The John Muir Trail - A Trekker's Guide

Guidebook to walking North America's John Muir trek through California’s High Sierra from Yosemite (El Capitan and Half-Dome) to Mount Witney, the highest peak in the continental US. The 216 mile route is split into 21 daily stages, with full information on preparation, permits, wilderness, bears, water. Part of the Pacific Crest Trail.

There are several maps that cover all or part of the John Muir Trail. The United States Forestry Service produces a number of ‘Wilderness Maps’ which are useful, covering the JMT outside Yosemite. The John Muir/Sequoia–Kings Canyon Wilderness Map and the Ansel Adams Wilderness Map are the most useful sheets.

There are several maps available locally which cover the Yosemite National Park. The Inyo National Forest Map is another possible map, and covers the whole area through which the Trail passes. These maps are easily obtainable in the US, but less so outside the country.

The best maps both for planning in the UK and use on the JMT in America are contained within the John Muir Trail Map-Pack: Tom Harrison’s Maps. The Map-Pack consists of 13 colour topographical, shaded-relief maps depicting the John Muir Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and numerous side-trails. Campgrounds, ranger stations and information centres are also shown. The maps run from Whitney to Yosemite Valley (sheet numbers 1 to 13), so walkers following the route in this guidebook will use them in the order Sheet 13 to Sheet 1. The sheets required for each stage of the hike are given at the beginning of each daily stage in the route guide section of this book. For further information on Tom Harrison’s maps go to www.tomharrisonmaps.com.

Tom Harrison’s John Muir Trail Map-Pack is usually obtainable in Britain from retailers such as The Map Shop in Upton-upon-Severn and Stanford’s in London, Bristol and Manchester (see Appendix 6). The Map-Pack is rather expensive, particularly when purchased in the UK, but it is the author’s recommended map for the JMT. The maps are clear and easy to use – although the contour lines are at 80ft intervals.

Navigation along the JMT is generally easy, far more so than a route across the Scottish Highlands, for example, and more straightforward than many long-distance routes in Europe. With use of the Tom Harrison maps and this guidebook the trail of the JMT should never be in doubt.