Sierra Nevada, California
The John Muir Trail
211 miles from Happy Isles, Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mount Whitney, almost entirely above 8,000 feet and almost entirely inside designated wilderness. This is the planning side of the trail: what it takes to get a permit, when the passes are actually open, how you eat for three weeks, and what conditions look like right now.
- Length
- 211 mi
- 340 km, plus about 11 miles down to Whitney Portal to exit
- Cumulative climb
- ~46,000 ft
- Roughly 14,000 m over eleven major passes
- High point
- 14,505 ft
- Mount Whitney, the highest summit in the lower 48
- Typical trip
- 17–21 days
- Fast parties finish in under two weeks; most take three
What you are signing up for
The JMT runs south along the spine of the Sierra Nevada through Yosemite, the Ansel Adams and John Muir Wildernesses, Kings Canyon and Sequoia. It shares most of its length with the Pacific Crest Trail, splitting off near the end to climb Mount Whitney instead of continuing north-south. The tread is generally good, well graded and well signed. The difficulty is not route-finding — it is sustained altitude, cumulative climbing, and the fact that resupply and rescue are both a long way off.
You cross roughly eleven passes above 10,000 feet, several above 12,000, and finish on the highest summit in the contiguous United States. Nearly the whole route sits between 8,000 and 14,500 feet, so plan for thin air from the first day. Most people walk it southbound from Yosemite Valley, which puts the highest ground at the end, after two weeks of acclimatisation. Northbound from Whitney Portal is shorter to permit but throws 14,505 feet at you on day one.
Start here
Three decisions shape everything else about the trip, roughly in this order.
- Hardest part
Permits
The trail is quota-controlled at both ends. Getting a permit is a lottery, and it decides your dates before anything else does.
- When to go
Season and weather
Snowpack opens and closes the passes. Most parties walk between mid-July and mid-September, and the shoulders behave very differently.
- Logistics
Resupply
Four realistic resupply points across 211 miles, one of which needs a bucket mailed weeks ahead. Your food plan sets your pack weight.
The route, section by section
Yosemite
Miles 0–24
Happy Isles to Tuolumne Meadows. The trail climbs past Vernal and Nevada Falls, gaining most of its first 6,000 feet in the opening day, then settles into forest and granite through Sunrise. Tuolumne Meadows is the last easy road access for a long time.
Ansel Adams Wilderness
Miles 24–60
Over Donohue Pass and out of the park. Thousand Island Lake and Garnet Lake sit under the Ritter Range, and the section ends at Reds Meadow near Mammoth — the first practical resupply, and the last one reachable by a paved road.
John Muir Wilderness
Miles 60–110
Silver Pass and Selden Pass, the Bear Ridge switchbacks, and the long descent to the San Joaquin. Vermilion Valley Resort and Muir Trail Ranch both sit in this stretch. Muir Trail Ranch is the last resupply before roughly 110 trail miles with no road.
Kings Canyon
Miles 110–180
The high, austere middle of the route: Evolution Basin, Muir Pass and its stone hut, then Mather, Pinchot and Glen passes back to back. Kearsarge Pass is the standard bail-out and mid-route resupply, over the crest to Onion Valley.
Sequoia and Mount Whitney
Miles 180–211
Forester Pass at 13,200 feet is the highest point on the trail proper. Then Bighorn Plateau, Guitar Lake, and the pre-dawn climb to Trail Crest and the summit of Whitney, followed by 11 miles down to Whitney Portal.
Mileages are approximate and measured southbound from Happy Isles. Different sources disagree by a mile or two depending on where they place the trailhead and the Whitney junction.
In the guide
How John Muir Trail permits actually work
The JMT is quota-controlled at both ends. Here is how the Yosemite lottery, the Donohue Pass exit quota and the Mount Whitney lottery fit together.
When to hike the JMT — season, snow and weather
Snowpack opens the passes and the first autumn storm closes them. Why most JMT hikes happen between mid-July and mid-September, and how each month behaves.
JMT resupply basics
Four realistic resupply points across 211 miles, what each one takes to arrange, and how they shape your pack weight and your bear canister choice.
Conditions change fast up there
Snow lingers on north-facing passes into August in heavy years, creek fords swing from ankle-deep to dangerous within a week of a warm spell, and fire closures can reroute or shut whole sections at short notice.