Short JMT Hike Suggestions

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#1

Hi, I have about 9 days to hike in late August on the JMT. I’m looking for suggestions on the easiest place to exit the trail in that time frame. I suspect I’ll be doing around 10 mile days and would like to start at Happy Isles. Thanks!

Darren

#2

i think 9 days will bring you to VVR where you can exit. VVR= Vermillion Valley Resort. it might be a bit tricky to get out from there - they’re kind of in the middle of nowhere, but it’s possible, espcially if you plan ahead of time. they have weekend guests there who come up from a small town whose name i’ve forgotten and i think it’s a long drive from there. but they do it all the time. when i was there there were weekend guests and you could probably hitch down the mountain with them to the nearest town.

Otherwise, a day or two earlier I hit Reds Meadows and it’s pretty easy to get out to the “real world” from there. i’ve now forgotten the city it’s near, but it’s a real town, with buses and maybe even an airport? That’s a pretty short hike though - a week i guess - though beautiful. Tuolumnee Meadows are beautiful and the whole 1000 Lake area is amazing - though it will all be pretty crowded.

hope that’s helpful. check out my journal for my details if you’d like - trailjournals.com/sonia - and have fun!

Sonia

#3

At 10 miles per day, a 9 day hike would put you at the Edison Lake Ferry which takes you to the Vermillion Valley Resort. This is at the end of Kaiser Pass Road and is one of the more remote locations on the trail. I have heard of people getting rides out of there, but I think it could be chancy and expensive. I would only try it if someone was willing to pick me up.

If you can push a little farther, you can exit out Piute Pass and hitch from North Lake to Bishop. This would require that you cover 125 miles in the 9 days.

The easiest place to get off is Red’s Meadows, about 55 miles down the trail. From there you can ride the bus to Mammoth. You could head south from Red’s Meadows along the JMT to Fish Creek, and then hike down Cascade Valley back to Reds Meadows. Your last night on the trail would be at the Iva Bell hot springs. This is not a bad way to spend your last night out.

One other option would be to hike out over Duck Pass to the Mammoth Lakes area and hitch into the town of Mammoth. You would leave the JMT at Duck Creek, just below Duck Lake. This would be a nice starting point for future southbound JMT section hikes.

Snowball

#4

Maybe the mileage would be too short for you (57) but if you leave from yosemite valley you can resupply at Tuloumne meadows (20 miles) and hit Reds Meadow 3 days later. If you spend some time hiking half dome and take a very leisurly pace it might be a nice little trip. You could also spend a leisurly first day in the valley and then a day getting back to Yosemite. You don’t say whether or not the 9 days includes transportation to and from the trailhead but I would allow for a little extra time for this.

The advantage of this plan is that you wouldn’t have to carry too much food and you have extra time to do the very steep climb out of the valley.

I’m not sure how easy it is getting out of VVR as I’ve never been. I seem to remember someone complaining about an excessive charge for transport out when one of their party twisted an ankle.

If you upped your mileage a little you could also hike from Red’s meadow to Kearsarge pass. (120 miles)

jalan

#5

If it was up to me, I’d do the Red’s Meadow to Kearsarge Pass section. The further south you go, the better the scenery. I know this might seem hard to imagine at first, but it’s really true. Plus, those entry/exit points are much easier to handle than VVR. You can see my journal for photos: www.trailjournals.com/sharonallen. Click the link to the JMT on the left margin.

Sharon A.

#6

Thanks for all the suggestions. I’ll have to sit down and take a look at them on the map tonight. I don’t mind speeding up or slowing down a bit to make something work. I didn’t include travel time in my 9 days. So 9 days on the trail plus a couple on each end for travel.

Darren

#7

If i were to do it, i’d start from Tuolumne Meadows. That way you get a taste of Yosemite without the worst of the crowds that you’ll get from Happy Isle. The first day out is VERY easy…really the only super easy part of the trail, so it’s a pretty and relaxing start. The next day over Donahue Pass and into the lakes area is spectacular. Red’s is a nice break and resupply. And then from there you can just see how far you go. There are several different exit points to the east, all of which end up pretty near the same hitchhike/shuttle points centering around Bishop. Probably at the pace you’re expecting, you’d make it as afar as Bishop Pass Trail from LeConte Canyon. You get Muir Pass, Evolution Valley…great part of the trail. There is a nice campsite at the JMT/Bishop Pass trail junction. Further beyond that, the scenery gets more spectacular in a way since you’re higher, but it’s not really prettier…it’s actually more austere.

My 2 cents worth…

markv