Hiking the John Muir Trail from Devils Postpile to Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California

The Trip

The starting place for our wilderness trek will be Devils Postpile National Monument, which is located west of Mammoth Lakes.

Our route will follow a significant portion of the popular John Muir Trail (JMT) through some of the most scenic country in the High Sierra. This is one of the highlight trips of the High Sierra, going through the stunning scenery of the Ansel Adams Wilderness and upper Lyell Canyon in Yosemite National Park.

From the trailhead we will follow the John Muir Trail north to Johnson Meadows, where we stay the first two nights. We will then continue along the JMT through the Ansel Adams Wilderness and into Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park.

The Ansel Adams Wilderness encompasses spectacular acres of granite peaks, steep-walled gorges and rock outcroppings. We will explore quite a number of the lakes that dot the region.

The total distance covered is about 70 miles, with an elevation gain of approximately 11,000 feet. Of this total distance, about 50 miles is on the JMT. On our way we will pass the beautiful lakes of Shadow, Ediza, Garnet, and Thousand Island. 

We will have three layover days. On our first layover day, we will hike to Minaret Lake from Johnston Meadows. On the second layover day, we will be at Rosalie Lake; we will hike to Ediza, passing by Shadow Lake before going back to camp. Our third layover day will be at Thousand Island Lake, where we can spend the day around that beautiful lake relaxing, fishing, swimming, or exploring while enjoying the natural world around us.

The first two nights of our trip we camp next to our cars at a location near Rock Creek Pack Station. This gives us a chance to acclimate to the high elevation, provide orientation to trip procedures, get acquainted with the other trip participants, and do a training hike. Refer to the Itinerary section of this brochure for a more detailed day-by-day account.

The packer will furnish delicious meals, and a cook will handle all the kitchen chores, including cleanup.

Chairs are furnished to relax in camp. In case of rain, the wranglers will put up a large tarp to sit under. A sit-down toilet with a privacy tent will be provided at each camp. Mules will carry all equipment and food except what we require during the day and carry in our day packs.

Day 1: We meet at 4 p.m. at a location near Rock Creek Pack Station where we will camp for two nights. There will be time to get acquainted before dinner is served around 6 p.m.

Day 2: We’ll spend the day on an acclimation hike to one of the area lakes near the pack station. The schedule will give us enough time to go over the trip orientation and socialize with the other participants. We spend the night at the same camp. Dinner will again be served about 6:00 p.m. We'll get up early the next day to pack our gear into duffel bags, so they'll be ready for the packer.

Day 3: After breakfast, we will be driven to Devils Postpile trailhead, where we start our hike on the John Muir Trail. We will camp at Johnson Meadow. (6 miles, 1,200 feet) Optional walk up Minaret Creek, conditions permitting.

Day 4: Layover day: Optional hike to the beautiful Minaret Lake. (9 miles, 2,000 feet)

Day 5: We'll hike from Johnson Meadow to camp at Rosalie Lake. (7 miles, 1,900 feet)

Day 6: Layover day: Optional hike to the beautiful Ediza and Shadow lakes. (7 miles, 1,500 feet)

Day 7: We'll hike from Rosalie Lake to Thousand Island Lake, stopping for lunch at Garnet Lake. (9 miles, 1,500 feet)

Day 8: Layover day: Relax around Thousand Island Lake. Optional hike around the lake. (5 miles, 200 feet)

Day 9: We’ll hike from Thousand Island Lake to Upper Rush Creek. (7 miles, 1,300 feet)

Day 10: We'll hike from Upper Rush Creek over Donohue Pass to camp on the Lyell Fork of Tuolumne River. (8 miles, 1,300 feet)

Day 11: We'll hike down the Lyell Fork to the trailhead at Tuolumne Meadows. (9 miles, 150 feet) From there, the packer will provide a shuttle back to the cars at Rock Creek.

Note: The distances and elevation gains shown above are approximate. The mileages given are rounded up when there are fractions. The planned itinerary may have to be modified due to factors such as weather and limitations for camping with stock.

Getting There

Our camp for the first two nights will be at a location on Rock Creek. The road up Rock Creek goes west from Highway 395 at Tom’s Place, on the east side of the Sierra, about 15 miles south of Mammoth Lakes. The sign at the turnoff from the Highway reads both Rock Creek and Tom’s Place. Directions to the exact location of our meeting place will be given at a later date to those who have signed up for the trip.

Sierra Club leaders are not allowed to make carpool arrangements for participants, but a list of trip members to contact for possible ride-sharing arrangements will be provided before the trip. If you are flying in from outside of California, the nearest large airports are Sacramento, Reno, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Jose, and San Francisco. There is also a smaller airport at Mammoth Lakes.

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader. 

Accommodations and Food

We will use our individual tents and sleeping bags for accommodations at wilderness campsites after the first two nights of car camping. At each camp, a latrine will be dug and a sit-down toilet and toilet tent will be set up by the wranglers. Folding chairs will be provided for comfort in camp. A large tarp will be set up in camp in case of rain. All meals will be prepared and served by an experienced cook beginning with dinner on the first day and ending with lunch on the last day. The cook will also handle the cleanup after meals. A food preference sheet will be furnished for trip members to fill out so that the food provided can more closely meet trip members' needs. If you have special diet requirements, let the trip leader know and he will check with the packer to see if they can be accommodated.

Trip Difficulty

The overall trip rating is moderate to moderate-strenuous. The rating would be higher for those trip members doing significant hikes on layover days. The relatively light day pack and layover days make the trip suitable for most people in good health who follow a good conditioning program for at least a couple of months before the trip. Be aware of the effect of the relatively high elevation on your hiking ability. Refer to the itinerary for the individual day’s hiking requirements. The most difficult day involves an elevation gain of about 2,300 feet in a distance of about eight miles. Endurance is much more important than speed. Our travel on moving days is all on trails, but exploring on layover days may involve cross-country routes over a range of difficulty. These excursions are optional for trip members.

The weather is usually quite good at this time of the year in this area, but we should be prepared for wet and cold just in case. Most likely it will be fairly dry with temperatures in the 60-75 F range for highs, and the 35-45 F range for lows, but be prepared for considerable variation from these ranges. Most summer precipitation comes in the form of afternoon thundershowers, usually with a clearing sky by evening. 

Equipment and Clothing

A couple of months before the trip, those signing up for the trip will be furnished with a detailed checklist of required and optional personal items they should bring on the trip. These items will be very similar to what you would bring on a backpack trip, except that the generous 30-pound limit means that you can indulge in a little more luxury. You need only a day pack to carry gear since the mules will carry everything except the things you will need during the day on the trail.

Every participant must carry a warm jacket and high-quality raingear with them at all times. The gear to be carried on the mules should preferably be placed in one large duffel bag. However, it is okay to split your gear into two bags. A sturdy pair of boots — broken in but not worn out, with good quality lug soles — is needed. Your sleeping bag should be comfortable to about 25 F in case we get a cold spell. You can get by with a higher temperature-rated bag if you are willing to wear your warm clothes to bed.

A quality tent is recommended since we are camping at relatively high elevations and need to be prepared in case stormy weather catches us in an exposed location. The packer will furnish stoves, cookware, cooking utensils (including eating utensils and plates for trip members) and food. You will also have a camp chair provided. You might want to bring a mug or an insulated beverage container for your hot drinks and a plastic container for lunch sandwiches. The Sierra Club will furnish a group first-aid kit and carry a satellite phone in case of emergency. You are expected to furnish your own basic first-aid supplies such as band-aids, blister material, headache relief, etc. You will also need to have the ability to filter your own drinking water.

References

There are many sources of information on the Sierra Nevada in general, and also some that relate more specifically to the area we are visiting. The same is true of maps. We will list a few of each and leave it to you to search online if you want to find others.

The trip leader will provide detailed topographical maps of our route generated from the CalTopo online tool. You will be able to download and print PDF files that contain maps of our route, and you will also be able to use an exported file provided by the leader and load it into a mobile phone app such as Gaia GPS.

Maps to consider:

• National Geographic Yosemite SE: Ansel Adams Wilderness (National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map, 309)
• Tom Harrison https://tomharrisonmaps.com/shop/ansel_adams_wilderness
• MyTopo Explorer Series Map: Ansel Adams Wilderness

Books:

• Wenk, Elizabeth, John Muir Trail.
• Arnot, Phil, John Muir’s Range of Light.
• Storer and Usinger, Sierra Nevada Natural History.
• Secor, R.J., The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, and Trails.
• Horn, Elisabeth, Sierra Nevada Wildflowers.
• Muir, John, My First Summer in the Sierra.
• Clark, Ginny, Ansel Adam Wilderness.

Conservation

Since we are hiking in wilderness, one conservation focus will be on wilderness. This includes how wilderness is defined, designated, and preserved. Our contribution to wilderness preservation will be to follow Leave No Trace principles. We will be presenting one or two conservation topics of relevance to the area we are visiting, and everyone will be welcome to contribute to the discussion.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and will operate under permits from Yosemite National Park and Inyo National Forest.