View Full Version : Information sources for JMT
Creek Dancer
10-18-2012, 14:57
I am seriously considering doing the JMT in 2013. I have been backpacking for about 15 years and I feel confident that I have the skills and motivation to complete this trail.
What are the best sources of information for the JMT with respect to planning, permits, etc.?
Thanks so much. :)
http://johnmuirtrail.org/
http://www.backpack45.com/johnmuirtrail.html
http://www.pcta.org/about_trail/muir/over.asp
Creek Dancer
10-18-2012, 16:15
Thanks, my friend. I was just looking at those! I am just getting started with the planning and I was wondering what most people use. I think I need to get a guidebook and map first.
garlic08
10-18-2012, 17:12
Cool! I hope it comes together for you. Have a great time.
If you want to tackle another fantastic, shorter trail while you're out West, look at the Wonderland Trail--my favorite so far. And they give out walk-in permits!
postholer.com
10-18-2012, 18:16
Well, you can do some serious arm-chair hiking and planning using this JMT Google Map (http://postholer.com/gmap/gmap.php?trail_id=4&dist=1), with distances and elevations. Use the 'Topo' view for the map type as you zoom in.
For printed maps you can preview and download (http://postholer.com/mapbooks/preview.php?trail_id=4) the free, digitized maps with data book and elevations charts (.pdf file). This is the same process used to create the postholer PCT, AT, AZT and BMT maps.
You can also view the online data book (http://postholer.com/databook/index.php?trail_id=4).
For general information such as snow depth maps, weather, fire perimeter maps, etc, check out the main JMT resource page (http://postholer.com/index.php?trail_id=4).
-postholer
totally forgot about postholer esp when I have been reading some trail journals over there
Creek Dancer
10-19-2012, 11:31
Thanks, everyone! I will check out those sources.:cool:
Also, check out JMT thru-hiker books by Kathey Morey or Thomas Winnet/Kathey Morey. Both work well for planning a JMT thru-hike as well as the info at the first two sites Ewker mentions - jmt .org and backpack 45.com. Unless you are planning going off trail or hiking early, before mid/late June or late in the Fall, after mid Oct, the trail shouldn't be covered with snow so the route should be obvious and it's generally well signed so detailed topo maps are not essential at that time of the yr. The books I mentioned contain OK maps if you are staying on trail.
You're gonna love it! Not too much planning really essential....except how to get there and resupplies....
It's an awesome trail Creek Dancer. I'm doing it again in 2013. I did it in 2009 and sections of it in years between. One source of info that really helped me was http://www.trailjournals.com/index.cfm This group is great also http://groups.yahoo.com/group/johnmuirtrail/?yguid=56798590 Also Elizabeth Wenk's guide, "John Muir Trail" is very useful. The logistics may seem daunting but they are really not that bad. If you go through some of the journals at TJ.com you'll see how others have handled it.
jacob_springsteen
10-21-2012, 20:24
Also, trail forums message boards:
http://www.trailforums.com/room.cfm?roomID=31
The JMT is a well-graded trail. Water is plentiful for the most part on it but food resupplying can be a little bit of a hassle. Best time to hike it is in August going into September perhaps. Mosquitoes were a big detractor when I went one year in July. My first hikes on the JMT were just based with the Winnett guide book and a backpack of freeze-dried food and zeal to see the Sierra Nevada. If I could, I'd hike the JMT every summer. The camping alone is fantastic.
Creek Dancer
10-22-2012, 15:25
You guys are awesome. All great resources! I have soooo much to learn!
When backpacking on the AT, I generally do between 14 - 18 mile days, depending on the terrain, weather, etc. I usually hike about 8 - 9 hours with plenty of breaks for views, snacks and pictures.
For those of you familiar with both, would you say 15 miles per day is about right. I am just trying to figure out how many days this will take me.
colorado_rob
10-22-2012, 16:07
You guys are awesome. All great resources! I have soooo much to learn!
When backpacking on the AT, I generally do between 14 - 18 mile days, depending on the terrain, weather, etc. I usually hike about 8 - 9 hours with plenty of breaks for views, snacks and pictures.
For those of you familiar with both, would you say 15 miles per day is about right. I am just trying to figure out how many days this will take me. My wife and I just finished the JMT averaging right 16 miles a day, basically right at 1.9 MPH average speed including breaks, etc, meaning 8-9 hours of hiking every day, just like you say you do. This included a couple 20 mile days on the easier terrain and a couple 13 mile days sprinkled in for various reasons (weather, re-supply logistics, etc).
I've hike a LOT of trails all over the country, and the JMT is simply the most beautiful trail I've ever hiked. I'm looking forward to eventually thru-ing it again as part of the PCT if I manage to pull off the AT successfully next year.
fredmugs
10-30-2012, 07:35
If you do Facebook "Like" the page of every place along the trail. That's how I found out that the shuttle boat into Vermillion Valley Resort was shut down this past summer due to low water levels on the lake. Depending on what time you are going the NPS will publish info relative to the opening of the Tioga Rd and campgrounds along the way.
MPD was on the low side for me (18 - 20) but for some crazy reason the altitude never bothered me unless I was climbing over a pass. Forrester Pass sucked going NOBO and all the SOBO's I saw said I was going the easy way. Whitney was pretty easy by comparison.
"For those of you familiar with both, would you say 15 miles per day is about right?"
Thru-hiking the AT in 2010 I typically did low 20's; less in the snow starting out, and less in the Whites, but otherwise I managed 20 every full hiking day I think.
My wife and I hiked the JMT SOBO this year, in September. We took 17 days, but we started the first day (climbing up out of Yosemite) at 2 pm, and we took a day off along the way at Reds Meadow, so really more like 15-1/2 days of hiking. The trail is about 220 miles long when you include the part between Whitney Junction and the Portal, so that's about 14 MPD.
I wouldn't want to hike it any faster. My wife and I are in our mid-50's, but I had hiked about 160 miles of PCT in Oregon the month before, so I started the JMT in pretty fair shape. My wife isn't a thru-hiker, but she trains well and hikes pretty strong from the outset on such trips. We originally scheduled 18 days to hike the trail and we pushed a bit in the latter days to get out earlier, but overall this seemed like a nice pace to go through and enjoy the experience while at the same time not carrying too-o much food most of the time.
We had a couple of limiting factors in our mileage --- we had a scheduled event to get to en route home from the trail. But we also tuned things to try (successfully) to carry enough food from our last resupply at Muir Trail Ranch that we didn't have to take the extra time and effort to go out at Kearsarge Pass (or anywhere else in the southern part of the trip). I think in general that's the factor to look at in daily mileage goals --- food resupply plans.
One rainy afternoon hiking along the AT north of Hot Springs, NC, I stopped into a shelter to have a noonday snack. I met a day-hiker also taking a break. Turns out he was a veteran thru-hiker of both the AT and PCT. He said the most beautiful trail section of all was the JMT! So, I remembered his comment, looked up the trail and hiked it. Wow! He was right.
While hiking along the JMT with the usual day-long 360 degree views to infinity, I met a another hiker with the familiar AT symbol tattooed to his calf. Not only was he an AT Thru-hiker, he had just gotten engaged on top of the Half Dome of Yosemite. But, it was this comment that I most remember. He said, "I spent 6 months on the AT and never saw anything!" You probably mock and say he just was not looking, but hike the JMT and you will know exactly what he meant.
From the east you can reach Yosemite by public transportation from Reno, from LA, or from Fresno via San Francisco. You can also get to Reno or LA from Lone Pine by the same public buses and or Amtrak connections.
It is important to find out when to apply for a permit, but even if you do not get on on the exact day or location you request, go anyway. Permits are given out daily. I was even able to start a day early. Starting from Lyell Canyon (spp??) or Tuolumne Meadows is a great starting off point if you cannot get a permit from Yosemite Valley.
Rather than take the ferry across the Lake to the VR Ranch, I hiked around the Lake ---take the ferry! I rented the Bearikade Expedition canister. It can be returned by just taking it to a post office. It does not need to be packed in a box. I needed the larger size to pack 8 days worth of food after the Muir Trail Ranch. Definitely stop there. It is right on the trail and has a great hikers grab box.
Hike in August and chances are you will not see one mosquito. That was my experience.
After the JMT I returned to Yosemite and did a section of the "Sierra High Route". Google Steve Roper. (Off Trail hiking)
Note: After passing Mammoth there is no cell phone reception. I highly recommend carrying the SPOT. (Just google SPOT) It connects you to e-mails allowing you to send an I am okay message to whomever you wish or a rescue SOS signal if needed. Satellite phones are also unreliable.
Hiking the JMT is a must-do. If you cannot do it all, there is a book about Section Hiking the JMT by Kathleen Dodge.
I am seriously considering doing the JMT in 2013. I have been backpacking for about 15 years and I feel confident that I have the skills and motivation to complete this trail.
What are the best sources of information for the JMT with respect to planning, permits, etc.?
Thanks so much. :)
Consider the JMT in this regard - it's simply one of this country's greatest thru-hikes. PERIOD. If you want to experience the mountains with some of the fairest weather in the world for the elevation the JMT should be at the top of the list. No special motivation required. No special skills required if thruing when the snow doesn't completely obscure the trail. It's probably harder to quit on a JMT thru-hike because of the lack of nearby bail out points and off trail distractions. If anything, doing a JMT thru might have you so distracted and enthralled by the additional nearby awesome scenery that you'll consider wandering some off trail to get to those places and have you quickly planning on how you can get back there again.
Hello, I'm Dogwood. My drug of choice is the JMT. I can't get enough of this drug. I'm infatuated with it. I dream about it. I've been a JMT addict for seven years now! I feel I'll always be a JMT addict. I have a genetic pre-disposition to want to thru the JMT as often in my life as possible. It's in my soul. No hope for me.....
I want to keep it that way!
CarlZ993
11-26-2012, 16:32
+1 for one of the greatest hikes!!
'Classic Hikes of the World' and 'Classic Treks' both rate the JMT as one of the best hikes in the world. I've done sections of this hike multiple times and thru-hiked it in 2004. My observations/recommendations:
- Go SoBo. It's much 'easier.' NoBo from Whitney Portal w/ mega-days worth of food would be brutal.
- Sometimes getting a permit out of Yosemite Valley can be difficult. You may have to get a permit out of Tuolumne Meadows and forgo the 1st 24 miles or so of the trail.
- Twice, my 1st day was a brutal 13M, 5000' climb from Yosemite Valley to Sunrise High Sierra Camp. You go from 4400' to 9400'. Tough for a flat-lander (600'). You might consider adding an extra day (3 days to Toulumne Meadows instead of 2 as I did).
- Be sure to resupply every opportunity possible. I'd resupply Tuolumne Meadows (24M day 2 on my hike, 3 days if you take it easy at the beginning), & Reds Meadows (~56M; restaurant & showers available) about 3 days later. From there, you can resupply @ Vermillion Valley Resort (87.6M to Trl Jct w/ short hike to boat shuttle to resort or about 6M total if you hike it) or Muir Trail Ranch (Jct @ 107.1M). I've used both. In the future, I'd only use Muir Trl Ranch. From that point onward, you have a long hike out to resupply at any point (Bishop Pass to Bishop, CA or Kersearge Pass to Independence). Most people resupply at one or the other and hike to the end. If you have some bucks, you can pay to have your supplies packed in by mule at a given point on a given day.
- Bear canisters are required. After the last resupply, it's unlikely that all of your food will fit inside it. Hang you food PCT style and set up hiking poles, pots, etc around the tree to alert you if a bear tries to get your food. Have a ready supply of rocks to throw at it. If it doesn't get your food, you'll have to physically guard it all night.
- A perfect itinerary for me would be 18 hiking days for about 12M/day. It's possible to schedule a layover day at Reds Meadow (or the Mammoth Lake down the hill) or Vermillion.
- Tom Harrison's JMT maps are great. You could also use Half Mile's PCT maps for the section of the JMT that follows the PCT (Tuolumne Meadows to Mt. Whitney with a short section that diverts just before you get to Reds Meadows). Half Mile's maps can be downloaded and printed for free. I used them on last summer's hike I did from Lake Tahoe to Tuolumne.
- The furthest I walked w/o water being available was about 6M. You never need to carry more than a liter unless you really go through water or it's really hot.
- I wouldn't bother carrying a cell phone. Dead weight. Have it shipped to Lone Pine, CA. Atop Mt. Whitney, you can probably borrow a cell phone from one of the day hikers to make a call. When I did this in 2004, only a Verizon phone had coverage. Unsure if any others have improved their reception since then.
Have fun on your hike.
- Go SoBo. It's much 'easier.' NoBo from Whitney Portal w/ mega-days worth of food would be brutal.
Yup! Ending your JMT thru is spectacular regardless of whether you end at Yosemite Valley or by hiking down Whitney Portal but finishing with a summiting of My Whitney then going down WP is equivalent to putting a bright red juicy cherry on top of your favorite sundae! Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.
- Sometimes getting a permit out of Yosemite Valley can be difficult. You may have to get a permit out of Tuolumne Meadows and forgo the 1st 24 miles or so of the trail.
Really think about that one though in terms of lost scenery - NO Nevada and Vernal Falls, NO possible side trip to the top of Half Dome, NO possible side trip or alternate route to Cloud's Rest(one of the BEST views in Yosemite NP, IMO, and no where near as crowded as HD!, NO Sunrise High Sierra Camp. IMO, get the permit to start at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley whenever possible, ESPECIALLY if you haven't taken in all those places I just mentioned!!! If you don't already have your JMT thru-hiking permit or reservation to pick it up---GET TO THE BACKCOUNTRY PERMIT OFFICE IN YOSEMITE VALLEY FIRST FIRST THING IN THE MORNING(6 a.m.) BEFORE BEFORE THE BACKCOUNTRY OFFICE OPENS(it's the nearest place to Happy Isles TH, the OFFICIAL starting TH of the JMT, where you can get your JMT thru-hiking permit) THE DAY BEFORE BEFORE THE START OF YOUR JMT THRU-HIKE STARTING AT HI TH. I bet you'll get your JMT thru-hike permit! If for some reason that fails, then go to Plan B and start at Tuolomne Meadows.
- Bear canisters are required.
Yup! And rangers do check to make sure you have one! I've been checked three times!
- Tom Harrison's JMT maps are great. You could also use Half Mile's PCT maps for the section of the JMT that follows the PCT (Tuolumne Meadows to Mt. Whitney.
Yup! TH's maps are GREAT! Trail is well defined and signed though. Maps in the books I linked to are sufficient too as long as snow doesn't obscure a significant amount of the trail.
- ...You never need to carry more than a liter unless you really go through water or it's really hot.
Yup!
Have fun on your hike.
Yup! By all means!
Plan to camp at Guitar Lake the day before you summit Whitney (SOBO). Get an early start to reach the top before or around noon to avoid any afternoon clouds that might role in and change the view. Also, you do not want to spend a night at the overcrowded Base Camp on the southern side of Whitney. Also the day before I went over Forrester pass I camped quite high up just below the upper lake. What a morning I had the clouds were below me in the valley where it was probably raining. The steep trail was mostly still in shadow as I climbed it in the morning when my legs were fresh. The long hike to Guitar Lake was well worth it. Do a bit of research on the Bristle Cone Pine, you will pass these amazing trees that appear dead, but often stay alive for a thousand years.
On the AT you might go up and down several high points and road valleys or gaps in a single day. On the JMT you hike over some amazing passes, but in between there will be long stretches of only gradual inclines or downs. Be sure to try a dip or two in a lake. The water is much colder in Maine and wet gear dries very quickly at altitude.
I often did not even carry water, because streams are plentiful and I drank a liter when I stopped at one.
There are plenty of places to camp all along the trail, so finding a spot is easy. Solitude is easy to find, too.
lvnv1212
11-26-2012, 23:34
I completed the JMT in 19 days late Aug - mid Sept / awesome. I used these maps http://johnmuirtrailmap.com/ along with the Tom Harrison map pack. They also have a "poster" size map that I framed and looked at every day leading up to my hike - and after! I also read the book by Elizabeth Wenk http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Wenk/e/B004R0TMBC. Fax in your permit exactly at the first opportunity! Like at 5:01 on the first day you can. Good Luck!
.... I have soooo much to learn!
When backpacking on the AT, I generally do between 14 - 18 mile days, depending on the terrain, weather, etc. I usually hike about 8 - 9 hours with plenty of breaks for views, snacks and pictures.
For those of you familiar with both, would you say 15 miles per day is about right. I am just trying to figure out how many days this will take me.
Yes! You're right in the average MPD JMT thru-hiker range. Go SOBO because it's easier to acclimatize to the higher elevation too. You might start out slower and gradually work your MPD up to your anticipated average which works out well because you have a fewer near to the trail supplemental resupply points in those northern sections(Tuolomne Meadow, Reds Meadow) if you fail to make your miles. But I wouldn't be overly concerned with the MPD thing especially if going SOBO. You'll do fine hitting that avg MPD given what you said.
My wife and I just finished the JMT averaging right 16 miles a day, basically right at 1.9 MPH average speed including breaks, etc, meaning 8-9 hours of hiking every day, just like you say you do. This included a couple 20 mile days on the easier terrain and a couple 13 mile days sprinkled in for various reasons (weather, re-supply logistics, etc
What Colorado Rob says is very typical for most JMT thru-hikers, even for those not from Colorado, some bigger mileage days, some shorter mileage days, with a 13-20 MPD avg over the course of the thru-hike. The last thing I would advise anyone to do on the JMT, particularly if it's your first time in the Sierras or thruing the JMT, is turning it into a race or speed hike!!!