THE JOHN MUIR TRAIL · 211 MILES · 15 DAYS
The trail is a single line drawn down the spine of the Sierra Nevada. It crosses ten passes, three wilderness areas and two national parks, and climbs close to 47,000 feet before it ends on the highest summit in the lower forty-eight.
Some people hike it for the breathtaking scenery. Others hike it to test their endurance. Whatever the reason, most discover what John Muir once wrote: “going to the mountains is going home.” This is a typical southbound trip, fifteen days on foot and fourteen nights out, with resupply stops at Red’s Meadow and Muir Trail Ranch.
Mile 0 · 4,035 ft
It starts at a wooden sign on the valley floor, packs too heavy, river too loud to talk over. Within the first hour the Mist Trail soaks you at Vernal Fall, then Nevada Fall thunders past as the switchbacks lift you out of the valley.
Camp note · No camping at the trailhead. Most southbound hikers sleep in Upper Pines or Backpackers Camp the night before, then climb.
Night 1 · Mile 4.5 · 6,100 ft
Above the thundering falls the Merced grows calm, gliding in long silver reaches through a grove of noble pines. Here the weary mountaineer may rest, while the great gray brow of Half Dome looks down through the trees, glowing in the last light like a blessing.
Camp note · Designated backpackers’ camp with bear boxes and a composting toilet. Most Happy Isles permits name it as the first night.
Night 2 · Mile 19.5 · 9,450 ft
A long climb past Sunrise Creek ends at the first true alpine camp. Cathedral Peak stands over the water like its name, and at dawn the whole spire lies upside down on the lake.
Camp note · Camp well back from the shore on durable ground. Day hikers from Tuolumne crowd the trail midday, so arrive late or leave early.
Night 3 · Mile 31 · 9,000 ft
Through Tuolumne Meadows, with its store and post office, then into a long, flat canyon where the Lyell Fork wanders through meadow grass. Deer graze at dusk as the walls close in toward Donohue Pass.
Camp note · Camping is restricted in the lower canyon near Tuolumne. Most hikers camp near the canyon’s head to start the pass early.
Night 4 · Mile 41 · 9,833 ft
Over Donohue Pass and out of Yosemite. Banner Peak fills the sky at the far end of the lake, and granite islands catch the evening light one by one. Many hikers call it the most beautiful camp of the trip.
Camp note · Ansel Adams Wilderness. No camping within a quarter mile of the outlet; walk the north shore for sites. Wind picks up after dark.
Night 5 · Mile 58 · 7,600 ft
Past the basalt columns of Devils Postpile and into a pocket of civilization: a hot shower, a bucket of food you packed weeks ago, and a burger eaten on the porch with dirt still on your hands.
Resupply · Mail a bucket to the resort ahead of time. Pay campground, café and showers, plus a shuttle to Mammoth Lakes for anything you need.
Night 6 · Mile 72 · 10,314 ft
A wide, shallow bowl of water that warms through the afternoon, which makes it rare: a high lake you can actually swim in. Some hikers stop early on purpose, drying socks on hot granite.
Camp note · Exposed sites with big views. Purple Lake, two miles back, is the sheltered alternative if the wind is up.
Night 7 · Mile 87 · 7,750 ft
Over Silver Pass, 10,754 ft, and down a long chain of switchbacks to Mono Creek. The meadow sits low and green among aspens, and the sound of the creek carries you to sleep.
Camp note · Junction for the Lake Edison ferry to Vermilion Valley Resort, an optional extra resupply. Good sites in the trees near the creek.
Night 8 · Mile 108 · 7,700 ft
A big day over Selden Pass, past the blue sweep of Marie Lake and down through forest to the South Fork of the San Joaquin. Across the river, natural hot springs steam in a meadow.
Resupply · Ship your bucket weeks ahead; the ranch hands them out at set hours. Camp across the river near the hot springs, not on ranch land.
Night 9 · Mile 123 · 10,850 ft
Into Kings Canyon and the heart of the trail. A basin of bare granite and still water, ringed by peaks named for Darwin, Mendel and Huxley. There are almost no trees, so the stars come all the way down.
Camp note · Sites on the north shore and along the inlet. Above treeline: no fires, and a cold, early start for Muir Pass.
Night 10 · Mile 137 · 8,250 ft
Over Muir Pass and its round stone hut, then a long descent into Le Conte Canyon. The meadow is wide and quiet, the Middle Fork of the Kings slides past, and the canyon walls go gold at sunset.
Camp note · Forested sites at the meadow’s edge. The Le Conte ranger station is a few miles back up the canyon.
Night 11 · Mile 158 · 11,150 ft
Up the Golden Staircase, past the Palisade Lakes and over Mather Pass into the stark Upper Basin. Lake Marjorie sits just below Pinchot Pass, ringed by rust-colored peaks.
Camp note · Exposed and cold at night. Look for sites on the benches above the lake; no fires at this elevation.
Night 12 · Mile 175 · 10,550 ft
Down to the swaying suspension bridge at Woods Creek, then up to a string of lakes beneath the striped fin of Fin Dome. Mornings are glassy and silent.
Camp note · Heavily used; two-night limit per lake, no fires.
Night 13 · Mile 184 · 9,550 ft
A short, steep day over Glen Pass and down into Bubbs Creek. The meadow lies at the foot of East Vidette’s sharp pyramid, a sheltered, wooded camp to rest before the biggest climb of the trip.
Camp note · Bear boxes at several sites. Eat well and sleep early: Forester Pass, 13,153 ft, comes tomorrow.
Night 14 · Mile 206 · 11,480 ft
The longest day: over Forester Pass, across the open Bighorn Plateau and up to the last camp. From the switchbacks above, the lake takes the shape of its name. Headlamps start up the wall around two.
Camp note · Crowded, rocky and cold. Pack out human waste with a WAG bag from here on. Fill water for the summit push.
There is no camp at the top, only a stone hut, a register, and the whole of the range you just walked laid out to the north in the first light. The trail ends here. The walk out to Whitney Portal is another eleven miles down.