From Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley over ten high passes to the summit of Mount Whitney: planned here from camp to camp, with the permit and quota rules, the bear-canister zones, the resupply points and their 2026 seasons, and each camp's own rules.
Best season: July to September. Yosemite says most trails except the highest have little or no snow from early July until the first significant snow, typically in October, and the Pacific Crest Trail Association gives July to September for the whole trail. After a wet winter snow lingers on the passes into July and the creek fords run deep: on 16 June 2026 Forester Pass was snow to the top and Evolution Creek about three feet deep. Plan to cross the high passes by noon; afternoon thunderstorms peak mid to late afternoon. Before you go
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No agency publishes a day plan, so these plans end each day at a named camp where camping is allowed; none starts with a night in Little Yosemite Valley, which a Donohue Pass permit from Happy Isles does not allow. Every plan ends on the summit: add 17 km down to Whitney Portal to the last day.
Changing the pace or where you stay suggests a new number of days: the fewest that keep each day under 8 h of walking and in daylight, where a place to stay allows.
Days end where the route has a stay, a camp or a village.
Stage 1: Happy Isles by Vernal and Nevada Falls to Little Yosemite Valley, where the designated campground is the only place to camp, and up towards Sunrise. On a Donohue Pass permit from Happy Isles you may not spend the first night in Little Yosemite Valley. The Mist Trail is open only on set days through October 2026; the JMT's Ice Cut reopened on 27 July 2026. Half Dome needs its own permit.
Stage 2 begins here; its notes are with Day 2, which walks most of it.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
Within a mile of the High Sierra Camp you may camp only in its designated campground.
Stage 2, of which this day walks part: Sunrise High Sierra Camp, where within a mile you camp only in its campground, then Cathedral Lakes (no campfires) and Cathedral Pass, down to Tuolumne Meadows: store, grill, post office and the backpackers' campground, one night on a continuous permit. The trail from the wilderness centre to Lembert Dome was closed for construction in September 2026, with an alternate.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
Store, grill, post office and wilderness centre. The store and grill open about mid-June to late September; the post office holds general-delivery parcels (Tuolumne Meadows, CA 95389).
Stage 3 begins here; its notes are with Day 4, which walks most of it.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
Camp at least four trail miles beyond Tuolumne Meadows; the upper canyon below Donohue Pass is the usual night.
Stage 3, of which this day walks part: Up Lyell Canyon, camping at least four trail miles beyond Tuolumne Meadows, and over Donohue Pass, 11,056 ft, out of Yosemite. The pass has a daily exit quota of 45 walkers on John Muir Trail permits.
Stage 4: Over Island Pass to Thousand Island Lake: no camping within a quarter mile of the outlet, where the trail passes, and no campfires.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
No camping within a quarter mile of the outlet, where the trail passes; no campfires.
Stage 5: By Garnet Lake (the same rules at its outlet) and Shadow Lake, where camping is not allowed between the creek and the trail, down to Devils Postpile. Red's Meadow Resort closed for the 2026 season; the road into Reds Meadow Valley is under reconstruction and open only on set days, and the shuttle is mandatory when it runs.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
Red's Meadow Resort, a quarter mile off, closed for the 2026 season; its resupply usually runs from mid-June to about 30 September. In 2026 the road and the mandatory shuttle ran only on set days.
Stage 6: From Reds Meadow up by Deer Creek towards the Duck Pass junction: a long climb with no camp listed here.
Stage 7, of which this day walks part: Purple Lake (no camping within 300 ft of the outlet, no campfires) and Lake Virginia, where the stretch that Inyo requires bear canisters on, from the Yosemite boundary, ends.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
No camping within 300 ft of the outlet; no campfires.
Stage 7 continues from Day 6, where its notes are.
Stage 8, of which this day walks part: By Tully Hole over Silver Pass. For Vermilion Valley Resort, take the Goodale Pass cutoff about a mile before Silver Pass, or walk from Mono Creek; its ferry did not run in 2026, and its last resupply pickup was 30 September 2026.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
Below Silver Pass on the south side. From here to Marie Lake, 29 km on, no camp is listed here: walkers camp by Mono Creek or Bear Creek.
Stage 8 continues from Day 7, where its notes are.
Stage 9: Mono Creek, Bear Ridge and Bear Creek towards Selden Pass. The Pacific Crest Trail Association says there are no legal campsites west of the trail for two miles south of the Bear Creek junction.
Stage 10 begins here; its notes are with Day 9, which walks most of it.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
Below Selden Pass on the north side.
Stage 10, of which this day walks part: Marie Lake, Selden Pass and the Sallie Keyes Lakes, down to the Muir Trail Ranch junction; the ranch is 0.9 mile off, with its bucket resupply from 15 June to 1 October 2026 and free primitive sites nearby.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
The ranch is 0.9 mile off the trail from the north (1.5 from the south) and has no campground; there are free primitive Forest sites nearby. Its bucket resupply runs from 15 June to 1 October 2026 ($115); it sells fuel, not food.
Stage 11, of which this day walks part: Past Piute Creek (a large tree down on 18 June 2026, not passable for stock) into Evolution Valley and its ford, about three feet deep on 16 June 2026.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
Evolution Valley, by the ranger station.
Stage 11 continues from Day 10, where its notes are.
Stage 12 begins here; its notes are with Day 12, which walks most of it.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
Below Muir Pass on the north side, above 10,000 ft: no campfires. No camping in the Muir Pass shelter.
Stage 12, of which this day walks part: Evolution Basin and Wanda Lake to Muir Pass, where camping in the stone shelter is not allowed, and down Le Conte Canyon. Bear canisters are required from Bishop Pass down to the Le Conte Canyon junction.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
Bear canisters are required from Bishop Pass down to the Le Conte Canyon junction; Bishop Pass is an exit to South Lake.
Stage 13: Deer Meadow and the Palisade Creek crossing, waist deep and swift on 23 June 2026, then the Golden Staircase to Lower Palisade Lake.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
Below Mather Pass. The Palisade Creek crossing below was waist deep and swift on 23 June 2026.
Stage 14, of which this day walks part: Mather Pass, the Upper Basin, Lake Marjorie and Pinchot Pass, where the Rae Lakes canister zone begins, down towards Woods Creek.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
Below Pinchot Pass on the north side; above 10,000 ft, so no campfires.
Stage 14 continues from Day 14, where its notes are.
Stage 15 begins here; its notes are with Day 16, which walks most of it.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
Bear canisters required from Pinchot Pass south; a two-night limit from here to Vidette Meadow. The food boxes may be full or removed.
Stage 15, of which this day walks part: The Woods Creek crossing (a two-night limit from here to Vidette Meadow), Dollar Lake and the Rae Lakes, one night per lake between Dollar Lake and Glen Pass, then Glen Pass, snow-free from 7 July in 2026.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
One night per lake between Dollar Lake and Glen Pass; canisters required.
Stage 15 continues from Day 16, where its notes are.
Stage 16 begins here; its notes are with Day 18, which walks most of it.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
The end of the two-night-limit stretch from Woods Creek.
Stage 16, of which this day walks part: Vidette Meadow and up Bubbs Creek to Forester Pass, at 13,200 ft the trail's highest pass, and down to Tyndall Creek.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
South of Forester Pass, the trail's highest pass at 13,200 ft; a food box at the crossing may be full or removed.
Stage 16 continues from Day 18, where its notes are.
Stage 17, of which this day walks part: Crabtree Meadow (a two-night limit), Timberline Lake, where camping is not allowed, and Guitar Lake, then Trail Crest and the summit, where you may not camp in the shelter. From the summit it is 10.7 miles down to Whitney Portal.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
A two-night limit in the Crabtree and Whitney Creek area; the ranger station is here.
Stage 17 continues from Day 19, where its notes are.
Longest day: day 8, 9 h 02.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are our estimate from distance and climb: no time is published for these stages. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays.Refuge dates come from the operator's own pages; when they are not published, we say so. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.
Where each stage ends, the 2026 and 2027 seasons the operator publishes, and how to book. Read from the operators' pages on 24 September 2026; each stage page shows the sources and the grade profile.
| Stage | Night at | 2026 | 2027 | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Happy Isles to 4 km before Sunrise | km 18 · no hut at this point | |||
| 2. 4 km before Sunrise to Tuolumne Meadows | Tuolumne Meadows backpackers' campground | no exact dates published | not published | No booking |
| 3. Tuolumne Meadows to 1.6 km past Donohue Pass | km 58 · no hut at this point | |||
| 4. 1.6 km past Donohue Pass to Thousand Island Lake | Thousand Island Lake | no exact dates published | no exact dates published | No booking |
| 5. Thousand Island Lake to Devils Postpile | Reds Meadow Campground | no exact dates published | no exact dates published | No booking |
| 6. Devils Postpile to 4 km before Purple Lake | km 112 · no hut at this point | |||
| 7. 4 km before Purple Lake to Lake Virginia | Lake Virginia | no exact dates published | no exact dates published | No booking |
| 8. Lake Virginia to km 141, past Silver Pass | km 141 · no hut at this point | |||
| 9. Km 141 to below Rosemarie Meadow | km 158 · no hut at this point | |||
| 10. Below Rosemarie Meadow to Muir Trail Ranch | Muir Trail Ranch | no exact dates published | no exact dates published | No booking |
| 11. Muir Trail Ranch to 5 km past McClure Meadow | km 194 · no hut at this point | |||
| 12. 5 km past McClure Meadow to Le Conte Canyon | Le Conte Canyon | no exact dates published | no exact dates published | No booking |
| 13. Le Conte Canyon to Lower Palisade Lake | Lower Palisade Lake | no exact dates published | no exact dates published | No booking |
| 14. Lower Palisade Lake to 5 km before Woods Creek | km 263 · no hut at this point | |||
| 15. 5 km before Woods Creek to 2 km before Vidette Meadow | km 288 · no hut at this point | |||
| 16. 2 km before Vidette Meadow to 2 km past Tyndall Creek | km 311 · no hut at this point | |||
| 17. 2 km past Tyndall Creek to Mount Whitney | Mount Whitney · no hut at this point |
Loading the forecast for low point (1,235 m) and high point (4,405 m)…
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (1,235 m) and the highest point (4,405 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Mixed | Mixed | Poor |
| Stages rated good on typical weather | 0/17 | 0/17 | 0/17 | 0/17 | 0/17 | 1/17 | 13/17 | 15/17 | 14/17 | 0/17 | 0/17 | 0/17 |
| High point, day / night | -7°/-16° | -7°/-17° | -7°/-16° | -5°/-14° | -1°/-11° | 5°/-6° | 11°/-2° | 13°/-1° | 10°/-3° | 4°/-7° | -2°/-11° | -6°/-16° |
| Low point, day / night | 11°/-2° | 11°/-2° | 14°/0° | 16°/2° | 21°/6° | 26°/10° | 31°/13° | 32°/13° | 28°/10° | 23°/5° | 16°/1° | 11°/-2° |
| Rain, mm | 151 | 142 | 119 | 78 | 37 | 13 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 43 | 88 | 134 |
| Snow at high point | Likely | Likely | Likely | Likely | Likely | Likely | Likely | Likely | Possible | Possible | Likely | Likely |
| Daylight | 9 h 52 | 10 h 48 | 11 h 54 | 13 h 07 | 14 h 08 | 14 h 42 | 14 h 30 | 13 h 38 | 12 h 29 | 11 h 18 | 10 h 13 | 9 h 38 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
There are no huts: you carry a tent and camp under the wilderness rules, which change along the way. Designated campgrounds at Little Yosemite Valley, Sunrise and Tuolumne Meadows; no camping near the outlets of Thousand Island, Garnet, Duck and Purple Lakes, at Timberline Lake, or at Shadow Lake between the creek and the trail; one night per lake at Rae Lakes; two-night limits from Woods Creek to Vidette Meadow and at Crabtree and Guitar Lake.
A continuous southbound hike needs one Yosemite wilderness permit, and only two starts may exit over Donohue Pass: Happy Isles (15 walkers a day) and Lyell Canyon (30). 60% of each quota goes by weekly lottery 24 weeks ahead, the rest opens on Recreation.gov seven days before the start. Fees: $10 to apply, $5 a person when you accept. Collect the permit in person the day before or by 11:00 on the day. Yosemite says up to 90% of requests are refused on popular days. The 2027 lottery calendar was not published on 24 September 2026.
Yosemite: wilderness permit datesAn approved canister is required in all of Yosemite's wilderness (hanging food is not allowed), on the Inyo stretch from the Yosemite boundary to Lake Virginia, from Bishop Pass down to Le Conte Canyon, from Pinchot Pass to Forester Pass by Rae Lakes, and on the Whitney Trail. Yosemite's permit stations rent them.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon: canister areasTuolumne Meadows: a store and grill from about mid-June to late September, and the post office holds general-delivery parcels. Red's Meadow Resort closed for the 2026 season. Vermilion Valley Resort: its ferry did not run in 2026 and its last pickup was 30 September. Muir Trail Ranch: bucket pickups from 15 June to 1 October 2026 for $115, arriving at least three weeks ahead; fuel but no food for sale.
Muir Trail Ranch: resupplyCampfires are banned above 9,600 ft in Yosemite and above 10,000 ft in Kings Canyon, and in September 2026 the Inyo National Forest's Stage 1 fire restrictions banned campfires. In September 2026 the Dome Fire closed the Glacier Point Road and trails south of it; the John Muir Trail was not in the closure, but smoke can reach the valley.
Yosemite: current conditionsSequoia and Kings Canyon ask you to bury human waste 6 inches deep, 100 ft from trails, camps and water; on the Whitney Trail the Inyo National Forest expects everyone to pack solid waste out, with kits at the Lone Pine visitor centre and the trailhead. Ask the park which rule applies at Guitar Lake.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon: minimum impactClosures and notices last checked 24 September 2026: Sequoia and Kings Canyon: trail conditions and news · Yosemite: conditions and news. Check them again before you set out.
Getting there
Choose a stage or journey above to narrow the travel searches.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
YARTS buses reach Yosemite Valley from Merced all year (the summer timetable ran 22 May to 30 September 2026), and in summer from Mammoth Lakes over Tioga Pass by Tuolumne Meadows (1 July to 30 September 2026). Backpackers park near Curry Village, about half a mile from Happy Isles.
YARTS: Highway 395 and 120The Reds Meadow shuttle from Mammoth Lakes is mandatory when it runs; its autumn 2026 schedule runs from 20 September to 11 October, weather and road permitting. Eastern Sierra Transit runs along Highway 395 from Mammoth Lakes to Lancaster and from Lone Pine to Reno.
Eastern Sierra Transit: Reds Meadow shuttleWhitney Portal is 13 miles above Lone Pine by road, with no public transport; arrange a ride. From Lone Pine, Eastern Sierra Transit runs north along Highway 395.
Inyo National Forest: Whitney PortalTake your trip with you
Prepare every section while you still have a connection, and test it offline before you set out: there is no signal on almost all of the trail.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
Yosemite gives the John Muir Trail as 211 miles, about 340 km, from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mount Whitney; most walkers go southbound. The line here follows the route on OpenStreetMap, 336 km, cut into 17 sections by distance. The plans end each day at a named camp where camping is allowed, with its rules; the section ends between them are not nights. Between Thousand Island Lake and Reds Meadow (27 km) and between Silver Pass Lake and Marie Lake (29 km) no camp is listed here, though walkers camp along both stretches under the wilderness rules. The trail ends on the summit: the nearest road, Whitney Portal, is 10.7 miles (17 km) down the Whitney Trail, which the plans do not include.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 24 September 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
Yosemite National Park: John Muir TrailMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation