John Muir Trail, National Recreation Trail in Sierra Nevada, United States
The John Muir Trail is a long-distance hiking trail in the Sierra Nevada, California, running from Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mount Whitney. The route crosses several high mountain passes and moves through forests, open granite basins, and alpine lakes along the way.
Work on the trail began in the early 1900s, and the full route was completed in 1938 after decades of effort by government agencies and trail crews. It was built partly as a tribute to John Muir, who had died in 1914 just before construction began in earnest.
The trail takes its name from John Muir, the Scottish-American writer who spent years exploring and writing about the Sierra Nevada in the late 1800s. Walking the route today still feels like following his descriptions, as much of what he saw remains unchanged.
A permit is required to start from Yosemite Valley, and these are limited, so they should be requested well in advance. The trail has no shops or services along the way, so hikers need to carry everything they need or arrange resupply drops at certain points.
For much of its length, the John Muir Trail shares the same physical path as the Pacific Crest Trail, one of the longest hiking routes in North America. The two trails run together through the Sierra Nevada, and hikers on one are often also walking the other without realizing it.
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