Routes Include:
JMT from Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne, including the ascent of Half Dome. 3 days. There is a seasonal bus from Tuolumne Meadows back to Yosemite Valley at the end of this short but spectacular hike.
JMT from Yosemite or Tuolumne Meadows to Reds Meadow, including Lyell Valley and the Devil’s Postpile. 6½ or 3½ days. A seasonal shuttle bus can be used to exit the trail to the town of Mammoth Lakes at the end of this trek.
JMT from Yosemite or Tuolumne Meadows or Reds Meadow to Vermilion Valley Resort. 2½, 6 or 9 days.
JMT from Yosemite or Tuolumne Meadows or Reds Meadow or Vermilion resort to Muir Trail ranch. 2, 4½, 8 or 11 days. From Muir Trail Ranch there is a seasonal ferry across Florence Lake (or hike around it) to a roadhead. Hikers would then have to hitch a lift back to civilisation.
JMT from Vermilion Valley resort or Muir Trail Ranch to le conte canyon, where the JMT can be left by a good trail over the Bishop Pass and so on to the town of Bishop: 5–7 days. Similarly, the JMT could be joined from Bishop by this route and then followed via Mount Whitney to Whitney Portal: 9–10 days.
When to go
The JMT is a high-level route over the High Sierras, mostly above 9000ft in altitude and often above 11,000ft. Very considerable quantities of snow fall on these mountains during the winter months. Snow remains on the high passes usually well into early summer. July is the first month of the year when the JMT could sensibly be considered, but in years of late spring snows it is likely that the higher sections of the Trail will still have a covering of snow, at least in the early days of that month. Melting snow also means swollen rivers, so an early summer crossing increases the risk of encountering difficult and dangerous river crossings.
The recommended month to hike the JMT is August, when the risk of lying snow and rivers in spate is at its lowest. Mosquitoes, which can be a menace in some areas, tend to be less of a nuisance later in the summer. The temperature even at the high altitudes of the High Sierras will probably be fairly high at this time of year (at least in the high 20s Celcius and probably well into the 30s), with some low temperatures at night (often at or below freezing), but with relatively low risk of severely low night-time temperatures. Precipitation, either rain or snow, will probably be very low. However, violent thunderstorms with heavy rain, snow and hail can occur even during the summer months. This mountain range has one of the best climates of any high mountain area in the world, and most days during the summer months have blue skies and wall-to-wall sunshine.
The first week of September is also acceptable, but by mid-September some of the resorts and other facilities en route may be closing down, particularly if the weather starts deteriorating. However, September does have several advantages for experienced backpackers, including few mosquitoes, less traffic on the trail, ease of obtaining permits, autumn colours and fewer thunderstorms, but at the risk of freezing nights, a higher probability of snow and the stores (Reds Meadow and Vermilion) en route running down stock for the close of the season. By the end of September night-time temperatures are likely to plummet significantly, with the first heavy snows of the season at high altitude a very real possibility. By early October all the facilities on the JMT are closed, as winter begins to creep slowly into the High Sierras.
All or part of the trail?
Overseas walkers are likely to spend a considerable sum of money travelling to the western United States and to invest a fair amount of time in planning the hike; they often wish, therefore, to attempt the whole of the JMT. However, with time for food provisioning and other preparations, and travel to and from the trailheads, plus time for sightseeing in San Francisco and elsewhere, the total amount of time required to walk the whole of the JMT is at least four weeks.
Breakfast in camp on the JMT
Those who do not have this time available can still experience this most wonderful of mountain wilderness areas without committing to the whole of the JMT. Many of the logistical problems of food replenishment do not exist if a shorter section of the trail is envisaged. Most American hikers, in fact, usually hike only three to five days in the wilderness on any one occasion, usually entering JMT country along a side-trail and returning to a nearby roadhead or town by another side-trail. There is sufficient information in this guidebook to allow walkers to do this (see Appendix 3 – Escape Routes).
In a Group or Alone?
The walker faces another important decision – whether to undertake the JMT as a member of a small group, with one other friend or spouse, or to go alone. There are benefits and disadvantages of either approach. Some authors and authorities strongly disapprove of walking alone, particularly in the wild and lonely areas of the world. Such disapproval arises mainly from the risk of accidents that could leave the solitary traveller unable to physically escape from the wilderness area or to summon assistance from others.
Entering a wilderness area, particularly a mountain environment, always entails a certain amount of risk, which will be greater if the individual travels alone. But, although the John Muir Trail passes through the heart of one of the largest wilderness areas in the United States, the individual will often encounter others along the trail, particularly during the main summer hiking season. The JMT hiker is merely following a narrow thread through the wilderness, rather than disappearing into the vast expanse all around him.
So if the lone walker suffers an accident it is quite likely that he or she will be found within a few hours, providing that the accident occurs along the route of the JMT. In this respect walking the JMT alone in the main holiday season is less hazardous than walking an unmarked route across the Scottish Highlands, for example. So lone walkers, whether from choice or from circumstance, shouldn’t be deterred from attempting the JMT.
Hiking the Trail as part of a group has several advantages. Safety in numbers is one obvious one, as is companionship, but another significant benefit is load sharing. The solitary walker must carry all his equipment, whereas one stove, one tent, one guidebook, one map, one first-aid kit, etc, will suffice for two or three people. Hence the weight to be carried per person should be less when travelling in a group. Job sharing is another advantage of a group, from shopping and packaging of food prior to the trek to division of labour in camp, and so on.
The disadvantage of travelling with a group is that minor differences in personalities and preferences can be exacerbated by living a physically demanding, unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable lifestyle in close proximity to one another, with little time to retreat into one’s own ‘space’. One person may naturally walk faster than the others and so get tired and exasperated at constantly having to wait for the rest of the group. Some may like to stop frequently for botanising or taking photographs, whilst others prefer to push on. All such differences can be magnified during the sometimes stressful existence of life on the Trail and result in disagreements, arguments, feuds and general unpleasantness.
By going alone there are no such personality clashes, but other mental strains may replace those of the group. When alone there is no one else to provide moral, mental or physical support, and the almost inevitable lows whilst on a venture of this nature can seem much blacker without friendly support, comradeship and assistance. The state of being alone, a refreshing and often vitalising state, could descend into loneliness – a dispiriting, depressing experience. Fears over certain aspects of the trek, such as the possibility of a bear encounter, may prey more on the mind of a lone hiker.
In conclusion, there is no ideal way to walk the JMT. One must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of going alone or in a group. But whatever the final choice, walking the JMT is sure to be an experience of a lifetime.
