John Muir Trail
The John Muir Trail follows the Sierra Nevada crest for about 214 miles between Yosemite Valley's Happy Isles and the summit of Mount Whitney, climbing roughly 47,000 feet across three national parks.
OpenStreetMap (curated relation)
- Length
- 208.7 mi
- Thru-hike
- 18–25 days
- Elev. gain
- 47,000 ft
- States
- 1
About the route
The John Muir Trail follows the Sierra Nevada crest for about 214 miles between Yosemite Valley's Happy Isles and the summit of Mount Whitney, climbing roughly 47,000 feet across three national parks.
Termini
Terminus A
Happy Isles, Yosemite Valley, CA
Coordinates not yet verified
Terminus B
Mount Whitney summit, CA
36.5786, -118.2920
Verified waypoints
55 total · filter on the map aboveCategories you've hidden on the map are collapsed here too.
Route markers4
John Muir Wilderness · Trailhead
Park visitor area on or near the route.
Imported route
Devils Postpile National Monument · Trailhead
Park visitor area on or near the route.
Imported route
Tuolumne Meadows · Intersection
High-country resupply ~22 mi from Happy Isles.
Source ↗ From the official trail guide
Happy Isles, Yosemite Valley · Trailhead
Northern terminus footbridge in Yosemite Valley, CA.
4,016 ftSource ↗ From the official trail guide
Water & camping47
Guitar Lake Backcountry · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Lake Mary Campground · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Piute Creek Dispersed · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Gladys Lake Backcountry, Ansel Adams Wilderness · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Source ↗ Imported route
Whitney Family Campground · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Coldwater Campground · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Sunrise Lakes Backcountry · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Upper Lyell Canyon Footbridge Backcountry Campsite · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Jennie Lakes-Backcountry · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Coldwater Campground - Inyo Nf (ca) · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Source ↗ Imported route
Devils Postpile · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Tuolumne Meadows Campground - TEMP CLOSED through 2023 · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Lone Pine Lake - Inyo Wilderness · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Source ↗ Imported route
Onion Valley · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Whitney Portal · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Vermillion · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Agnew Horse Camp · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Lower Pines Campground · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Pumice Flat Group Camp · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Duck Lake Dispersed · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Mt. Whitney Trail Camp · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Tuolumne Meadows Lodge · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Silver Lake Campground at June Lake · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Source ↗ Imported route
Silver Pass Lake Dispersed · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Yosemite Valley Backpacker's Campground · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Source ↗ Imported route
Muir Trail Ranch · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Inyo National Forest Pine City Campground · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Devils Postpile National Monument · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Bear Creek Dispersed · Campsite
Verified campground near the route.
Imported route
Views4
Donohue Pass · Summit
Yosemite/Ansel Adams Wilderness boundary at 11,066 ft.
11,066 ftSource ↗ From the official trail guide
Muir Pass · Summit
11,955 ft pass with the stone Muir Hut at the saddle.
11,959 ftSource ↗ From the official trail guide
Forester Pass · Summit
Highest point on the JMT — 13,153 ft.
13,153 ftSource ↗ From the official trail guide
Mount Whitney (Southern Terminus) · Summit
Highest point in the contiguous United States — 14,505 ft summit hut.
Mile 214 mi14,505 ftSource ↗ From the official trail guide
What we don't yet have
We deliberately do not display water sources, resupply towns, shuttle services, or trail-side businesses on this page. Those change every season and an out-of-date pin can be a safety issue, especially on the high-desert and alpine sections of long trails. Use the trail association's published guide, FarOut, or Guthook for that level of detail; verify with rangers before relying on any cached source.
Official sources
Last verified by us: 2026-05-22
Outdoors is not the permitting authority. Reconfirm alerts, permits, and closures with the agency before you go.
Permits
Yosemite Wilderness Permit required for northbound starts; Inyo NF permit for southbound. Mount Whitney exit requires a permit add-on.