Stage 5 of 17 · John Muir Trail

Start → Devils Postpile

Distance
24.1 km
Ascent
+540 m
Descent
-1,275 m
Est. Time
7h 18m
Altitude
2,347.4–3,103.1 m
Type
point-to-point
⛰️ Rolling Hills❄️ Alpine
📍

Start: Start

No nearby transit stop. Consider getting dropped off or using the previous stage's end stop.

🚌

Getting Out

Devils Postpile (bus stop)

1504m from trail end · ~18 min walk

Elevation Profile

2,400m2,500m2,600m2,700m2,800m2,900m3,000m3,100m0 km5 km10 km15 km20 km25 km3,103m2,347m
Flat (<5%) Easy (5–10%)

Route Map

Segment Breakdown

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

SegmentDist↑ / ↓TimeCharacter
Start → km 6.2 (3032m)
2,952–3,103m
6.2 km+502m / -567m2h 21m📉 Descending
km 6.2 (3032m) → km 13.3 (2883m)
2,669–3,082m
7 km+647m / -796m2h 53m📉 Descending
km 13.3 (2883m) → Devils Postpile
2,347–2,967m
10.8 km+501m / -1015m3h 30m📉 Descending
Total24.1 km+540m / -1,275m8h 45m

Pace & Fuel Calculator

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

7:00 /km
4:00 /km (elite) 12:00 /km (leisure)
Fast Hiker / Jogger
Est. Finish Time
3h 59m
Calories
2,086 kcal
Water Needed
2.9 L
Effort Distance
35.9 km
flat-equivalent
🍫 Recommended: ~45g carbs/hr (179g total) 🧂 Electrolytes: ~1993mg sodium/hr 🩹 Consider anti-chafe and blister prevention

Terrain Analysis

Runnability
0%
Steep / Technical
% of route below 15% gradient
Climb Ratio
22 m/km
Moderate profile
↑ 540m ↓ 1,275m

Surface & Technicality

Terrain Difficulty Breakdown
Runnable Flat (72%) Easy Grade (28%)
Surface Type
Unknown (57%) Ground (32%) Wood (7%) Asphalt (2%) Metal (1%)

🏃 Mostly runnable with gentle terrain. Great for fast trail running.

Surface Breakdown

Unknown (58%)
Natural Ground (32%)
Wood (7%)
Paved (2%)
Metal (1%)

Current Conditions

Loading live weather...

Conditions for June

ℹ️ Shoulder season
Snow Risk
15%
Low
Mud Risk
30%
Moderate
Ice Risk
0%
Unlikely

🌤️ Occasional snow patches possible above 2638m. Trail should be mostly clear but carry microspikes just in case.

🥾 Muddy sections likely. Waterproof boots recommended.

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

Suggested Gear List

Auto-generated based on 24.1 km, 540m ascent, max altitude 3103.1m, ~7h duration.

Essential 8 items
  • 👟
    Trail running shoes / hiking boots
    Required for any trail
  • 📱
    Phone (charged) + offline map
    Navigation & emergency contact
  • 💧
    3L hydration vest
    Estimated 3.6L needed
  • 🍫
    Trail mix, bars & sandwich
    Est. 2550 kcal burn
  • 🧴
    Sunscreen SPF 50+
    UV intensifies above 2000m
  • 🧢
    Sun hat / cap
    Exposed alpine terrain
  • 🧥
    Windbreaker / shell jacket
    Summit at 3103.1m — wind chill
  • 🆘
    Emergency space blanket
    Critical if injured at altitude
Recommended 5 items
  • 🕶️
    Sunglasses (cat 3+)
    Snow & rock glare at altitude
  • 🧤
    Warm mid-layer (fleece)
    Temps drop ~6°C per 1000m
  • 🔦
    Headlamp
    7h route — plan for delays
  • 🩹
    Mini first aid kit
    Blister plasters, tape, antiseptic
  • 🧊
    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 Devils Postpile (24.1 km by trail). You'll need to arrange transport back to your starting point.

Start — Getting There
Start
No transit stops detected nearby.
Finish — Getting Back
Devils Postpile
🚌 Devils Postpile (347m)
🚌 Sotcher Lake (1.0km)
🚌 Minaret Falls (1.2km)

Nearby Points of Interest

🚌 Transit Stops

  • Agnew Meadows km 18.5 · 2.8 km off trail
  • Starkweather Lake km 19 · 2.3 km off trail
  • Upper Soda Springs km 22.5 · 2.0 km off trail
  • Pumice Flats km 22.5 · 1.8 km off trail
  • Minaret Falls km 23.6 · 1.2 km off trail
  • Devils Postpile km 24.1 · 347m off trail
  • Sotcher Lake km 24.1 · 1.0 km off trail
  • Reds Campground km 24.1 · 1.4 km off trail

💧 Water Sources

  • Drinking Water km 24.1 · 1.2 km off trail
  • Drinking Water km 24.1 · 1.3 km off trail
  • Drinking Water km 24.1 · 1.5 km off trail
  • Drinking Water km 24.1 · 1.5 km off trail
  • Drinking Water km 24.1 · 1.5 km off trail

Take this route with you

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Route data from OpenStreetMap © contributors, licensed under ODbL. Updated 2026-04-01.