John Muir Trail

The John Muir Trail begins at the Happy Isles Trailhead in Yosemite Valley and runs roughly 211 miles south to the summit of Mount Whitney, sharing nearly 170 of those miles with the Pacific Crest Trail. Very few visitors walk the whole thing in one trip — most people hiking out of the Valley are either doing the lower miles as a long day hike or launching a multi-week thru-hike that will take them well past the park.

Getting a permit

A single Yosemite wilderness permit covers a continuous JMT hike, but exiting the park over Donohue Pass is capped at 45 people per day, split between two trailheads: Happy Isles (15 permits) and Lyell Canyon (30 permits). Reservations go through Recreation.gov, and the Happy Isles allotment in particular is some of the most competitive in the entire Yosemite lottery — apply as early as the booking window opens if you want a southbound start from the Valley floor.

Through Yosemite

From Happy Isles the trail climbs past Vernal and Nevada Falls into Little Yosemite Valley — if your permit starts at Happy Isles, note that your first night's camp can't be in Little Yosemite Valley itself. The route continues past Cathedral Pass and down to Tuolumne Meadows before climbing Lyell Canyon to Donohue Pass, just over 11,000 feet, where the trail leaves Yosemite for the Ansel Adams Wilderness. Bear canisters are required for the entire route through the park; Yosemite rents them at wilderness permit stations if you don't own one.

Beyond the park

South of Donohue Pass, the JMT continues through the Ansel Adams and John Muir Wilderness areas and into Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park before ending atop Mount Whitney — a serious, multi-week undertaking for anyone hiking it end to end.