Stage 1 of 17 · John Muir Trail

Start → End

Distance

17.5 km

Ascent

+1,497 m

Descent

-77 m

Est. Time

6h 26m

Altitude

1,234.9–2,684.6 m

Type

point-to-point

🏔️ Mountainous❄️ Alpine

Trail route lab

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17.5 km Distance1,497 m Climb6h 26m Est. time2,685 m High pointHARD Difficulty

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🚌

Getting Here

Happy Isles (bus stop)

185m from trailhead · ~2 min walk

📍

End: End

No nearby transit stop at the end. Check the next stage's start stop.

Elevation Profile

Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%) Moderate (10–15%)

Route Map

🗺️ Open in Planner → | 🏔️ View 3D Flyover →

Segment Breakdown

Auto-analyzed from the elevation profile. Each segment shows the dominant character for planning your effort.

Segment	Dist	↑ / ↓	Time	Character
Start → km 4.7 (1765m) 1,235–1,779m	4.7 km	+1287m / -757m	3h 28m	🔺 Steep Climb
km 4.7 (1765m) → km 9.8 (2093m) 1,765–2,093m	5.1 km	+604m / -276m	2h 09m	📈 Climbing
km 9.8 (2093m) → End 2,093–2,685m	7.7 km	+771m / -180m	2h 55m	📈 Climbing
Total	17.5 km	+1,497m / -77m	8h 32m

Pace & Fuel Calculator

Adjust your flat 10K pace to see personalized finish time, calorie burn, and hydration needs.

Your flat 10K pace 7:00 /km

4:00 /km (elite) 12:00 /km (leisure)

Fast Hiker / Jogger

Est. Finish Time

3h 58m

Calories

1,783 kcal

Water Needed

2.5 L

Effort Distance

32.9 km

flat-equivalent

🍫 Recommended: ~45g carbs/hr (179g total) 🧂 Electrolytes: ~1988mg sodium/hr

Terrain Analysis

Runnability

Steep / Technical

% of route below 15% gradient

Climb Ratio

86 m/km

Very steep profile

↑ 1,497m ↓ 77m

Surface & Technicality

Terrain Difficulty Breakdown

Easy Grade (62%) Moderate Climb (38%)

🥾 Mixed terrain: expect sustained climbs between runnable sections.

Surface

≈5% paved · ≈95% unpaved

Mostly unpaved

Estimated for the full route from the 41% with mapped surface data in OpenStreetMap.

Current Conditions

Loading live weather...

Conditions for July

ℹ️ Shoulder season

Snow Risk

Unlikely

Mud Risk

10%

Low

Ice Risk

Unlikely

✅ Snow unlikely at this elevation in July. Trail conditions expected to be clear.

Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov

Planning ahead?

Get one email the moment this route melts out and is snow-free. We use your verified account email — never typed into a form.

Suggested Gear List

Auto-generated based on 17.5 km, 1497m ascent, max altitude 2684.6m, ~6h duration.

Essential 8 items

👟
Trail running shoes / hiking boots

Required for any trail
📱
Phone (charged) + offline map

Navigation & emergency contact
💧
3L hydration vest

Estimated 3.0L needed
🍫
Trail mix, bars & sandwich

Est. 2106 kcal burn
🧴
Sunscreen SPF 50+

UV intensifies above 2000m
🧢
Sun hat / cap

Exposed alpine terrain
🧥
Windbreaker / shell jacket

Summit at 2684.6m — wind chill
🆘
Emergency space blanket

Critical if injured at altitude

Recommended 6 items

🕶️
Sunglasses (cat 3+)

Snow & rock glare at altitude
🧤
Warm mid-layer (fleece)

Temps drop ~6°C per 1000m
🔦
Headlamp

6h route — plan for delays
🩹
Mini first aid kit

Blister plasters, tape, antiseptic
🥢
Trekking poles

0% steep terrain, 1497m+ ascent
🧊
Microspikes / light crampons

Snow risk in Dec, Jan, Feb

Nice to have 1 items

🦵
Gaiters

Keep snow out of boots

Logistics

This route runs from Start to End (17.5 km by trail). You'll need to arrange transport back to your starting point.

Start — Getting There

Start

🚌 Happy Isles (157m)

🚌 Mirror Lake Trailhead (758m)

🚌 Lower Pines Campgrounds (995m)

Finish — Getting Back

End

No transit stops detected nearby. Check local timetables.

🗺️ Transit directions (Google)

Nearby Points of Interest

🚌 Transit Stops

Yosemite Village 3.1 km off trail
Yosemite Village Parking 2.6 km off trail
Village Store & Welcome Center 2.9 km off trail
The Ahwahnee 2.2 km off trail
Degnan's Kitchen 2.9 km off trail
Yosemite Exploration Center 3.1 km off trail
Curry Village Parking (Eastbound) 1.3 km off trail
Upper Pines Campground 1.0 km off trail

💧 Water Sources

Drinking Water 1.9 km off trail
Drinking Water km 0.7 · 1.4 km off trail
Drinking Water km 0.7 · 1.3 km off trail
Drinking Water km 0.7 · 826m off trail
Drinking Water km 0.8 · 500m off trail

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Next Stage

John Muir Trail Stage 2: Start → Tuolumne Meadows Store

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← Back to all 17 stages of John Muir Trail