John Muir Trail

The John Muir Trail, named after the famous pioneering environmentalist, runs along the spine of the Sierra Nevada range of northern California. Muir took this route, in 1869, some 211 miles from the Happy Isles trailhead at Yosemite south to the summit of Mount Whitney.

The beautiful Sierra Nevada were referred to as the “Range of Light” by Muir, and contain an extraordinary array of the most outstanding scenery. Much of the landscape is granite, so it is harshly beautiful, but with lakes, rivers, forests and meadows to mellow it (perfect it?). This is many peoples’ favourite hike – anywhere.

The trail meanders through three national parks – Yosemite, King’s Canyon and Sequoia  – one national monument (the Devil’s Postpile) and two wilderness areas, home to many animals and birds – including black bears, coyotes, wolverine, mule deer, bighorn sheep, marmots, red-tailed hawks, and great horned owls. It is definitely worth taking a pair of binoculars. Beware: the bears can be troublesome and potentially dangerous. Be sure to keep all your food stored in bear-proof containers.

Once away from Yosemite, the trail passes through genuine wilderness for days on end, with no signs of humanity other than walkers, so you will be camping and carrying many days’ food; this is hard work, although at least the trail isn’t excessively tough. That said, it is well walked, both on its own account and because it shares a lot of its way with the endless Pacific Crest Trail [link].

The route is not, however, especially difficult as it was engineered for pack animals, with no real scrambling unless you make the side trip to Yosemite’s Half Dome.

A summary of the route is:

Days 1-2 (24 miles) – Happy Isles to Tuolumne Meadows

Days 3-5 (34 miles) – Tuolumne Meadows to Reds Meadow

Days 6-8 (32 miles) – Reds Meadow to Quail Meadows and Lake Edison

Days 9-11 (34 miles) – Lake Edison to Evolution Valley

Days 12-14 (37 miles) – Evolution Valley to South Fork Kings River

Days 15-17 (37 miles) – South Fork Kings River to Tyndall Creek

Days 18-20 (25 miles) – Tyndall Creek to Whitney Portal

Note: the trail is often hiked south to north (particularly by those walking it as part of the PCT), but factors such as steady altitude gain and easier resupply can favour starting in the north.

A lot of people don’t have the time (or desire) to walk the entire trail, but take on more digestible sections, mainly in the north, where entry and exit are easiest, exiting on trails to roadheads (at some of which there are seasonal buses). Options include heading out from Yosemite to exit at Tuolumne Meadows, Red Meadows on the Muir Trail Ranch, or from one of these intermediate points onward (note, though, that the northernmost sections, near Yosemite, are the most populated and thus crowded, so, if you want to avoid people head to the remoter areas).

This is a long and demanding trek (354 km in total) of varying heights, for which one must allow approaching 3 weeks to hike the whole trail (although you can do it in a lot less if strong and fit -- research your likely timings). It winds through remote mountains on which you will have to be self-sufficient, camping and carrying all your food (food replenishment needs careful planning). Bears are a big issue. Come prepared – you will need to be physically and mentally up to it, and fit enough.

Permits are required and hard to get. See below. It is possible to make supported expeditions, but this is rarely done.

We strongly recommend the Cicerone [guidebook] which is both inspiring and very practical. And also the excellent https://trailtopeak.com/2018/12/31/a-complete-guide-to-the-john-muir-trail/

Find these and other books on Amazon.