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

Trail route lab

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24.1 km Distance540 m Climb7h 18m Est. time3,103 m High pointHARD Difficulty

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📍

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

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 6.2 (3032m) 2,952–3,103m	6.2 km	+502m / -567m	2h 21m	📉 Descending
km 6.2 (3032m) → km 13.3 (2883m) 2,669–3,082m	7 km	+647m / -796m	2h 53m	📉 Descending
km 13.3 (2883m) → Devils Postpile 2,347–2,967m	10.8 km	+501m / -1015m	3h 30m	📉 Descending
Total	24.1 km	+540m / -1,275m	8h 45m

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 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

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%)

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

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

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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 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)

🗺️ Transit directions (Google)

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

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Previous Stage

John Muir Trail Stage 4: Start → End

Next Stage

John Muir Trail Stage 6: Devils Postpile → End

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