plateau, or the view from the summit of Mount Whitney? By the end of your walk, you likely will comment that they are all fantastic and memorable, each in its own way. If a section of the landscape doesn’t grab you, then watch a nearby stream tumble over boulders, look at the plants by your feet, follow the sound of the birdcalls to the treetops, or examine the minerals in a rock. These are all part of the continually changing landscape of the magnificent High Sierra.

Using This Book

The trail description is split into 13 sections, one for each of the river drainages that the JMT passes through. While you are often confined to a single watershed on a shorter walk, part of the glory of the JMT is that you can see how the landscape changes between drainages. Each section begins with a detailed elevation profile of the trail. Marked on the elevation profile are most of the junctions you will pass. Campsites are shown on the topo maps, with more-detailed descriptions provided in Appendix B; campsites are also mentioned throughout the text.

Also included at the beginning of each trail section is a table listing the major junctions you will pass, as well as some other waypoints. Each entry includes the elevation, GPS coordinates (in decimal degrees), distance from the previous point, and cumulative distance from the JMT’s northern terminus, here given as Happy Isles. All elevations have been rounded to the closest 10 feet, as I do not believe my measurements from my GPS unit are more accurate than this—and they may be only half this good. The elevations of the major junctions and the distances between these junctions are also indicated in the text using the following notation: [7,010' – 1.5/116.0]. This example lets you know that you are at an elevation of 7,010 feet, you have traveled 1.5 miles since the last junction noted, and you have traveled 116 miles since Happy Isles.

Following the tables is a written description taking you along the JMT. This covers trail conditions, river crossings, and places to camp, some details of the vegetation communities and geologic features you pass on your hike, and tidbits of relevant history. (The text is not intended to be read as an adventure story before starting your journey, but rather during breaks as you hike along.) All GPS coordinates given in this book follow the North American datum 1983, the default for most GPS devices and map apps.

The topographic maps within this book are derived from the latest digital elevation models available from the US Geological Survey. Overlaid on these are layers with information on water bodies, roads, and geographic names, also courtesy of the USGS. As for the trails, the JMT and all side trails shown are derived from GPS tracks that I have collected over the past decade. I have hiked all the trails shown on the maps carrying two GPS units, each logging a data point every 6–8 seconds. I then plotted the resultant tracks on a satellite photo and further edited the tracks to precisely match the actual trail. Distances in the book are extracted from these tracks. See the Maps section for additional information.

A derivative of this book, John Muir Trail Data Book, is also available. It contains the same tables and maps as this book but lacks the background information and trail descriptions. All waypoints included in this book are available for download at tinyurl.com/JMTWaypoints; you can download these waypoints directly to a map app (e.g., Gaia GPS) to have on the trail, or plot them onto a map for planning purposes, including the USGS National Map, CalTopo maps, and Google Earth. You may not share them publicly, however—they are copyrighted material that accompanies this book.

Planning Your Hike

You should not embark on the John Muir Trail on impulse. Its length, remoteness, altitude, and continuous ascents and descents mean that you must plan your hike and know what to expect if you are going to enjoy it.

First, you need sufficient backpacking experience to know how your appetite behaves on long hikes, how much your body can take without rebelling, and especially how your emotions react in various backpacking situations. For example, you will have your own typical reactions to solitude (if you go alone), forced togetherness (if you don’t go alone), cold, heat, rain, smoke, excessive mosquitoes, and injury.

Second, it is helpful to know a bit about backpacking in the Sierra to gauge your expected progress. If this is your first time here, consider the following: the general lack of lousy weather means that you can plan to hike for as many hours as you want, and that number varies enormously from hiker to hiker. With few exceptions, the JMT is well graded, with numerous switchbacks easing the long climbs; rocky trails over passes and through some high basins can be hard on your feet, limiting daily mileage; and much of the trail is at high altitude, slowing progress.

Given these parameters, most JMT hikers cover 10–12 miles per day, although in this era of ultralight gear (and short vacations), there are ever more people ticking off 16–20 miles each day, or more. I advocate hiking no more than 15 miles per day and setting aside a handful of zero (or layover) days, for there are so many beautiful scenes to absorb and endless side trails, lakes, and peaks to explore (see Appendix A, for suggestions). It is nice to have budgeted enough time to have the flexibility of stopping early on a day when you feel beat or the weather is atrociously wet (or hot); this way you can enjoy the upcoming stretch of trail with a fresh body in the morning. It took me many years of hiking to realize just how much fatigue, hunger, being too hot, or being subjected to driving wind can color my perception of trail segments. When I feel worse, I find that the scenery escapes my notice and I spend the walk wanting to reach the next junction instead of reveling in the location’s beauty; it’s wise to spread out your hike enough that you can (mostly) walk only when you’re enjoying yourself. If you find that you walk faster or farther than you anticipate, and have extra time, you can always explore a nearby peak or spend a relaxing afternoon in a picturesque location. To estimate how many days you will spend hiking the JMT, add to 222.2 (the total overall mileage) the extra distance you’ll hike to pick up your resupplies (see for distances). Divide this number by your expected daily mileage to calculate your total hiking days. Add the number of 0-mile (zero) days you would like to take, and you have the total elapsed days. Using the Cumulative Mileage Table and the campsites list (Appendix C), you can pick tentative destinations for each night. Absolutely consider these campsite locations to be tentative; almost all hikers adjust their daily distances from day to day and camp in only a subset of the destinations they chose in advance.

Some hikers prefer to section-hike the trail in one- or two-week legs, spread over more than one season. This book will help you do that: Appendix B describes the lateral trails used to access the JMT, how to reach each of the trailheads from the nearest town, and how to obtain permits. Other Wilderness Press books, including Sierra North, Sierra South, and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, provide greater detail on these lateral trails. Appendix B is also an important resource to determine the most efficient exit to a trailhead if your hike doesn’t go as planned; a little over 25% of people cut short their JMT journey due to injury, too much snow, too much smoke, or simply because they aren’t having fun.

John Ladd’s annual JMT Hiker Surveys (@JMTHikerSurvey on Facebook) are an amazing resource for JMT hikers. John has compiled surveys from more than 6,400 people over seven years, releasing new analyses every few years. These surveys pinpoint the main environmental discomforts, injuries, gear failures, and the like experienced by JMT hikers, with data broken down by gender, age, and experience.

North to South, or South to North?

The JMT was first scouted southbound (north to south, or SOBO in hiker jargon), with parties traveling from the well-known Yosemite area to the little-explored areas to the south. Then, for many years, northbound became the most popular direction, such that early editions of this book were written only as a south-to-north (NOBO) narrative. The increasing difficulty of getting permits departing from Whitney Portal meant that in 2014, when the previous edition was published, rangers estimated that 90%–96% of hikers were headed SOBO, from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney. Following the implementation of a Donohue exit quota by Yosemite National Park in 2015, these numbers have shifted again, with about 35% of hikers headed NOBO in recent years; most of these hikers begin at starting points other than Whitney Portal, with Cottonwood Pass being the most popular. As permit regulations continue to evolve, these trends will keep changing!

Fortunately, all hikers I queried were enjoying their chosen direction—and most felt strongly that it was the preferable direction. I took away from my survey that, as expected, most people hiking the JMT are having a good time and would still be enjoying themselves if walking in the opposite direction. Nonetheless, I have listed below some reasons why people advocated a given direction of travel.

Some reasons for hiking northbound (south to north, or NOBO):

•You do not have to put up with the Yosemite permit lottery.

•The sun is not in your eyes as you walk.

•If your trip is cut short, you have had a chance to see the most dramatic mountain landscape.

•Climbing 6,000 feet out of Yosemite Valley in midsummer is miserably hot.

•You are headed the same direction as Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hikers and can relate to their trail tales.

•It was the permit that was available.

Some reasons for hiking southbound (north to south, or SOBO):

•You do not have to put up with the hassle of the Mount Whitney permit lottery.

•Your uphills are mostly north-facing and therefore more forested and shadier.

•You are better acclimated by the time you hit the high passes, not to mention Mount Whitney.

•The scenery just keeps getting more dramatic as you head south.

•This is the direction that the trail was first scouted.

•It was the permit that was available.

The print version of this edition includes only the southbound trail description. The northbound description is available in a separate electronic edition.

When Should You Go?

Several factors, including temperature, residual snow, stream crossings, smoke, mosquitoes, flowers, and the number of people on the trail, may influence your decision about when to hike the JMT. Each person will, of course, have his or her own opinion about which of these should determine the exact departure date. However, one factor trumps all others, such that nearly everyone embarks on the trail sometime between late June and mid-September, for it is during these months that you are guaranteed mostly snow-free travel.

Temperatures will be warmest in July and early August. On average, snow cover will be minimal by early to mid-July, but due to enormous variation year to year, there is no normal year, only average snowfall quantities. In big snow years, most of the upper elevations will be covered in snow through mid-July, making progress much slower and more arduous; in drought years, it is possible to begin your hike by the first calendar day of summer. (Additional information on temperatures and snow cover can be found in the Weather section.) Stream levels are strongly correlated with snow cover, such that during mid- to late June, on average, stream levels will be very high and crossings can be dangerous. Mosquitoes are likewise unpredictable, but they tend to be terrible until early July, tolerable by late July or early August, and nearly absent following the first cold nights in mid-August. The period of the peak flower bloom, unfortunately, lags the mosquitoes by only a week, with the most spectacular displays in mid-July. As the flow of people tends to be at its highest from mid-July to late August, some hikers choose to begin their trips after Labor Day (early September) to experience greater solitude on the trail. Smoky skies and closures associated with nearby fires (or extreme fire danger) are increasingly plaguing hikers in August and September; since the Sierra Nevada receives limited summer rain, the likelihood of fires increases throughout the summer, and most summers in the past decade have had weeks (or months) of persistent smoke, with some fires occurring as early as June, but the majority igniting between mid-August and mid-September. The first light snowfalls tend to occur during September but usually melt quickly, while mid- to late October often brings the first large storms, which abruptly end the backpacking season and can cause trouble for parties deep in the wilderness.

Wilderness Permits

Obtaining a wilderness permit to hike the JMT can be a confusing and stressful process. Demand far outstrips supply for the most sought-after permits (Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney, Tuolumne Meadows to Mount Whitney, Whitney Portal to Yosemite, Cottonwood Pass to Yosemite) for the entire summer hiking season. And the competition for permits continues to intensify. People have been trying to find loopholes in the permit system for many years now, leading to the tightening of restrictions year upon year. There is no single JMT permit per se, and because the JMT is not an officially designated trail, land managers have yet to figure out a way to establish one. Instead, for all