John Muir Trail

The John Muir Trail ( JMT short ) is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada in California. The trail begins at the Happy Isles trailhead in Yosemite Valley and officially ends on the summit of Mount Whitney. The route is approximately 340 kilometers long, with the descent from Mt Whitney east to Whitney Portal above the Owens Valley about 358 kilometers. Here, to deal with a total of about 24,000 meters. Much of the route corresponds to the Pacific Crest Trail. It is named after John Muir.

The construction of the John Muir Trail was started in the year after the death of John Muir in 1915 and ended in 1938. The path crosses from north to south a total of six distinct passes: Donohue Pass, Muir Pass, Mather Pass, Pinchot Pass, Glen Pass and Forester Pass ( with 4009 m the highest ). The largest part of the path is 2500-3500 m above sea level.

Required about 14 to 20 days for the full path. However, the record for completing the distance is four days, five hours and 25 minutes. Most hikers go but only individual sections. The best traveling time is between July and October. It is mainly determined by the strength of the snow melts in the spring and the first snow in the autumn.

For the John Muir Trail, a wilderness permit is required, which is issued by the National Park or National Forest, where the hikers going into the John Muir Trail. Advance booking the permit is possible and advisable. Also required is the entrainment of bear canisters for storage of food. These can be hired locally.