John Muir Trail
OSM John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada, United States (335.8 km line), Yosemite Valley toward Mt Whitney. Not the Pacific Crest Trail. Vertical figures sampled from Copernicus GLO-30. Days (28) is a placeholder from round(lengthKm/12), not the published ~3 week window (unverified).
Byline
- The Hiking World editorial · author
Desk byline for seed records. Named surveying editors replace this once a trail is verified.
Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.
Editorial v1 · Provisional catalog
- SAC T2
- Mountain hiking. Continuous trail, some steep ground, sure-footedness helpful.
- YDS Class 1
- Class 1. Walking on an established path; low fall risk.
Log in to view the elevation profile
Ingested from OpenStreetMap relation 1244828 (ODbL). The mapped line and 2D length are derived from that geometry. Ascent, descent, and high/low points are sampled from Copernicus GLO-30 (copernicus-dem:glo-30) and remain provisional. Water, permits, and hazards were not taken from OSM tags and must be verified.
OSM 2D length is 335.8 km (relation 1244828; ref=JMT, OSM distance=343.9 km, roundtrip=no, Wikidata Q967917). JMT relation members only — the Pacific Crest Trail was not fetched. NPS cites 211 miles Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney (https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/jmt.htm, checked 2026-08-25); that figure is a cross-check only, not this DataPoint. OSM start is Happy Isles; OSM end is the Whitney summit area.
typicalDays 21 is a published ~3-week window, not a DataPoint. NPS wilderness permit reservations run late April through October (https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildpermits.htm, checked 2026-08-25); snow on high passes is not dated as a walking season on that page.
DEM high 4,408 m is 13 m under Mt Whitney 4,421 m — the summit was sampled, not a truncated valley line. High point left as Copernicus.
Water was not mapped to named WaterSource points (no honest atFraction). Sierra streams are frequent on published descriptions; treat as required. They were not positioned from an official named list this pass.
Water
No water sources recorded.
Permits & fees
- Permit
- Yosemite wilderness permit (lottery)
Log in to view cost, booking, and issuer
Getting there
Sourced legs to the Happy Isles (OSM line start) base start station — where this trail record begins. This is not a route planner: durations are approximate and marked provisional until an official transport page confirms them.
Bus · Fresno (FAT) → Yosemite Valley
YARTS: public buses into Yosemite Valley from Fresno on Highway 41 (seasonal) and year-round from Merced / Mariposa on Highway 140 (https://www.yarts.com/, checked 2026-08-25). Reno is not a listed YARTS hub; this record does not assert a Reno bus. Airport identity: Wikipedia Fresno Yosemite International Airport, checked 2026-08-25.
yarts.com · 2026-08-25 · official · provisionalBus · San Francisco (SFO) → Yosemite Valley
Bay Area international gateway. NPS: consider arriving via public transportation; YARTS serves Yosemite Valley (https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/jmt.htm, checked 2026-08-25).
nps.gov · 2026-08-25 · official · provisional
NPS: there is no public transportation between Whitney Portal and Yosemite, the southern and northern termini (same JMT page, checked 2026-08-25). This record's OSM line starts at Happy Isles.
Plan from your location
Type a city, then pick a match. These links open external search tools — they do not fetch fares or timetables.
Trailheads
- Happy Isles (OSM line start) car-free: seasonal
- Mt Whitney summit (OSM line end) car-free: unknown
Log in to view trailhead transit detail
Hazards
- Altitude: the JMT finishes on Mt Whitney (contiguous US high point) and crosses multiple high Sierra passes (https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/jmt.htm, checked 2026-08-25).
- Bear canister required: allowed bear-resistant food canisters are required for food storage in all areas of Yosemite Wilderness; hanging food is not legal (https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildregs.htm and https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/jmt.htm, checked 2026-08-25).
- Stream crossings, early-season snow, and Sierra weather are wilderness conditions on this corridor (same NPS pages, checked 2026-08-25).
Questions
Do I need a permit for John Muir Trail?
A permit is required for John Muir Trail: Yosemite wilderness permit (lottery). Cost, booking, and issuer stay behind the login gate on this page.
When is the best time to hike John Muir Trail?
On this record the best season is: Wilderness permit reservations late Apr–Oct; snow-dependent.
How difficult is John Muir Trail?
John Muir Trail is graded SAC T2 · YDS 1. A sourced hazard on this record: Altitude: the JMT finishes on Mt Whitney (contiguous US high point) and crosses multiple high Sierra passes (https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/jmt.htm, checked 2026-08-25).
How long is John Muir Trail?
The OSM 2-D length on this record is 335.8 km (provisional). Published figures may differ. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail
How do I get to John Muir Trail?
The record’s base start is Happy Isles (OSM line start). A primary gateway on the record is Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT). Trailhead transit notes are not included in this public FAQ.