Permit System - John Muir Trail

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#1

What permits are necessary to hike the John Muir Trail? Are they easy to get for a trip 1-2 months out?

Thanks for your replies.

Presto

#2

The PCTA has information on JMT permits on its website:
http://www.pcta.org/about_trail/muir/over.asp. The information there is a bit out of date (Yosemite reservations are now $5 per person) but it should get you started. I’ve heard that permits are very difficult to get if you are starting at the Whitney end, but may be easier if you try starting at one of the alternative trailheads a bit farther south. If you are reserving a permit to start in Yosemite at Happy Isles, it is much easier to reserve your permit if you do not plan to camp in Little Yosemite Valley the first night (tell them you want a “Little Yosemite Valley passthrough” or “Sunrise/Merced” permit). If they don’t have any reservations available, don’t worry – half the available permits are reserved for people who just show up at the park on a first come, first serve basis, one day prior to the day your trip is scheduled to begin. You’d still have an excellent chance of securing a permit even if you didn’t show up until the morning your trip was scheduled to begin . . . actually, a Yosemite ranger once told me that they almost never turn away JMT hikers.

Kanga