JMT Permits - John Muir Trail

imported
#1

Maybe I should repost my permit questions here as a new topic.
How far in advvance are permits procurred? Where do you get them. Process, cost, etc. - any useful info.

Jan LiteShoe

#2

You get your permit based on your point of entry. If you start in the north, Yosemite National Park, in the south from Inyo National Forest. I’ve hiked the JMT twice (1978 and 2003). I would highly recommend starting in Yosemite, which leaves the most spectacular passes and Whitney till the second half of the trip. You can visit the Yosemite web site to find out about backcountry permits. I would recommend you reserve a permit now, if you know your start date. It gets tough to get a permit later in the season. You can call the backcountry office and get your permit on the phone - they will mail you a reservation form, which you must use in Yosemite to get your actual permit the day before your hike. I think it was about 20 bucks to reserve in advance. Make sure to get a “Mt. Whitney zone” sticker on your permit when you pick it up, as this allows you to summit. The JMT is simply awesome - enjoy it.

Don Wilson

#3

Do those zone stickers add additional fees & are they difficult to get in Yosemite?

Thinair

#4

I got mine from the Ranger Station in Yosemite Valley without making a reservation. The whole “permit” thing was a lot less painful than I was lead to believe. Just turn up early in the morning, first come, first serve I guess.

Ross

P.S I did it mid week and it was around the 7th Sept.

Ross

#5

Jan,

Do you know what day you are thinking about entering the park, or starting? Do you know how you are getting our west?

Just a few questions I am trying to figure out :wink:

Leif

#6

The problem with JMT permits is that they limit the number of people who enter each trailhead each day. It makes no difference where you are going on your 2nd thru 30th day. And the JMT starts at the most popular trailhead in Yosemite. Some permits are always given out first come, first served, even in summer. But if you want to be confident about your start date in summer, and camp in Little Yosemite or Sunrise on your first night, then its a good idea to do it ahead of time. Getting a Mt. Whitney Zone sticker does not add any cost in Yosemite, at least not in 2003. They are easy to get, you just have to ask. Your permit should already have Whitney Portal as the exit point.

Don Wilson

#7

Your JMT permit also specifies a completion date. If you are going N -> S, this may be important, because the Whitney Zone (at the southern terminus) is the most heavily patrolled. According to a park service ranger, the forest service patrols there and can be kinda over-zealous in their rules-enforcement. You can pick your own completion date when you get the permit, so give yourself LOTS of time! No reason not to, so far as I know.

Eric

#8

An alternate trailhead to start the JMT is Glacier Point. You actually hike down to the top of Nevada Falls so it’s easier than hiking up from Happy Isles. Also the Glacier Point trailhead is a lot less busy. If you have been to Yosemite before chances are you’ve hiked the Happy Isles Section to Vernal or Nevada falls already, so you wouldn’t be missing anything. On the other hand, if this is your first time in Yos. don’t miss Happy Isles! Beautiful!!!:cheers

Thinair

#9

In addition to all the other great reasons for heading north to south, it is MUCH more difficult to get a permit coming up from Whitney Portal. Whitney zone permits are on a lottery system, and my brother has lost the lottery for several years running now. Getting a permit on the Yosemite end is almost guaranteed, especially if you are willing to camp beyond Little Yosemite Valley on your first night. You can either reserve in advance or just try for one when you get there. Worst case scenario you pick up a permit for the next day, instead of the day you show up at the permit office.

Kanga

#10

Just as a word of warning … I wouldn’t say the worst case scenario is just picking up a permit for the next day. While it’s true that they give out permits for the next day as well as the current day, they’re not that easy to come by. The trailhead quota isn’t that high (I think it’s around 12 per day depending on destination) and only roughly half are available day of or day before meaning all it takes is one reasonable size group in front of you to mean you’re out of luck. Also, people show up as early as 4am to wait in line on the weekends. With all the planning that you’ll already be doing for a JMT trip, it’s better to just make the reservation ($5/person) and guarantee that you can go unless there’s a good reason why you can’t.

Sean

#11

Other than folks starting south to north, and heading up the Mt. Whitney cattle trail, who need to enter the lottery to get a permit, all of the other trailheads retain a certain percentage of their trailhead quota (25-50%, usually) for hikers who don’t have a reservation.

Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne are both really easy – make sure you’re there early in the morning, before the Wilderness office opens (since it’s a first-come, first-served thing), and you can get a permit to enter the wilderness the NEXT DAY without any problem (and without any fee!). An added bonus is that you get a site in the sweet backpacker campground for the night before you leave. It’s the best campground Yosemite Valley’s got to offer! (no RVs). Spend your day supplying, getting ready, exploring the valley, drinking beers in Yosemite Village, then pack up and blast in the morning.

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Brian