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In plain English
The John Muir Trail is a camping trail. You carry a tent or shelter, a sleeping bag and pad, a stove and enough food, and you sleep at spots near lakes and passes. Almost every night is outdoors, which means your pack is big, and your food plan matters as much as your route.
The rules you sleep under change as you walk. The trail runs through a national park, a second national park, and national forest, and each has its own rules about permits and food. The good news for hikers is that Yosemite says you need just one wilderness permit from them for a continuous hike along the whole trail.1
Food is the other big idea. Bears live in the Sierra, so your food has to be in a hard container called a bear canister, and the park says hanging food is not allowed anywhere in Yosemite.1 Because a canister only holds so much, most hikers plan to pick up more food along the way.
The John Muir Trail runs 211 miles through California's Sierra Nevada, from Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mount Whitney, crossing land managed by Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks and national forest along the way. This is a camping trail — you sleep at backcountry sites near lakes and passes almost every night — with two rustic exceptions: Muir Trail Ranch near the midpoint and Vermilion Valley Resort off Lake Edison, both of which double as places to sleep if you book ahead.
Why hike here
Most of the John Muir Trail stays high in the Sierra Nevada for days at a stretch — granite basins, alpine lakes, and passes that put you above treeline before the morning is old. Lyell Canyon opens into a long, flat meadow walk before the climbs start in earnest; Evolution Basin strings together a chain of lakes below bare peaks that feels remote even by Sierra standards. The trail's last camp, Guitar Lake, sits beneath Mount Whitney itself, so the final push to the summit starts practically from your tent door. Because the route rarely stays far from a lake or a pass for long, the days settle into a rhythm — climb, cross, descend to water, camp — that repeats for weeks and rarely gets old.
Getting there
Most hikers fly into a Northern California airport and reach the trailhead at Yosemite Valley by road or by YARTS, the regional bus service that connects gateway towns to the park. The trail finishes at Whitney Portal, above the small town of Lone Pine on the trail's eastern side — a very different corner of the state from where you started, so most hikers arrange a shuttle or a pre-positioned car to get back. Because the JMT is one-way, sort out the return trip logistics before you set out, not after.
Where to stay
The realistic options, closest-to-the-trail first. Book through the official links — we don't list prices or availability because they change all the time.
For example: MTR (near the midpoint) and VVR (off Lake Edison) — rustic cabins/tents, resupply and hot meals
Thru-hikers wanting a resupply and a rare night indoors.
Check each ranch for current booking and resupply arrangements.
Book direct with each ranch, well aheadFor example: Seasonal lodge tents and campgrounds near the trail’s northern reaches
Hikers starting, resupplying, or bailing near the road corridors.
Openings depend on the season and snow; confirm operating dates.
Yosemite Hospitality / Recreation.govFor example: Established sites near lakes and passes — Lyell Canyon, Evolution Basin, Guitar Lake
Everyone: the JMT is a camping trail first and foremost.
Bear-resistant canisters are required along most of the route.
JMT wilderness permit (Recreation.gov)
Permits & rules
A JMT wilderness permit is highly competitive and tied to your start trailhead and date, released via a rolling lottery. Bear-resistant canisters are required along most of the route.
Gear you'll want for this trip
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One permit, two doors, and a daily quota
Yosemite's John Muir Trail page states that if you hike the JMT as a continuous hike you need only one wilderness permit from Yosemite for the entire trip, and no Whitney stamp or permits from other national forests or parks.1 It adds that only two trailheads give access to the full trail beyond Yosemite: Happy Isles to Past Little Yosemite Valley, and Lyell Canyon, both eligible for Donohue Pass.1
The constraint is the exit quota. Since 2015, Yosemite has limited hikers exiting the wilderness over Donohue Pass to 45 per day, with 15 for the Happy Isles trailhead and 30 for Lyell Canyon, and those starting at Happy Isles cannot spend the first night in Little Yosemite Valley.1 The page explains that the quota exists to balance access between JMT hikers and others and to reduce impacts.1 Overnight permit lotteries open 24 weeks ahead, with 60% of reservations released then and 40% one week ahead.3 Note the page also says a permit for a hike that starts elsewhere and ends in Yosemite is not valid for Half Dome.1
Canisters: the sourced picture is a patchwork
Some guides say bear canisters are mandatory for the full route. The sourced picture is more layered. Yosemite requires allowed canisters throughout the park, says hanging food is not permitted anywhere in it, and lists food lockers at Little Yosemite Valley, High Sierra Camps and Tuolumne Meadows Backpackers' Campground.1 Sequoia and Kings Canyon require containers May 1 to October 31 in named areas such as Dusy Basin and Rae Lakes Loop, and highly recommend them everywhere else in both parks.2 Inyo National Forest's rule is that where canisters are not mandatory, food may be counterbalance-hung at least 15 feet up and 10 feet from the trunk.4
In practice many hikers carry a canister the whole way because it is simplest, and Yosemite's page notes you can rent one at any wilderness permit station.1 But the accurate statement is that the legal requirement varies by land manager, so check each section's current rules. It matters for the pack, because a canister is a rigid item that limits how much food you can carry between resupplies.
Resupply, parking and getting home
The page says ranger stations do not accept food packages. Post offices in Yosemite Valley, open all year, and Tuolumne Meadows, open roughly mid-June through mid-September, accept mail addressed care of General Delivery, and packages should be marked to hold for the hiker until a date, otherwise they are held for 14 days.1 Private carriers do not deliver to general delivery addresses, and perishables should not be sent.1 The existing page's statements about Muir Trail Ranch and Vermilion Valley Resort, including that they take resupply and offer beds, are not covered by this source, so confirm them with those operators directly.
Long-term parking in Yosemite is available for the length of your trip without a reservation, with food lockers at trailhead parking areas.1 There is no public transportation between Whitney Portal and Yosemite, but Eastern Sierra Transit runs buses from Lone Pine to Mammoth Lakes and a YARTS bus connects Mammoth Lakes to Yosemite Valley.1 The page also warns that the Reds Meadow and Devils Postpile road is under construction, so check Inyo National Forest for updates if you plan to start or exit there.1
Common questions
Do I need reservations for where I'll sleep on the JMT?
Not in the way a hotel trip would. Camping happens at designated backcountry sites along the route, and what you actually need locked down in advance is the wilderness permit — it's assigned by entry trailhead and date through a competitive lottery, and it effectively determines your whole itinerary before you start walking. For a continuous JMT hike Yosemite says one Yosemite wilderness permit covers the whole trip, with no Whitney stamp or separate forest and park permits, but only two trailheads reach the full trail and Donohue Pass exits are capped at 45 hikers a day.
Are there any real beds along the trail, or is it camping the whole way?
It's overwhelmingly a camping trail. The two exceptions are Muir Trail Ranch and Vermilion Valley Resort, both rustic outposts near the route that also offer a place to sleep — book direct and well ahead. Near the road corridors at Tuolumne Meadows and Red's Meadow you'll also find seasonal services and campgrounds during the hiking season, but the Reds Meadow and Devils Postpile road is under construction, so check Inyo National Forest for updates if you plan to start or exit there.
What do I need to know about food storage and resupply?
Yosemite requires approved bear canisters throughout the park, but the legal rule varies by land manager along the route: Sequoia and Kings Canyon require containers in named areas from May 1 to October 31 and highly recommend them elsewhere, and Inyo National Forest allows counterbalance hanging where canisters are not mandatory. Most hikers simply carry one the whole way, so your resupply plan has to work around what actually fits in it. Many hikers break the food carry into stages using the outposts and road-access points along the route, but plan those stops around the trail's permit and hiking days rather than assuming a resupply will simply be waiting. Mail resupply goes to post offices in Yosemite Valley or Tuolumne Meadows, not ranger stations, and packages not marked with a hold date are held for 14 days; confirm resupply and bed arrangements with Muir Trail Ranch and Vermilion Valley Resort directly.
Complete gearsets for this trip
Full curated kits built for exactly this kind of hike — what to bring, why, and links to similar gear.
Lodging details are compiled from official parks, refuge associations and reservation systems and can change without notice. We publish no prices, availability or ratings — always confirm current information on the official site before booking or setting out. Product links and the accommodation map are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you; product prices and availability are shown on Amazon, and accommodation prices on the booking site. See our affiliate disclosure.