This authoritative guide for hikers and backpackers describes the 220-mile John Muir Trail, from Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mount Whitney. Stretching 220 miles from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney and onward to Whitney Portal, California’s famed John Muir Trail (JMT) is one of the most popular backpacking routes in the US. It passes through some of the most dramatic scenery in the country: massive granite peaks, dizzying waterfalls, pristine alpine lakes, and vibrant meadows filled with Sierra wildflowers. Plus, it offers the mildest, sunniest climate of any major mountain range in the world The John Muir Trail contains the information you need for hiking or backpacking the route. The comprehensive guide describes the entire passage, with detailed directions as well as UTM coordinates for important junctions, lateral trails, campsites, food-storage boxes, and other points of interest. The book divides the trail into 13 sections, and each section includes an elevation profile and a table that lists elevation, distance from the previous point, and total mileage. Inside you’ll find Detailed description of the entire trail from an expert author - Trail junction locations and distances between junctions - Comprehensive table of campsites - 17 topographic maps plus elevation profiles - Side trips to 15 notable peaks - Pre-trip planning information about food resupplies, gear, permits, and more Whether you’re hiking the entire JMT or just sections of it, you’ll find expert start-to-finish advice in the updated edition of this guidebook! “An incredible accomplishment by an incredible researcher who is very attentive and considerate to the needs of her audience.” —Roleigh Martin, Backpacking Light “The very best way to get the most out of your experience in the wilderness is to understand it, and there is no better way to do that than to carry along Elizabeth Wenk’s John Muir Trail: The Essential Guide to Hiking America’s Most Famous Trail .” —Ray Rippel, author of Planning Your Thru-Hike of the John Muir Trail From childhood, Elizabeth “Lizzy” Wenk has hiked and climbed in the Sierra Nevada with her family. Since she started college, she has found excuses to spend every summer in the Sierra, with its beguiling landscape, abundant flowers, and near-perfect weather. One interest lies in biological research, and she worked first as a research assistant for others and then completed her own PhD thesis research on the effects of rock type on alpine plant distribution and physiology. However, much of the time, she hikes simply for leisure. Obsessively wanting to explore every bit of the Sierra, she has hiked thousands of on- and off-trail miles and climbed more than 600 peaks in the mountain range. Many of her wanderings are now directed to gather data for several Wilderness Press titles and to introduce her two young daughters to the wonders of the mountains. For them as well, the Sierra, and especially Yosemite, has become a favorite location. Although she will forever consider Bishop, California, home, Lizzy is currently living in Sydney, Australia, with her husband, Douglas, and daughters, Eleanor and Sophia. There she is working as a research fellow at Macquarie University and enjoying Australia’s exquisite eucalyptus forests, vegetated slot canyons, and wonderful birdlife—except during the Northern Hemisphere summer, which she continues to spend exploring the Sierra. Section 1. Happy Isles to Tuolumne-Mariposa County Line: Merced River (16.6 miles) From the Happy Isles shuttle bus stop, cross the river on the large bridge straight ahead and then turn right (south) to reach the true John Muir Trailhead, a large sign advertising distances to Half Dome, Tuolumne Meadows, and Mt. Whitney. Note that the JMT originally began at Le Conte Memorial, several miles farther west in Yosemite Valley. Today, few—if any—hikers begin with this extra distance, but you could take the shuttle bus to the Le Conte Memorial and then follow the trail that skirts the southern side of Yosemite Valley to reach Happy Isles. At its start, the asphalt-surfaced trail climbs steeply southward and upward on the east wall of the river canyon. You’ll have plenty of company from here to the junction with the trail to Half Dome. The route curves around the base of Sierra Point, which was a popular vista point until a rockfall closed the trail many years ago. Continue eastward, high above the turbulent Merced River. You descend briefly to cross the river on a stout footbridge [4,400' – 0.7/0.7], which offers a superb view of Vernal Fall; be sure to pull out your camera. Across the bridge are toilets and a drinking fountain that has spouts for both drinking and filling water bottles. This is the last treated water you will find before reaching Sunrise High Sierra Camp. A short distance above the bridge is a junction, where the Mist Trail continues straight ahead and the JMT turns south to begin switchbacking up the canyon’s stee