John Muir Trail

Since childhood, Elizabeth Wenk has hiked and climbed in the Sierra Nevada with her family. After she started college, she found excuses to spend every summer in the Sierra, with its beguiling landscape, abundant flowers, and near-perfect weather. During those summers, she worked as a research assistant for others and completed her own Ph.D. thesis research on the effects of rock type on alpine plant distribution and physiology. But 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. Recently she has directed her wanderings to gather data for several Wilderness Press titles and to introduce her two young daughters to the wonders of the mountains. She lives in Sydney, Australia.

List of MapsAcknowledgments

Introduction

Planning Your Hike

On the Trail

Sierra Nevada History

Cumulative Mileage Table

North to South: Yosemite Valley to Whitney Portal



Happy Isles to Tuolumne–Mariposa County Line
Tuolumne–Mariposa County Line to Donohue Pass
Donohue Pass to Island Pass
Island Pass to Madera–Fresno County Line
Madero–Fresno County Line to Silver Pass
Silver Pass to Selden Pass
Selden Pass to Muir Pass
Muir Pass to Mather Pass
Mather Pass to Pinchot Pass
Pinchot Pass to Glen Pass
Glen Pass to Forester Pass
Forester Pass to Trail Crest
Trail Crest to Whitney Portal

Side Trips to Peaks, Vista Points, and Lake Basins

Appendix A: JMT Lateral Trails and Nearby Towns

Appendix B: Campsites

Appendix C: Food-Storage Boxes (Bear Boxes)

Appendix D: Plants Referenced in Text

Appendix E: Bibliography and Suggested Reading

Index

About the Author