Conceived in the 19th century, the trail continues to astound visitors with its scale, beauty and rigor.

The trail begins at the Happy Isle bridge near the Happy Isles Nature Center. The trail ascends steeply up a paved incline before crossing another bridge meeting with the junction with the Mist Trail. The trail continues along a cut into Panorama Cliff, called the "Ice Cut". Although broad and well-traveled, hazardous winter conditions and close proximity to civilization (attracting large numbers of day hikers) make this one of the most dangerous parts of the trail.

After some elevation gain via long switchbacks, the trail reaches the top of Nevada Falls. The trail continues into Little Yosemite Valley, past the trail junctions to Half Dome and Cloud's Rest, and then into a subalpine basin and passing the Sunrise High Sierra Camp. The trail then crosses the Cathedral Range at Cathedral Pass before dropping steeply into Tuolumne Meadows, a common resupply point. The trail passes a visitor's center and some campgrounds before linking up with the Pacific Crest Trail. The John Muir Trail/Pacific Crest Trail then turns south, through the mild Lyell Canyon meadow, and crosses the Cathedral Range again and exits the park at Donahue Pass.

Ansel Adams Wilderness and Devils Postpile

A log bridge on the John Muir trail crossing part of Thousand Island Lake.Mount Davis is visible in the background.

At the crest of Donahue Pass, the trail enters Inyo National Forest and the Ansel Adams Wilderness. The trail passes Thousand Island Lake, Garnet Lake, and a number of smaller lakes. The trail continues into Devils Postpile National Monument, where there are a number of opportunities to resupply or exit the trail. Devil's Postpile is located a short distance from the trail.

Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park

The John Muir Trail next enters Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park crossing some spectacular alpine regions, including Evolution Basin, the Golden Staircase, and Forester Pass. The trail ends at the summit of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States. From the summit of Mount Whitney, the closest trailhead is Whitney Portal.

Elevation

The lowest point (4,000 feet (1,200 m)) on the trail is the northern terminus at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley. The highest point (14,505 feet (4,421 m)) on the trail is the southern terminus, Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States. With the exception of the first 7 miles (11 km) leaving Yosemite Valley, the elevation of the trail never falls below 7,000 feet (2,100 m). The trail crosses six mountain passes over 11,000 feet (3,400 m); from north to south, Donohue Pass, Silver Pass, Selden Pass, Muir Pass, Mather Pass, Pinchot Pass, Glen Pass, and Forester Pass. At 13,153 feet (4,009 m), Forester Pass is also the highest point along the Pacific Crest Trail.

When the United States Geological Survey calculated the official length of the trail, elevation gain and loss was not taken into consideration. It is estimated that, when hiking north to south, the amount of ascent of the trail is just over 46,000 feet (14,000 m) and the total descent is just over 38,000 feet (12,000 m), for a total of about 84,000 feet (26,000 m).

About 75-90 percent of hikers hike north to south, from Yosemite Valley to Mt. Whitney. There are advantages to starting in Yosemite Valley and hiking south. Although there is a significant net altitude gain this way, starting at a lower altitude allows the hiker time to acclimatize to the elevations of the trail rather than immediately having to tackle a 6,000-foot (1,800 m) climb to the summit of Mount Whitney. In addition, there are several resupply points convenient to the JMT during its northern half (Tuolumne Meadows, Reds Meadow, Vermillion Valley Resort, Muir Trail Ranch), allowing the hiker to carry a lighter food load early in the hike and also to exit the trail easily if problems arise. The southern half of the JMT is more remote and generally higher in elevation, thus making it more appropriate for the second half of the hike when maximum conditioning has been attained.

TRAIL SPECIFICATIONS

Start – Happy Isles, Yosemite
Terminus – Mt. Whitney
Miles – 210.4
Max Elevation – 14,500'
Min Elevation –  4,320'
Avg Min Elevation – 9,000'
Resupply Points – 4

ACTIVITIES

Hiking
Altitude Sickness
Climbing Passes
Descending Passes
Snowmelt-fed Lake Swimming
Water Filtering
Boiling Water
Not fishing

AMENITIES

None - bring a trowel