How John Muir Trail permits actually work

The permit is the hardest part of a John Muir Trail hike, and it is the first thing you should solve. Everything else — your dates, your resupply, your flights — depends on which permit you draw.

The important thing to understand is that permits are issued for an entry trailhead and start date. A full JMT itinerary can add another constraint: Yosemite starts must be eligible to continue over Donohue Pass, and some Inyo trips need a quota-controlled Trail Crest exit.

Which window you are actually aiming at

Every start below is quota-controlled, and each one opens on its own schedule. Enter the date you want to start walking and the windows you have already missed will be struck through.

Your planned start datePick a start date to see which of these windows have already passed.Pick a start date to see which of these windows have passed.

A · Option A: Happy Isles trailhead · Yosemite National Park

southbound · 15 people per day · the complete trail, walked end to end from the valley floor

1. Yosemite rolling lottery opensOpens 24 weeks before your start date · 09:00 America/Los_Angeles
2. Yosemite seven-day releaseOpens seven days before your start date · 07:00 America/Los_Angeles

Apply at Yosemite National Park

B · Option B: Tuolumne Meadows · Yosemite National Park

southbound · 30 people per day · twice the daily quota, at the cost of the Yosemite Valley stretch

1. Yosemite rolling lottery opensOpens 24 weeks before your start date · 09:00 America/Los_Angeles
2. Yosemite seven-day releaseOpens seven days before your start date · 07:00 America/Los_Angeles

Apply at Yosemite National Park

C · Option C: Whitney Portal · Inyo National Forest

northbound · 60 people per day · a different lottery entirely — at the cost of 14,505 ft on day one

1. Mt Whitney lottery applications openPublished date
2. Mt Whitney lottery results postedPublished date
3. Mt Whitney awards must be claimedPublished date
4. Unclaimed Mt Whitney dates releasedPublished date · 07:00 America/Los_Angeles

Apply at Inyo National Forest

D · Option D: Onion Valley · Inyo National Forest

southbound · the shortest walk in to the JMT, and the one every bail-out plan already names

1. Inyo six-month releaseOpens six months before your start date · 07:00 America/Los_Angeles
2. Inyo two-week releaseOpens two weeks before your start date · 07:00 America/Los_Angeles

Apply at Inyo National Forest

E · Option E: South Lake · Inyo National Forest

southbound · the middle of the trail, reached from the town with the most beds

1. Inyo six-month releaseOpens six months before your start date · 07:00 America/Los_Angeles
2. Inyo two-week releaseOpens two weeks before your start date · 07:00 America/Los_Angeles

Apply at Inyo National Forest

F · Option F: North Lake · Inyo National Forest

southbound · the northernmost eastside door, and the longest stretch of trail below it

1. Inyo six-month releaseOpens six months before your start date · 07:00 America/Los_Angeles
2. Inyo two-week releaseOpens two weeks before your start date · 07:00 America/Los_Angeles

Apply at Inyo National Forest

G · Option G: Taboose Creek · Inyo National Forest

southbound · the one that is usually still available, because of what it costs to walk in

1. Inyo six-month releaseOpens six months before your start date · 07:00 America/Los_Angeles
2. Inyo two-week releaseOpens two weeks before your start date · 07:00 America/Los_Angeles

Apply at Inyo National Forest

Which start you are applying for

The two ends of the trail are two different permit systems, with different lotteries, different quotas and different odds. Pick the one you are walking and the other collapses; nothing is hidden, and it reopens with a click.

Side-door starts

You can hike a substantial JMT section by entering over an eastern pass such as Kearsarge Pass from Onion Valley, Bishop Pass from South Lake, Piute Pass, or Taboose Pass. These are separate Inyo National Forest entries and may have availability when full-JMT entries do not. You do not get the complete 211-mile route, but you can still build a high-country section around an entry you can reserve.

For most Inyo trailheads, 60% of the quota is released six months ahead and the remaining 40% two weeks ahead, on the same weekday at 7am Pacific. The current Inyo wilderness permit listing controls; an alternate entry is still quota-controlled.

On the application form

A · Happy Isles trailhead · Yosemite National Park

Entry

Happy Isles trailhead

Happy Isles to Past Little Yosemite Valley (Donohue Pass eligible)

Exit

Whitney Portal

No second field — continuous wilderness travel from a Yosemite start covers the summit and the descent.

B · Tuolumne Meadows · Yosemite National Park

Entry

Tuolumne Meadows

Lyell Canyon (Donohue Pass eligible)

Exit

Whitney Portal

No second field — continuous wilderness travel from a Yosemite start covers the summit and the descent.

C · Whitney Portal · Inyo National Forest

Entry

Whitney Portal

Mt Whitney Trail (overnight)

Exit

Happy Isles trailhead

No second field — a northbound trip finishes in Yosemite Valley, which needs no exit quota.

D · Onion Valley · Inyo National Forest

Entry

Onion Valley

Kearsarge Pass

Exit

Trail Crest

Mt. Whitney (Trail Crest Exit)

E · South Lake · Inyo National Forest

Entry

South Lake

Bishop Pass -South Lake

Exit

Trail Crest

Mt. Whitney (Trail Crest Exit)

F · North Lake · Inyo National Forest

Entry

North Lake

Piute Pass

Exit

Trail Crest

Mt. Whitney (Trail Crest Exit)

G · Taboose Creek · Inyo National Forest

Entry

Taboose Creek

Taboose Pass

Exit

Trail Crest

Mt. Whitney (Trail Crest Exit)

Wording is copied from the agency's own form. Confirm it against the listing before you apply — these change between seasons.

Your dates, in the order you will meet them

The windows above are stated as rules, one agency at a time. This is the same information as a single dated list: everything you have to do for the trip you described, in order, with the link to book each one. Neither booking system publishes this, because neither one knows about the other.

Your planned start dateWhich way you are walkingEither directionSouthbound (from Yosemite)Northbound (from Whitney Portal)Pick a start date to see your permit calendar.

Pick a start date above and this becomes your dated list, in order, with the link to book each one. Until then the reservation windows above state every rule in full.

What the permit obliges you to do

• Carry an approved bear-resistant canister. It is required throughout Yosemite and in several Inyo and Sequoia & Kings Canyon corridors crossed by the JMT; proper food storage is mandatory everywhere. Confirm the zones and approved models with the current JMT regulations summary.
• Camp only where your permit and local regulations allow. On durable surfaces, the normal minimum is 100 feet from water and trail, but site-specific closures and signed exclusions override that rule.
• Stay within the group size limit — 15 people on trail in Yosemite wilderness, and smaller in some areas.
• Start at the trailhead and on the date printed on the permit. It is not transferable to another day.

If you begin in Yosemite and reach Mount Whitney by continuous wilderness travel, your originating permit covers the summit and descent to Whitney Portal. You do not need a second Whitney permit. An Inyo permit starting elsewhere must explicitly include Mt Whitney (Trail Crest Exit) if the trip ends at Whitney Portal, while entering at Whitney Portal requires the Mt Whitney Trail permit described above.

Campfires and stoves

There is no single campfire limit on this trail. The limit belongs to whoever manages the land, and the JMT crosses six pieces of public land, run by two agencies.

• Yosemite. Wilderness campfires are allowed only below 9,600 feet, in existing fire rings⁠iNPS Yosemite, Fire Restrictionsread 2 October 2026Wilderness campfires are only allowed below 9,600 feet in existing fire rings, except they are not allowed:nps.govNPS Yosemite, Wilderness Regulationsread 2 October 2026Campfires are allowed in existing fire rings below 9600 feet and at least 100 feet from water and trail only. Construction of new fire rings is prohibited. Fires must be attended at all times.nps.govNPS/USFS, John Muir Trail Minimum Impact Wilderness Regulations (PDF)read 2 October 2026Campfires are prohibited above 9,600 feet in elevation.fs.usda.gov. Campfires are prohibited in the Cathedral Lakes Basin⁠iNPS/USFS, John Muir Trail Minimum Impact Wilderness Regulations (PDF)read 2 October 2026Campfires are prohibited in the Cathedral Lakes Basin.fs.usda.govUSFS Inyo NF, John Muir Trail Itinerary locations (PDF)read 2 October 202613 to 17 Yosemite - Cathedral Lakes Sunrise trail junction, High Sierra Camp to Tuolumne.fs.usda.gov, and at Little Yosemite Valley and Sunrise fires are allowed only in the fire rings the park provides⁠iNPS Yosemite, Wilderness Regulationsread 2 October 2026In Little Yosemite Valley and the High Sierra Camp campgrounds (except Vogelsang HSC) fires are allowed only in the communal fire rings provided.nps.govVogelsang is excepted; Sunrise, on the JMT, is not..
• Devils Postpile. The monument allows fires only in designated areas, and the one open to campers is its campground, closed to public camping since 2016⁠iNPS Devils Postpile, Superintendent's Compendium, June 2026 (PDF)read 2 October 2026The lighting or maintaining of fires is prohibited, except in the following designated areas and/or receptacles under the following conditions.nps.govNPS Devils Postpile, Superintendent's Compendium, June 2026 (PDF)read 2 October 2026Devils Postpile Campground for permitted and authorized campers onlynps.govNPS Devils Postpile, Superintendent's Compendium, June 2026 (PDF)read 2 October 2026Devils Postpile National Monument Fee Campground has been closed to public camping since 2016.nps.govThe other designated fire site is the residential area, for residents. So no fire site in the monument is open to a JMT hiker. That last step is our reading: the compendium lists the sites, it does not name hikers., so there is no fire site for a hiker there.
• Inyo National Forest, from Donohue Pass to about a mile and a half before Silver Pass: no campfires above 10,000 feet⁠iUSFS Inyo NF, Forest Order 05-04-50-25-04read 2 October 2026Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire above 10,000 feet in elevation north of the Mt. Emerson and Mt. Humphreys ridgeline (Township 8 South, Range 30 East, Sections 10, 15, 22, 23, and 24), as shown on Exhibit C.fs.usda.govUSFS Inyo NF, Wilderness Regulationsread 2 October 2026Campfires are prohibited year round for all areas above 10,000 ft. north of the Mt Humphreys and Mt Emerson ridgeline and all areas above 10,400 ft. south of the Mt Humphreys and Mt Emerson ridgeline.fs.usda.govNPS/USFS, John Muir Trail Minimum Impact Wilderness Regulations (PDF)read 2 October 2026Campfires are prohibited in all areas above 10,000 feet in elevation.fs.usda.govForest Order 05-04-50-25-04 runs to 10 June 2027. South of the Mt. Emerson–Mt. Humphreys ridgeline the limit is 10,400 feet, but the JMT meets Inyo land south of that line only on the Whitney summit.. Inyo also closes the Rush Creek, Thousand Island Lake and Garnet Lake area⁠iUSFS Inyo NF, Wilderness Regulationsread 2 October 2026Additional areas closed to campfires:fs.usda.govUSFS Inyo NF, Wilderness Regulationsread 2 October 2026Rush Creek, Thousand Island Lake & Garnet Lake Map Ffs.usda.govThe 2020 joint JMT sheet lists Ruby Lake beside these; the current Inyo list does not name it., the Shadow Creek area⁠iUSFS Inyo NF, Wilderness Regulationsread 2 October 2026Additional areas closed to campfires:fs.usda.govUSFS Inyo NF, Wilderness Regulationsread 2 October 2026Shadow Creek & Minaret Lake area Map Gfs.usda.gov and the Duck Creek and Purple Lake area⁠iUSFS Inyo NF, Wilderness Regulationsread 2 October 2026Additional areas closed to campfires:fs.usda.govUSFS Inyo NF, Wilderness Regulationsread 2 October 2026Duck Creek & Purple Lake area Map Jfs.usda.gov.
• Sierra National Forest, from there to Piute Creek: no campfires above 10,000 feet⁠iUSFS Sierra NF, Forest Order 05-15-00-26-09read 2 October 2026Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire above an elevation of 10,400 feet, south of the elevation boundary line, and above an elevation of 10,000 feet, north of the elevation boundary line.fs.usda.govUSFS Sierra NF, Forest Order 05-15-00-26-09read 2 October 2026The elevation boundary line begins at Mt. Henry, then continues due west along the ridgeline to Hot Springs Pass, then continues northwest along the ridgeline to its intersection with the western boundary of the John Muir Wilderness, as shown on Exhibit B.fs.usda.govNPS/USFS, John Muir Trail Minimum Impact Wilderness Regulations (PDF)read 2 October 2026Campfires are prohibited for all areas above 10,000 feet north of the Glacier Divide and above 10,400 feet south of the divide.fs.usda.govForest Order 05-15-00-26-09. South of a Mt. Henry–Hot Springs Pass line the limit is 10,400 feet, but every point of the JMT above 10,000 feet on Sierra land is north of that line. Older pages draw the line at the Glacier Divide; on this trail both give 10,000 feet.. It also closes North Fork Mono Creek from 8,700 feet below Pocket Meadow up to the 10,000-foot line⁠iNPS/USFS, John Muir Trail Minimum Impact Wilderness Regulations (PDF)read 2 October 2026Legal campsites are very limited in the areas near Squaw Lake and Pocket Meadow.fs.usda.govNPS/USFS, John Muir Trail Minimum Impact Wilderness Regulations (PDF)read 2 October 2026Additional lower elevation no campfire areas:fs.usda.govNPS/USFS, John Muir Trail Minimum Impact Wilderness Regulations (PDF)read 2 October 2026Pocket Meadow areafs.usda.govUSFS Sierra NF, Forest Order 05-15-00-26-09read 2 October 2026In the Mono Creek area, from 8,700 feet elevation in the North Fork Mono Creek drainage below Pocket Meadow upstream to the existing 10,000 feet elevation campfire closure, as shown on Exhibit J.fs.usda.govThe regulations sheet lists "Pocket Meadow area" under the heading "Additional lower elevation no campfire areas:", in its "On the JMT" column., about two and a half miles of trail and the South Fork San Joaquin from Muir Trail Ranch up to 7,800 feet⁠iUSFS Sierra NF, Forest Order 05-15-00-26-09read 2 October 2026In the South Fork San Joaquin area, from the southeast corner of the Muir Trail Ranch private property boundary along the South Fork of the San Joaquin River to 7,800 feet elevation including the area below 7,800 feet elevation on both sides of the river, as shown on Exhibit K.fs.usda.govMeasured on 2 October 2026: the JMT runs 200 to 500 m above this stretch of river and does not drop below about 7,890 feet, so the closure is the riverside, not the trail., which is the riverside below the trail.
• Kings Canyon and Sequoia. No campfires above 10,000 feet in Kings Canyon⁠iNPS Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Minimum Impact Restrictionsread 2 October 2026In Kings Canyon National Park campfires are not allowed above 10,000 feet. In addition, fires are prohibited in Granite Basin and Redwood Canyon.nps.govNPS/USFS, John Muir Trail Minimum Impact Wilderness Regulations (PDF)read 2 October 2026No fires in all areas above 10,000 feet in elevation along the JMT/PCT corridor.fs.usda.gov, and none above 10,000 feet in Sequoia east of the Great Western Divide⁠iNPS Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Minimum Impact Restrictionsread 2 October 2026In Sequoia National Park west of the Great Western Divide campfires are not allowed above 9,000 feet. East of the Great Western Divide fires are not allowed above 10,000 feet.nps.govNPS Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Superintendent's Compendiumread 2 October 2026Kern River drainage: Above 10,000 feet elevationnps.govWest of the divide the limit is 9,000 feet. The JMT stays east of it., which is where the trail runs. South of Forester Pass the JMT never drops below 10,000 feet, so there is no legal campfire from there to the summit. If you walk out to Whitney Portal, note that Inyo lists the Mt Whitney area as closed to campfires⁠iUSFS Inyo NF, Wilderness Regulationsread 2 October 2026Additional areas closed to campfires:fs.usda.govUSFS Inyo NF, Wilderness Regulationsread 2 October 2026Mt Whitney area Map Sfs.usda.gov.

9,600 ft10,000 ft

YosemiteInyo NFInyo NFSierra NFKings CanyonSequoia

Miles	Land	Campfires
0.0–35.9	Yosemite National Park	None above 9,600 ft
35.9–57.0	Ansel Adams Wilderness, Inyo National Forest	None above 10,000 ft
57.0–58.8	Devils Postpile National Monument	No hiker fire site
58.8–59.8	Inyo National Forest, outside wilderness, at Reds Meadow	No elevation limit foundInyo's campfire order covers its wilderness, and this mile is not wilderness.
59.8–62.3	Ansel Adams Wilderness, Inyo National Forest	None above 10,000 ft
62.3–78.3	John Muir Wilderness, Inyo National Forest	None above 10,000 ft
78.3–79.2	John Muir Wilderness, Sierra National Forest	None above 10,000 ft
79.2–80.2	John Muir Wilderness, Inyo National Forest	None above 10,000 ft
80.2–112.0	John Muir Wilderness, Sierra National Forest	None above 10,000 ft
112.0–190.2	Kings Canyon National Park	None above 10,000 ft
190.2–211.0	Sequoia National Park	None above 10,000 ft

Mile	Also closed to campfires by name
17.3	Cathedral Lakes
38.7	Rush Creek
43.0	Thousand Island Lake
45.2	Garnet Lake
48.9	Shadow Creek
70.4	Duck Creek
72.8	Purple Lake
85.7	Pocket Meadow

Stoves. Gas and liquid-fuel stoves stay allowed where campfires are not, in Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and with a permit on both national forests⁠iNPS Yosemite, Fire Restrictionsread 2 October 2026Regardless of fire restrictions, portable stoves that use pressurized gas, liquid fuel, propane, or alcohol (including tablet/cube stoves) are always allowed.nps.govNPS Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Superintendent's Compendiumread 2 October 2026The use of gas fires in wilderness is unrestricted.nps.govUSFS Inyo NF, Forest Order 05-04-50-25-04read 2 October 2026persons with a valid Wilderness Permit or California Campfire Permit issued by the Forest Service may use a portable lantern or stove using gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel where otherwise prohibited by this Order.fs.usda.govUSFS Sierra NF, Forest Order 05-15-00-26-09read 2 October 2026persons with a valid Wilderness Permit or California Campfire Permit issued by the Forest Service may use a portable lantern or stove using gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel on the Sierra National Forest.fs.usda.gov. A wood-burning stove counts as a campfire⁠iNPS/USFS, John Muir Trail Minimum Impact Wilderness Regulations (PDF)read 2 October 2026Use of a wood-burning camp stove is not allowed where camp fires are prohibited.fs.usda.govNPS Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Minimum Impact Restrictionsread 2 October 2026Campfire restrictions also apply to the use of wood-burning camp stoves (e.g. Biolite or "Zip stoves").nps.govNPS Yosemite, Wilderness Regulationsread 2 October 2026No, you may not use a Sierra stove (stick stove) above 9,600 feet in elevation.nps.gov, so it follows the same line. Inyo requires a California campfire permit to use a camp stove⁠iUSFS Inyo NF, Campfire Permitsread 2 October 2026Campfire permits are required on all Inyo National Forest lands (and nearby Bureau of Land Management lands) for the use of a campfire, charcoal fire, camp stove, or any open flame.fs.usda.gov, so carry one.

This year’s emergency orders. The chart shows the standing rules. Fire orders sit on top of them and change every season. As read on 2 October 2026:

• Inyo banned campfires and stove fires anywhere on the forest outside listed developed sites, until 31 December 2026⁠iUSFS Inyo NF, Stage 1 Fire Restrictionsread 2 October 2026This Order is effective from June 22, 2026 through December 31, 2026.fs.usda.govUSFS Inyo NF, Stage 1 Fire Restrictionsread 2 October 2026The following acts are prohibited within the Inyo National Forest through December 31, 2026.fs.usda.govUSFS Inyo NF, Stage 1 Fire Restrictionsread 2 October 2026Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire, including charcoal briquettes except in the Developed Recreation Sites listed in Exhibit A.fs.usda.govUSFS Inyo NF, Stage 1 Fire Restrictionsread 2 October 2026Persons with a valid California Campfire Permit, however, may use a portable stove or lantern that is solely fueled by pressurized liquid petroleum or pressurized gas (LPG) fluids, and is outfitted with a fuel shut off valve.fs.usda.govOrder 05-04-50-26-23. No wilderness site is on the Exhibit A list of developed sites, so the ban reaches the wilderness: that is our reading of the list, the order does not say "wilderness". Still listed as in effect on 2 October 2026, with no lifting notice found.. No wilderness site is on that list. Only a pressurized gas or liquid stove with a shut-off valve was allowed, with a California Campfire Permit.
• Yosemite banned wood and charcoal fires below 8,000 feet⁠iNPS Yosemite, Fire Restrictionsread 2 October 2026Fire restrictions are in effect below 8,000 feet (see below for details). Other regulations still apply all year.nps.govNPS Yosemite, Fire Restrictionsread 2 October 2026Wood and charcoal fires (including twig stoves) below 8,000 feet, except they are allowed in:nps.govNo NPS page read gives a start or an end date. The page was last updated 2 August 2026..
• Sierra National Forest’s 2026 order left its wilderness to the standing rules⁠iUSFS Sierra NF, Fire Restrictions Order 05-15-00-26-10read 2 October 2026Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire, except within the Designated Recreation Sites listed in Exhibit A, within the Designated Wilderness Areas identified on Exhibit B, or within the Bald Mountain Base Camp as listed on Exhibit A and shown on Exhibit C.fs.usda.govUSFS Sierra NF, Fire Restrictions Order 05-15-00-26-10read 2 October 2026This Order is effective from August 7, 2026, through November 14, 2026.fs.usda.govOrder 05-15-00-26-10, 7 August to 14 November 2026. The Exhibit B map legend reads "Campfires Allowed – Wilderness"..
• Sequoia and Kings Canyon banned wilderness wood fires below 6,000 feet⁠iNPS Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Superintendent's Compendium, Administrative Order 26-005read 2 October 2026Wood and charcoal fires (including wood-burning stoves) are prohibited below 6,000 feet elevation in undeveloped campsites (wilderness/backcountry).nps.govNPS Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Fire Restrictionsread 2 October 2026Current Fire Restrictions: Stage 1nps.govAdministrative Order 26-005. No lifting notice found on 2 October 2026., which is lower than any part of the JMT in either park.

Check each agency’s fire restrictions page in the week before you start.

Before you rely on any of this

Quota numbers, application windows, access restrictions, and fees can change. Before committing money or travel, confirm the current rules with Yosemite wilderness permits, the Yosemite permit FAQ, and the relevant Recreation.gov listing.