California Pacific Crest Trail Section

Overview

The John Muir Trail runs 340km through the High Sierra from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley to the 4,421m summit of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States. Three weeks of granite: Thousand Island Lake under Banner Peak, the chain of alpine lakes through Evolution Basin, and a final week that barely drops below 3,000m, crossing the stone hut on Muir Pass and topping out on Forester Pass at 4,009m before the Whitney finish. The permit is the crux — Yosemite's lottery is massively oversubscribed, so apply exactly 24 weeks out, or reverse the route from Whitney Portal or Horseshoe Meadows. Bear canisters are legally required, resupply takes planning (Muir Trail Ranch is the last easy pick-up for the southern half), and early-season snowmelt turns creek crossings into the genuinely dangerous bit. July to September is the window; mosquitoes own July. Done self-supported it is remarkably cheap — roughly £800 including permits, food and resupply buckets — plus getting yourself to California.

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Prefilled for 1 July 2027 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.