John Muir Trail Permits

Hiking the JMT Southbound means starting in Yosemite National Park. This direction is popular for many reasons; here a few.

• First, it's hard to ask for a better finish line than the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states.  This alone can be a powerful motivator on your most grueling days.
• Second, the northern portion of the trail has resupply options that are closer together, giving your body the opportunity to acclimate to the extra weight gradually before the sections that you will carry your heaviest pack.
• And last, as you travel south, the passes become steeper and higher in elevation, again giving your body a gradual adjustment to the challenge of the trail.

 

How to hike the JMT SOBO

There are two trailheads in Yosemite that allow passage to the JMT over Donahue Pass: Happy Isles and Lyell Canyon.  Happy Isles begins in Yosemite Valley, and Lyell Canyon begins in Tuolumne Meadows.  Tuolumne Meadows is at mile 23 (when hiking North-to-South) on the John Muir Trail.

Yosemite National Park releases 60% of its wilderness permits 24 weeks in advance in a weekly lottery.  After the lottery runs each week, any awarded permits that are unclaimed become available on a first-come first-serve basis the following Friday.  Visit the national park website for more details.

Example Weekly Lottery:

• For start dates: Sunday June 4 - Saturday June 10, 2023
• Lottery will run: Sunday December 18 @ 12:01am - Saturday December 24 @ 11:59pm PST
• Result notification Monday December 26
• Must accept by Thursday December 29 @ 11:59pm PST
• Release of remaining reservations Friday December 30 @ 9:00am PST

Can't remember all that? Get the permit calendar

SOBO Quick Links:
Yosemite Wilderness Permit Application
NPS info page

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NOBO-JMT

Mt. Whitney

Hiking the John Muir Trail Northbound begins outside the town of Lone Pine at Whitney Portal.

Mt. Whitney trail gains over 6,200 feet of elevation over the course of 11 miles, from 8,300 feet at the trailhead to 14,505 feet at the summit of Mt. Whitney (the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states).

The John Muir Trail technically begins at the Mt. Whitney summit, which is why we total the trail at 221 miles rather than 211.

So why hike the John Muir Trail NOBO?

• Start off strong. In my opinion, you will have no choice when it comes to being diligent in your training. To summit Whitney and get through portions of the trail where you will need to carry more food, you will need to come in ready. Weather those steep passes and long carries, and the rest will feel like a vacation.
• Securing permits can be more straight forward. If you opt to start in Horseshoe meadows, you can avoid entering a lottery and secure your permit the day you apply (watch this video to learn how)
• Ending with a Whitney summit is awesome, but what about finishing with a Half Dome summit and getting to see Yosemite Valley?? Get a pizza at the Curry Village Pizza Deck and bask in your accomplishment and rock hard calves.

How to hike NOBO from Mt. Whitney

Starting at Whitney Portal requires a permit from the Mt. Whitney Lottery.

The 2023 Lottery is scheduled to run February 1st through March 1st. Any remaining permits will become available for first-come first-serve reservations on April 22 @ 7:00am PST.

The lottery is accessed on Recreation.gov. You may include up to 15 date options on your permit.  Even so, it is highly competitive, only 28% of applications were awarded one of their date options in 2021.
There is an incredible wealth of information on the Forest Service website.

 Watch this video to see how to apply.

Cottonwood Trailhead

Another popular Northbound option is starting at nearby Cottonwood Trailhead.  This adds about an additional 30 miles to the trail (38 miles to Mt. Whitney summit rather than 11).  This trail begins at about 10,000 feet elevation.

How to hike NOBO from Cottonwood Trailhead

Starting at Cottonwood Trailhead has two options: Cottonwood Lakes Trail, and Cottonwood Pass Trail.

These trailhead permits are part of Inyo National Forest and are accessible on Recreation.gov.  Inyo National Forest releases wilderness permits exactly six months in advance.

Example Inyo National Forest Permit Process:

• June 26th start date: reserve permit December 26th @ 7:00am PST
• July 10th start date: reserve permit January 10th @ 7:00am PST
• August 16th start date: reserve permit February 16th @ 7:00am PST
• etc.

Here is a step-by-step to Inyo National Forest permits! 

Afraid you'll forget and miss your opportunity? Get the permit calendar

NOBO Quick Links:
Whitney Portail Permit Application
USFS Mt. Whitney Lottery info page
Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permits

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FLIP-FLOP 

Were you unable to get a permit from Yosemite, Whitney, or Cottonwood? There is still hope!  Or maybe you only have time to hike part of the trail. There are many more places to enter the trail to hike portions, or to hike the the whole trail in sections.  You really can’t go wrong when choosing any part of the trail to hike on.

Mammoth

Mammoth is convenient location to start a partial hike. There is public transportation, accommodations, and many other services.

Hiking the northern and southern portions of the trail separately will take more transportation planning, but it remains a great option.

To hike North of Mammoth and South of Mammoth, you will need to get two permits, conveniently named: John Muir Trail North of Devils Postpile and John Muir Trail South of Devils Postpile.  Each permit must correspond with the date you intend to enter that trailhead. Mammoth trailheads permits are accessed via Inyo National Forest on Recreation.gov.  Inyo National Forest releases wilderness permits exactly six months in advance.

Example South-of-Mammoth / North-of-Mammoth hike:

1. August 1st start date: reserve permit February 1st @ 7:00am PST
2. Fourteen day hike (August 1-14) Mammoth to Mt. Whitney
3. One day to travel (August 15) from Lone Pine to Mammoth
4. August 16th start date: reserve permit February 16th @ 7:00am PST
5. Hike Mammoth to Yosemite Valley

Example North-of-Mammoth / South-of-Mammoth hike:

1. July 10th start date: reserve permit January 10th @ 7:00am PST
2. Six day hike (July 10-15) Mammoth to Yosemite Valley
3. 1 day to travel (July 16) from Yosemite to Mammoth
4. July 17th start date: reserve permit January 17th @ 7:00am PST
5. Hike Mammoth to Mt. Whitney

Entering from U.S. Route 395

There are many more options to join the John Muir Trail at trailheads accessible from U.S. Route 395. Every trail requires an initial hike to reach the John Muir Trail, most ranging 10-15 miles, with the exception of Kearsarge Pass, which is still nearly a 7 mile trek to the trail.

From any of these trailheads, you may then hike north or south, finishing at Yosemite, Whitney Portal, or any trailhead in-between.
Click here to see a list of the major trails accessible from Route 395 that intersect with the John Muir Trail.

These trailhead permits are part of Inyo National Forest and are accessible on Recreation.gov.  Inyo National Forest releases wilderness permits exactly six months in advance.

Example Inyo National Forest Permit Process:

• June 26th start date: permit available December 26th @ 7:00am PST
• July 10th start date: permit available January 10th @ 7:00am PST
• August 16th start date: permit available February 16th @ 7:00am PST
• etc.

Learn the Inyo National Forest way with this video tutorial.

Can't remember all that? Get the permit calendar

Partial Hikes Quick Links:
Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permits
Route 395 JMT Trailheads

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