John Muir Trail

This article is about the trail in California. For the trail in Tennessee, see John Muir Trail (Tennessee). For the trail in Alaska, see Wrangell High School. For the trail in Scotland, see John Muir Way.

John Muir Trail
Length211 mi (340 km)
LocationCalifornia, United States
TrailheadsHappy Isles trailhead, Yosemite Valley
Summit of Mount Whitney
Usebackpacking, hiking, trail running, trail riding, pack trains
Elevation change47,000 ft (14,000 m)[1]
Highest pointMount Whitney, 14,505 ft (4,421 m)
Lowest pointHappy Isles trailhead, Yosemite Valley, 4,035 ft (1,230 m)
DifficultyModerate to strenuous
MonthsJuly to September
SightsYosemite Valley, Devils Postpile National Monument, Sierra Nevada
HazardsSnowmelt, icy slopes early season, altitude

The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, passing through Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. It is named after John Muir, a naturalist.

From the northern terminus at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley (37°43′54″N 119°33′31″W / 37.7317°N 119.5587°W / 37.7317; -119.5587 (northern terminus)) and the southern terminus located on the summit of Mount Whitney (36°34′43″N 118°17′31″W / 36.5785°N 118.292°W / 36.5785; -118.292 (southern terminus)), the trail's length is 213.7 miles (343.9 km),[2][1] with a total elevation gain of approximately 47,000 feet (14,000 m).[1] For almost all of its length, the trail is in the High Sierra backcountry and wilderness areas.[a] For about 160 miles (260 km), the trail is coincident with the longer Pacific Crest Trail.

The vast majority of the trail is within designated wilderness. The trail passes through large swaths of alpine and high mountain scenery, and lies almost entirely at or above 8,000 feet (2,400 m) in elevation. The trail sees about 1,500 thru-hiking attempts each year (including Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers), many fewer than the number of attempts on comparable walks such as the southern portion of Appalachian Trail or the Way of St. James.[3][4][5][b]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference backpacker was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "The JMT Wilderness Conservancy". Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  3. ^ Wenk 2014
  4. ^ "JMT FAQ". Pacific Crest Trail Association. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  5. ^ "2000 Milers". Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  6. ^ "John Muir Trail". Backpack45. Archived from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.


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