John Muir Trail Sections

The John Muir Trail from Yosemite to Mount Whitney is America's most iconic backpacking route - 211 miles through the High Sierra at altitude. We won't thru-hike it (that's a different program), but we'll tackle legendary sections: Evolution Valley, Muir Pass, the Golden Staircase. This is granite peaks, alpine lakes at 11,000 feet, bear canisters required, and scenery that defines California wilderness. Permits are brutally competitive (lottery system), logistics are complex, and the cost is high. But this is bucket-list backpacking. Boys who complete JMT sections return with a new understanding of what 'wilderness' means.