day from San Francisco to be in Yosemite Valley by early afternoon, to collect your permit and so set out on the JMT early the next morning. When arriving by bus at Yosemite, ask to be put off at the Visitor Center in Yosemite Village, which is close to the Wilderness Center, where you must first go to pick up your wilderness permits.
At the time of writing The Travel Bureau in Wombourne (see Appendix 6) is the UK agent for Amtrak in the US and will take bookings for the bus/train/bus journey from San Francisco to Yosemite Valley.
From the Trailhead: Lone Pine to Los Angeles
Once you have completed the JMT you will have to reach the town of Lone Pine, 13 miles from the Whitney Portal Trailhead (for hints on how to achieve this see the end of Day 21). No doubt you will wish to spend a night or two in Lone Pine before moving on to Los Angeles or back to San Francisco for your return journey. This will allow you some time to sort out your onward travel arrangements.
Two public bus companies, Eastern Sierra Transit (www.estransit.com and YARTS (the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System, www.yarts.com) have expanded the scope and frequency of their services in recent years, so that it is no longer necessary to consider hiring a car to reach either town. Consult these websites for route maps, timetables and fares (2014 prices and timetables quoted below). Tickets can be purchased on the buses, but it is better to buy a ticket in advance if possible (information is available from the Lone Pine Tourist Office).
One-way car or small mini-bus hire may still be more cost effective if you have finished the JMT as part of a small group. The Enterprise Car Hire Firm in Bishop (for bus to Bishop see below) is the closest car hire location to Lone Pine.
To Los Angeles
On the Eastern Sierra Transit Route 395 from Lone Pine to Bishop there are three buses a day, Monday to Friday, taking under two hours, costing $8. The earliest of these, at 6.15am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday goes all the way to Reno, arriving at 1pm, costing $59. From Reno Greyhound Buses operate day and night services to Los Angeles, taking approximately 13 hours and costing about $90. Other bus operators also ply this route.
To San Francisco
First travel from Lone Pine to Bishop, as above. Also on Route 395 from Bishop there are three buses a day, Monday to Friday, taking just under an hour to Mammoth Lakes costing $7. At Mammoth Lakes transfer to a YARTS bus to Yosemite which operates a daily service July and August and weekends only in June and September. The bus departs at 8am, takes 4 hours and costs $18. From Yosemite Valley take the bus back to Merced (under three hours and $13) and then Amtrak train to San Francisco.
Remember that any of these services may be withdrawn or significantly changed at any time, and that other possibilities may present themselves in the future. Be sure to check the transport company websites before you leave and use the Trail grapevine to keep abreast of the current situation.
Booking Accommodation
Consider booking accommodation in San Francisco for your first night in the US. It is advisable to do this from home before arriving in the States, as you will probably be arriving in the middle of the summer holiday period when most accommodation will be full. A booking in one of the more upmarket hotels in San Francisco can be made via the internet. The net is less useful for cheap and cheerful hotels, in which a booking is more likely to be secured by arriving in person, but this is not advisable if your flight arrives fairly late in the day.
Unfortunately, most flights from Europe arrive in the late afternoon or early evening, when passengers will feel extremely jet-lagged. (Remember that Californian time is 8 hours behind the UK.) San Francisco has two youth hostels, one in Union Square in Downtown and the other in the popular Fisherman’s Wharf area of the town (Fort Mason – the bus stop to Yosemite is a 25-minute walk from this hostel and a good supermarket is only two minutes’ walk away).
Booking is strongly advised for visits in the main summer holiday season (Hostelling International, 312 Mason St, San Francisco, CA 94102 ([email protected]) and Hostelling International, Fort Mason, Building 240, San Francisco, CA 94123 ([email protected]). The San Francisco hostels can also be booked on the Hostelling International website.
A view of the Lyell Fork river in the Lyell Canyon (Day 4)
The best form of accommodation in Merced is a motel room. This can be booked easily for the major chain motels (such as the Best Western in Merced) over the Internet, but again it seems to be more difficult to book a motel room at the cheaper end of the market over the net.
Several hikers have recommended the Yosemite Bug Lodge (www.yosemitebug.com) a HI hostel situated about 25 miles from Yosemite village and on the bus route from Merced to Yosemite (bus stop, outside the entrance).
Accommodation is in dormitories, tent cabins or wooden cabins and a fresh food café is on site. The bus fare from the hostel to Yosemite is $12, and this is said to include the $10 Park entrance fee! (2010 prices).
On arrival at Yosemite Village you will probably head for the Backpackers’ Campsite, which is a 5–10 minute walk from North Pines/Stables bus stop number 18. Only people with wilderness permits can camp here. Alternatively you can stay overnight in the other forms of accommodation at Yosemite Village, such as the lodges. Details of these and booking information can be obtained from the park offices in Yosemite Village.
Accommodation will probably be required at Lone Pine at the end of the JMT and also in LA (fairly close to the airport if possible) the night before your flight home. As you may not be able to predict the day that you will finish the JMT and so arrive in Lone Pine, it is not advisable to pre-book accommodation there (and it is always possible that you will not finish the Trail and so need accommodation at a different location).
Those walking the JMT in August will arrive in Lone Pine at the end of that month, when many Americans have finished their annual holidays and pressure on motel rooms is not as intense. There are several motels to choose from in Lone Pine. The Best Western is ½ mile south of town, and the Dow Villa Motel (PO Box 205, 310 South Main Street, Lone Pine, CA 93545. Reservations 800-824-9317. [email protected]) is recommended.
Maps
There are several maps that cover all or part of the John Muir Trail. The United States Forestry Service produces a number of ‘Wilderness Maps’ which are useful, covering the JMT outside Yosemite. The John Muir/Sequoia–Kings Canyon Wilderness Map and the Ansel Adams Wilderness Map are the most useful sheets.
There are several maps available locally which cover the Yosemite National Park. The Inyo National Forest Map is another possible map, and covers the whole area through which the Trail passes. These maps are easily obtainable in the US, but less so outside the country.
The best maps both for planning in the UK and use on the JMT in America are contained within the John Muir Trail Map-Pack: Tom Harrison’s Maps. The Map-Pack consists of 13 colour topographical, shaded-relief maps depicting the John Muir Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and numerous side-trails. Campgrounds, ranger stations and information centres are also shown. The maps run from Whitney to Yosemite Valley (sheet numbers 1 to 13), so walkers following the route in this guidebook will use them in the order Sheet 13 to Sheet 1. The sheets required for each stage of the hike are given at the beginning of each daily stage in the route guide section of this book. For further information on Tom Harrison’s maps go to www.tomharrisonmaps.com.
Tom Harrison’s John Muir Trail Map-Pack
