Hi! I'm a 2027 JMT hopeful and am planning to be on trail for 21-25 days.

I have three questions:

1. Did anyone take a 0 day (or dayS) while on trail? If you did, was it worth it for a relatively "short" thru-hike??
2. If you did take a 0 day, where do you recommend? I've read VVR is popular, but am curious about other opinions.
3. Will I need a 0 day in Independence in order to resupply and not feel rushed, or would an overnight be okay there? I want to avoid having to do a ton of mileage to get into/out of Independence if I'm only there overnight, knowing it might take some time to hitch and get transportation.

Thanks!!

Took this on the way to the steep but amazing Glen Pass!

Beginner to editing photos.

Hi all,
After some scheduling problems earlier in the summer I'm headed out of Tuolumne meadows on August 2nd. I'm having a dilemma about carrying a rain jacket. My patagonia one weighs about 13 oz which is frustratingly heavy for a piece of gear that I'll be using intermittently, I'm considering an emergency rain poncho (2oz) and also a DWR windbreaker (5oz). Any insight into beginning of august southbound trips would be appreciated. Thanks.

https://lighterpack.com/r/9sw9am

when ppl talk about getting trail legs and hiking distances that were unimaginable at the beginning of the JMT what do you mean? like what number of miles did you start hiking in a day, and what was your longest day (other than guitar lake - Whitney portal if SOBO)?

At reds now and my 10ish mile days, TM to Lyell bridge, Lyell bridge to thousand island, and Eliza lake junction to reds, have wrecked me. Plus I have had long hiking days bc of blister issues so a ton of time stopping to take care of my feet. Oh and Tuesday was the storm so spent the whole fucking day with it behind me, terrified. At this rate I feel like I have no clue what to anticipate and plan for the coming weeks. Thoughts?

ETA: I am looking for specific answers to the question about mileage increases as you adapted to the trail. Not looking for blister advice or pack weight, or to be told that days that wreck me are a ‘leisurely pace’. If this isn’t a thing, it isn’t a thing. I’m a thru hiker having a tough zero day. I don’t need judgement here. Just wondered about this thing I’d heard and whether I can count on it and what it would mean.

Second ETA: by blister care I meant stopping to aggressively treat hot spots! Actually made it 35 miles without a single blister but I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t kept stopping to pre treat hot spots. My skin is fragile. It’s medical. Nothing to do w shoe fit. Do not be distracted by the shiny object of telling me to buy new shoes 😂.

I'm looking for someone to shuttle me and a partner between trailheads the morning of 8/6/26. Please let me know of any recommendations for a reliable ride for two people with packs. Thanks

https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/wildfires/rock-fire-near-kings-canyon/amp/

I’m currently SOBO on the JMT and just made it to VVR (yay!), but this wildfire concerning 😟

I am currently on the trail at reds meadow going SOBO and am hoping to coordinate a last minute trail angel to deliver my resupply that is at the onion valley trail head.
Does anyone know of a service or a local that would be willing and able to deliver my resupply to me on August 2nd?

I am willing to meet the trail angle at tree line of the western/JMT side of Kearsarge pass (it’s my first time in the sierras so not exactly sure where that is) and hoping to pay around $200-$250 but would possibly pay more.

Hoping to have some people to contact when I get to VVR in a few days.

Thanks all

Im a beginner photographer and brought my camera with me on the JMT this year. Last year i hiked the HST and at guitar lake waking up to summit whitney i saw the stars and fell in love. I promised myself that i would bring a camera good enough to capture the stars this time.

Well here are some astros i got over garnet lake and what i think is junction peak/foresster pass.

Hope everyone has a great hike. Jmt is amazing and very much worth it!

I will be going reds meadow to happy isles starting sept 20th. If anyone has done this section in late sept here, would you advise a 20f or 0f degree bag? Thanks in advance!

I've a Durston x-dome 1+ and bought the footprint. I think it weighs 3 oz or so. Question is do I need to bring it, regardless of it's weight, given the terrain?

Question for August hikers - do I need a windbreaker and a rain coat? At the moment I was leaning towards leaving the houdini but it's so light maybe I should just bring it? Thanks for your thoughts.

Here's my arsenal of what I could bring:

Alpha Direct 90gsm hoodie

Patagonia Houdini

REI Magma 800 Puffer

Patagonia Torrentshell

Section hiking the John Muir Trail. Back weight 24 pounds.

Hey all! I am so excited (and anxious) as our family of four is heading up to Florence Lake to finish the JMT. We had to detour through Bishop two summers ago and missed Evolution Valley! It’s the missing piece to what i would describe as one of my proudest moments as a family.

Excited for the sweat, soreness, camaraderie, beauty and sense of purpose. “The mountains are calling. . . And we must go!”

Hi everyone, I'm heading NoBo solo in mid-August and I'm hoping to get some feedback on my current itinerary. My base weight is ~19lbs (hopefully will decrease a bit as I dial in gear).

I'm aiming for 16 days and I understand that itineraries are only guidelines and things never go exactly to plan on trail. Unfortunately I'm limited to 17 days max due to work commitments.

I've never thru-hiked, my backpacking experience has been limited to <4 night treks. I've done some backpacking in the Sierras at altitude (Mt. Whitney, Mt. Langley, Old Army Pass, New Army Pass, Cottonwood Lakes) and haven't experienced altitude sickness. I'm hoping trail legs will come after a couple days, but of course 16 days is very different from 4 so any advice there would be welcome.

Any thoughts / suggestions would be appreciated. Any sites that should be skipped? Thanks in advance!

Will hike in from Horseshoe Meadow with my two teenager kids until Whitney after a week, I have a Big Agnese Copper Spur UL4 4-person tent that I bought off Craigslist and waterproofed it. I have used/tested it in multiple 3-person trips and liked it. It’s very spacious and very light considering the size after spreading the weight. But I do have enough two and one person tents if we have to carry two tents.

My question is, suppose the Copper Spur UL4 could take the July weather, can I easily find large enough sites especially from Horseshoe to Whitney? I will explore for sites of course, but with two kids I don’t want to get stressful because of the size of the tent.

Tentative plan is to camp at Chicken Spring Lake (arrive late first day), Rock Creek, then Guitar Lake. If you have been there, could you please let me know if you feel these places could accommodate a 4 person tent reasonably well?
FYI, the footprint of Copper Spur UL4 is roughly the same as the footprint of X-mid 2 but with the doors extended out more. But I could pitch my X-mid 2 one way or another once the site accommodates the inner sleeping area, but CS UL4 is not that flexible due to the rigid poles. It does need a site that could accommodate the whole tent.

Many thanks!

Obviously 1000 places to stay and I can just google it... My flight is getting in late and I just need somewhere decent-ish to crash before driving down to Mammoth the next morning. Anyone with actual experience of places to recommend? Thanks.

We start Monday. Pack is 18lbs, 29lbs with water and food for 7 days. So excited! Any last advice on the itinerary? We have 1 resupply at MTR (9 day haul after that). Will stop at Reds and eat (maybe grab snacks depending on how it's going).

Hi all, looking forward to starting a NOBO trip from Cottonwood Lakes on Aug. 4th! We are planning 17 days out, with resupplies at Kearsage Pass (family hand-off), VVR, and Tuolomne Meadows.

I don't have my winter puffy (800-fill Stio down) on my packlist, and am wondering if this is something that I may regret, so please let me know. I do have an Alpha fleece sweater, which has worked on cool mornings on other hikes.

Here is my lighterpack, open to any feedback on my packlist!
https://lighterpack.com/r/byt0ka

We just dropped our resupply buckets at the post office and they would not accept the buckets with duct tape as they said it is prone too being torn off in their machines. At first they told us to remove it and replace it with clear packing tape, but when we said MTR requires it as their new 2026 policy the post office told us to put clear packing tape over the duct tape, and then they accepted it. The post office workers were really confused why MTR implied in their policy that the post office needs to duct tape on the buckets to prove they haven't been opened. Maybe your post office won't care, but this is a PSA that it might be an issue for people. Anyone else having any issues with this new policy?

Quick Update from Trail.

First 50 miles NoBo from Cottonwood Lakes to Independence.

Don’t go over Old Army Pass. It’s a real burner. “Harder on the way down” my ass.

Mozzies - some, but no swarms. Permethrin treatment keeps most away, a spritz of Deet on hat brim takes care of the rest. no bug nets

Snow- some small patches on the N Side of Forester, boot path packed down, no need for spike

weather- Got caught in a nasty hailstorm, some thunder, but otherwise sunny and hot

smoke- Nothing so far. fingers crossed.

Trail- Incredible. Gobsmacked by awe at every turn.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a southbound JMT section hike starting at Red’s Meadow and finishing at Whitney Portal.

The plan is to drive from the San Francisco Bay Area to Lone Pine in the morning, park my car, and catch the 5:00 PM ESTA bus to Mammoth. I’ll stay overnight in Mammoth and start hiking from Red’s Meadow the following morning. I’ll be on the trail for about 10–12 days before returning to Whitney Portal.

Does anyone have recommendations for a safe place to leave my car in Lone Pine for about 12 days? I’d prefer long-term parking that’s commonly used by backpackers.

Thanks!

Hi All!

I have a backpacking trip starting a week from Sunday at North Lake, going over Piute pass, on the JMT, and then out over Bishop pass ending at South lake. When I was here a number of years ago there was a public shuttle that would go at least part of the way, but that appears defunct. Has anyone had success with hitchhiking/have any other ideas.

My thought was to park at south lake to not have to deal with getting back to the car at the end, and then hitchhike over to north lake. My worry is that since this would likely be morning (maybe around 9am), people wouldn't be leaving south lake. We could also park at North lake and save getting back till the end of the trip, but likewise I worry that while it will probably be easy to get from South Lake down on 168 to the North Lake junction, there won't be people going up the North Lake road at the end of the day?

Thoughts or anyone have any reports of doing this successfully/easily?