The National Forest is a huge portion of the John Muir Trail, and so many hikers (including Michael & I) have been kicked off the trail due to these closures. Note: Wildfire Considerations - In the past few years, wildfires have often closed down the National Forests for several weeks starting around Labor Day and into September. However, since this is a lottery system, I opted to apply for mid-August, because if my John Muir Wilderness permit wasn’t accepted I could apply again early September for one more shot. My favorite month in the Sierra Nevada is September. It all depends on the year and how much snow California gets during the season. You might be able to get by in June and October, but just know it’s a bit more “shoulder season” if you’re trying to avoid snow. In order to avoid potential snow conditions in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (which can make your thru-hike a bit more tricky), the best months to attempt the John Muir Trail is early July through late September. Let’s dig into both of these a bit more shall we? BEST TIME OF THE YEAR TO HIKE THE JMT ![]() not winter), and the second factor is when do you have time off? One factor is, when is it actually NICE to hike it (i.e. There are really only 2 factors that will go into your decision of when to hike the JMT. Remember you can fine-tune your plans later. Don’t take too long on this, honestly just put 25-30 days down if you can’t decide. > Now it’s your turn: Decide how long you want to hike the trail in, and write it down. When I applied for the JMT, I posted my trip length at 25 days. The important thing to know is that you can’t be on the trail longer than your John Muir Trail reservation states, so best bet is to give yourself some wiggle room in the application process. Important note: It’s ok to put in more days for buffer, even if you expect to hike it in less. While of course some days you’ll feel up to tackling more mileage, you’ll probably also want some more “chill” days in there too.įor example, our friends Megan and Michael over at Fresh Off the Grid had to take a few “zero” days (no hiking) to let a really, really bad blister heal before they finished the trail. Without any hardcore planning upfront, this gives you about 8-10 mile days. In my opinion, anywhere from 20-25 days is a pretty good pace for the JMT (and is still pretty challenging!) When I hiked the John Muir Trail, I planned for 22 days on the trail. This photo below isn’t the entire JMT profile, but gives you an idea of the up-and-down nature of the JMT trail from Whitney Portal to Lyell Canyon. It’s beautifully rugged, steep, and leg-busting, no matter if you’re hiking NOBO or SOBO. ![]() ![]() In fact, there is a total of 45,000 feet of elevation gain along the 211 mile long JMT trail. The terrain in the Sierra Nevada range is anything but flat. While it’s tempting to look at the 10-days and think, “Wow, I wouldn’t need as much vacation time for that,” I wouldn’t recommend that for most people.įor the students inside of my signature backpacking program, Become an Outdoor Backpacking Badass, I typically recommend aiming for 7-10 miles backpacking per day (if they are newer or if they want a more relaxed pace), and up to 15 miles per day if they are more experienced. The John Muir Trail is roughly 211 mile long (if you’re following the true JMT trail the whole way), and people typically hike this in anywhere between 10 days (speed freaks) to 30 days (leisurely). This is a crucial first decision because it affects your choice on “when” to go, so let’s tackle this first shall we.
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