Hike the John Muir Trail (JMT)

The John Muir Trail (JMT) is an jaw-droppingly gorgeous 200+ mile trail that stretches from the Yosemite valley floor to the summit of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States.

JMT Trail Details

Distance: 221 miles (including Mt. Whitney summit to Whitney Portal)

Average Time: 2-4 weeks

Difficulty: Strenuous multi-day

Elevation gain: 46,700 ft

Highest point: 14,505 ft

Permit needed: Yes

When to go: June-September

Where is the John Muir Trail (JMT)

The John Muir Trail is located in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range. It passes through Yosemite National Park, Ansel Adams Wilderness, John Muir Wilderness, Kings Canyon National Park, and Sequoia National Park, with an un-official segment through Inyo National Forest (from the JMT’s southern terminus on the summit of Mt. Whitney, to the Whitney Portal trailhead).

Image courtesy of Bearfoot Theory (bearfoottheory.com)

The John Muir Trail begins at about the same latitude as San Francisco and stretches down to the same latitude as Monterey–but on the eastern side of the state, in the mountains closer to Nevada than to the coast.

The John Muir Trail overlaps portions of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and is according to some folks one of the prettiest areas of the PCT with its sweeping vistas, frequent babbling mountain streams, alpine lakes, and jagged mountain range after jagged mountain range.

Map & Elevation Profile

From northern to southern terminus, the John Muir Trail it is 211 miles long–approximately the same distance as the drive between New York City and Boston–though with the hike between the summit of Mt. Whitney and the trailhead at Whitney Portal, it is in reality just over 220 miles. Add in a few side trips to any of the countless lakes and mountain peaks along the trail, and it’s quite easy to end up hiking closer to 230 or 240 miles.

Over the course of the trail, hikers gain and lose a remarkable amount of elevation. The total elevation gain/loss is 46,700 feet, which is nearly 9 vertical miles (higher than the cruising altitudes of most commercial flights) and over 1.6 times the height of Mt. Everest.

Elevation profile

There are lots of great JMT map options, both electronic and printed. We opted for the Tom Harrison topographic maps. They were easy to use, durable (water-resistant and tear-proof), and hardly took any space in our packs.

When to Hike the John Muir Trail

In general, the John Muir Trail peak season is considered to be from July to September, though lots of people go in the “shoulder months” as well (mostly June & October). Though conditions vary year-to-year, there are some common pros and cons to going during each month.

June-July

Pros:
- Fewer lightening storms (making the passes safer & more enjoyable to cross)
- Lingering snow makes for more picturesque landscapes, and the snow-melt ensures that there are plenty of opportunities to resupply water.
Cons:
- More mosquitoes
- Higher water levels can make stream and river crossings more difficult
- Depending on the year, snow may not be fully melted from the trail (mostly for June trips–when we went in July it was fully melted off).

August-September

Pros:
- Fewer mosquitoes
- Lower water levels may make stream and river crossing easier
Cons:
- More lightning storms, which can make high elevation passes hazardous and scary
- Some seasonal creeks may be dry, though there is still typically an abundance of water for the majority of the trail
- Snow is likely to be fully melted off the mountains by the end of the summer, making it less picturesque (in my opinion)

Our Experience:

We hiked the JMT in July, and loved it. We encountered some mosquitoes, but only during certain parts of the trail and it was nothing our mosquito nets couldn’t handle. Water was plentiful, and some of the mountains still had patches of snow which made for gorgeous views and photos. We had quite a few lightening storms, but also had many completely clear days.

For the most part we were able to sleep in 15 degree sleeping bags in just our silk long underwear, though there were a few nights at higher elevation (11,000+ ft) when we added tights, thermal shirts, and wool hats.

Weather on the John Muir Trail

Weather can be extremely variable once you go above 10,000 feet–which includes much of the John Muir Trail. You can wake up to completely clear skies, and by 10am be caught in a white-out snowstorm in the middle of July. (This happened to us!)

Below is the current weather forecast, as well as annual averages, for Bishop, CA–a small outdoorsy town near the JMT with an elevation of about 4,100 feet.

Note: Temperatures drop about 3-5 degrees Fahrenheit every 1,000 feet you gain in elevation, so temperatures on the trail will be significantly cooler than in Bishop.

For example:

°F at 11,000 ft (where we camped many nights) = 21 to 35 °F cooler than Bishop
°F at 14,000 ft = 30 to 50 degrees cooler than Bishop

Free Weather Widget

Permits

Permits are required to hike the John Muir Trail. We were asked 3 or 4 times to show our permits to back-country rangers, so make sure you have ’em!

Permits can be very hard to get, so be sure to know the deadlines and plan in advance. Here are some things to think about before applying:

Do you want to hike SoBo (south-bound) or NoBo (north-bound)? SoBo hikers typically start in Yosemite and end at Mt. Whitney. NoBo hikers do the reverse. We hiked SoBo and appreciated the opportunity to acclimate to the elevation gradually, allowing our bodies to adjust before ending with a Mt. Whitney summit.
What trailhead you want to apply to start from? SoBo hikers typically start at Happy Isles–the official northern terminus of the trail–but there are a variety of other options as well. (We started at Yosemite Falls.) NoBo hikers typically start at Whitney Portal.
How many days you plan to spend on the trail? / How many miles do you want to (/can you) hike per day? My advice is to include a few extra days on your permit. There’s no down-side, and it may provide some peace of mind if plans change along the way for any reason (weather, fitness, unexpected stomach bug, etc.).
When do you want to hike the trail? We recommend listing as many date ranges as possible on the permit application to maximize your chances of getting a permit.
How many people do you want to include on your permit?

Due to the complexities of permits, and their always evolving nature, we won’t go into great detail here. However, here are some helpful resources that go in more depth:

SoBo Permits (Yosemite to Mt. Whitney)

Hikers beginning in Yosemite need to apply for a permit through Yosemite National Park. This one permit will be good for the entire trail.

JMT Permit Overview – including how to make apply for a permit
JMT Permit FAQs
General Yosemite Backpacking info
Yosemite Trailhead Report – check this to see if there are permits left for your trailhead of interest on specific dates

NoBo Permits (Mt. Whitney to Yosemite)

NoBo hikers will need to apply for a permit through Inyo National Forest. As with the Yosemite permits for SoBo hikers, this one permit will be good for the entire trail.

We’re not as familiar with the NoBo permit process, having chosen to hike SoBo, but Inga Askamit has a fantastic write-up called Deciphering the Inyo National Forest Permit System for the JMT. Check it out!

Resupply Points

We resupplied three times along the JMT:

Tuolumne Meadows (shipped ourselves a box)
Vermillion Valley Resort (shipped ourselves a box)
Muir Trail Ranch (shipped ourselves 2 buckets, one one which included an additional bear canister)

Some folks also resupply at Red’s Meadow.

Additional Resources

There are tons of great JMT resources, both online and printed. In addition to the links in the sections above, here are some additional resources that we found helpful:

John Muir Trail: The essential guide to hiking America’s most famous trail by Elizabeth Wenk.
John Muir Trail Facebook Group – open to anyone. Lots of common questions get asked and answered here. It’s also a great place to get inspired by JMT stories and photos that fellow hikers post!
Ladies of the JMT Facebook Group – closed group; must ask to be invited to group. Similar to the general John Muir Trail Facebook Group, but geared specifically towards empowering and creating a community for hikers who are women.