The Ultimate Guide to Scoring a John Muir Trail Permit

Okay so here’s the fun part. Permits for the JMT are required and one of the hardest things to get your hands on. They are in extremely high demand and very few are distributed each year. In Yosemite National Park, the permit system limits the number of backpackers who can cross Donahue Pass to 45 people per day. When you look at the numbers, this means about 97% of the applicants get denied. Not the best odds so you need to be very flexible and persistent to make it actually work! Here’s a breakdown of exactly what to do to (hopefully) get a permit. 

KEY STEPS:

1.    Decide how long you want to take

On average, most people take about 18-22 days. More experienced, ultralight backpackers may do it in as little as 12-14 days. Some people choose to take “zero” days (days off) or “nero” days (nearly zero or half days off) when they get to a resupply point which makes it longer.

2.    Pick dates

The best time to go is July to early October. However, every month has its pros and cons. Here’s a breakdown:

• July: great weather, snow can still be present, raging white water rivers

• August: perfect weather, lots of mosquitos

• September: great weather, high possibility of fires, potentially first snowfall

• October: short days and cold nights, high possibility of snow, less resupply options (most close by late September or early October)

3.    Choose southbound (SOBO) or northbound (NOBO)

Southbound (North to South) is the classic JMT route, the most popular, and the most competitive to get a permit for. When hiking southbound, you’ll gradually increase in elevation as you hike which allows for better acclimatization. This gives you time to fully acclimate before arriving at Mt. Whitney. In comparison, northbound (South to North) is a little less popular and slightly easier to get a permit for. When hiking northbound, you’ll start with the intense climb of Mt. Whitney right away. Get ready for a butt kicker first few days (especially if you aren’t acclimated to the altitude yet). You start at Whitney Portal (8,374 ft.) and summit Mt. Whitney (14,505 ft.) in just 11 miles. Most people choose to break this up into more than one day or start South of Whitney Portal so you have more time to acclimate. After summiting Mt. Whitney, you’ll continue northbound with decreasing elevation as you hike.

4.    Determine trailhead and first night’s camp

Southbound:

Happy Isles

The true start to the John Muir Trail and therefore the most competitive. The climb out of the valley on day one is brutal but you get amazing Yosemite views including Nevada Falls, Vernal Falls, and Half Dome. You can even climb Half Dome as part of your first day (mark on permit). If you start in Happy Isles, you have two options for your first night’s campsite depending on your permit.

• Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley (4.5 miles). Camp at Little Yosemite Valley.

• Happy Isles to Sunrise Lakes (about 10.4 miles). Camp at Sunrise Lakes (anywhere after the Half Dome junction and Little Yosemite Valley).

Sunrise Lakes

The Sunrise Lakes trailhead begins at the bottom of Tenaya Lake. You’ll miss the views of Yosemite Valley and Half Dome but you do have the opportunity to side trip to Cloud’s Rest on your first day.

• Tenaya Lake to Sunrise Lakes (3.3 miles). Camp at Sunrise Lakes.

Glacier Point

This is a great trailhead option if you want to start in Yosemite. It starts at a higher elevation than Happy Isles so the climb out of the valley isn’t as bad. You’ll get a different vantage point of the valley on day one.

• Glacier Point to Little Yosemite Valley (6.6 miles). Camp at Little Yosemite Valley.

 Lyell Canyon (Tuolumne Meadows)

If you want to completely avoid the brutal climb out of valley, this is your best option. However, you’ll miss all of Yosemite and the first part of the official JMT.

• Lyell Canyon to Upper Lyell Canyon (11.1 miles). Camp at Upper Lyell Canyon.

Northbound:

Whitney Portal

Permits out of Whitney Portal are the most competitive if you choose to go Northbound. It’s also important to note that your first day will be extremely steep and you’ll have very little time to acclimate to the altitude.

• Day 1: Whitney Portal to Trail Camp (6.3 miles). Camp at Trail Camp.

• Day 2: Summit Whitney

Horseshoe Meadows (Cottonwood Lakes or Cottonwood Pass)

This is the most ideal starting trailhead if you’re going Northbound. You can then choose to take either the Cottonwood Lakes Trail or the Cottonwood Pass Trail. The Cottonwood Pass Trail is apparently a little easier.

• Day 1: Horseshoe Meadows to Rock Creek (11 miles). Camp at Rock Creek.

• Day 2: Rock Creek to Crabtree Meadows (10 miles). Camp at Crabtree Meadows.

• Day 3: Summit Whitney

5.    Apply for a permit

 SOUTHBOUND (Yosemite National Park)

If you plan to do the John Muir trail southbound (the most ideal direction), be prepared for an extremely competitive lottery system. Out of the 45 total permits per day that allow you to cross Donahue pass, only 60% are distributed in the lottery and 40% are reserved for “walk-up” permits. In 2022, the lottery permits only consist of Happy Isles - pass through (Donahue Pass eligible) and Lyell Canyon (Donahue Pass eligible).

• Happy Isles: 15 permits per day (9 by reservation, 6 “walk-ups” one day in advance)

• Lyell Canyon: 30 permits per day (18 by reservation, 12 “walk-ups” one day in advance)

The lottery occurs 168 days (24 weeks) prior to your start date. However, permit applications are accepted over the span of one week. To figure out the exact date you need to apply, check out this chart. For start dates in July, August, and September (most popular), the permit window is January to March.

Follow these steps to fill out your permit application correctly:

Step 1. Go to the Yosemite wilderness permit application

Step 2. Log into your account (or create one if you don’t have one) then click on “Register for Open Lottery"

Step 3. Make sure all of your account information is correct and enter in any alternate permit holders (up to 3)

Step 4. Choose up to 8 options of start dates (within the available week) and entry trailheads. The more options you enter, the better chance you’ll have! Your entry trailhead options are:

• Happy Isles (Donahue Pass eligible) - camp at Moraine Dome or Half Dome Junction

• Lyell Canyon(Donahue Pass eligible) - camp at Upper Lyell Canyon

Make sure to choose the trailhead options with “Donahue Pass Eligible” or you will not be able to hike the full JMT.

Step 5. Enter in group size

Step 6. Click “Proceed to Cart”

Step 7. Proceed to payment. All permit lottery applications cost $10 and are non-refundable.

Step 8. You will receive an email on the Monday after the lottery week that notifies you if you received a permit or not. If you are unsuccessful for the first set of desired dates, re-apply at the start of the next week!

Step 9. If you want to summit Half Dome, you can request it to be added to your permit when you pick it up in person. The cost is an extra $10 per person.

If you’re lucky enough to get a permit, you will have until the following Thursday to pay for the reservation. It costs $5 per person for a processing fee plus a $5 transaction fee. If this payment is not received by that Thursday, your reservation will be cancelled. Make sure your payment went through or you’ll lose all your hard work!

If you aren’t so lucky, don’t completely give up! You have a few options at this point. You can either continuously check the for open dates or cancellations, attempt to get a “walk-up” permit the day before your desired start date, or find someone in a Facebook group or Reddit thread who is cancelling their permit and willing to transfer it to you. 

If you have a flexible schedule and would like to try to get a walk-up permit, there are 6 Happy Isles and 12 Lyell Canyon permits available the date before your desired start date. They are distributed at the Yosemite Wilderness Permit Stations at 10AM the day before you want to start your hike.

If you are unsuccessful in all these options, you can try getting a northbound permit, hike a short section of the JMT, pick a different trail altogether, or try again next year.

NORTHBOUND (Inyo National Forest)

For those of you who choose to go northbound, be prepared for a tough first few days. You begin with an intense climb up Mt. Whitney then decrease in altitude as you hike towards Yosemite. Overall, it’s slightly less competitive to get a northbound permit which makes it a good option.

There are two northbound starting trailheads. The true southern terminus of the JMT is Whitney Portal but it’s not necessarily the best option. Starting at Whitney Portal gives you less time to acclimate to the altitude and an extremely difficult climb up Mt. Whitney on day two. The other option (most popular and easier to get a permit for) is to start 20 miles south of the JMT at Horseshoe Meadows. From Horseshoe Meadows, you can take either the Cottonwood Lakes Trail or the Cottonwood Pass Trail to get to Mt. Whitney and the JMT.

Mt. Whitney Portal — lottery based

In order to get a Whitney Portal permit, you must submit a permit application through the Mt. Whitney Lottery between February 1st and March 15th. The lottery will be posted for all dates on March 24th. There are 60 overnight permits distributed per day. This may seem like a lot, but this includes any and all overnight trips to climb Mt. Whitney, thus making it very competitive.

Horseshoe Meadows — first come, first serve (no lottery) 6 months prior to start date

• Cottonwood Lakes: 36 permits, 24 walk-up permits

• Cottonwood Pass: 24 permits, 16 walk-up permits

Follow these steps to fill out your permit application correctly:

 Step 1. Go to the Inyo wilderness permit application

Step 2. Click “explore available permits”

Step 3. Choose permit type as “overnight”

Step 4. Enter a start date and group size.

Step 5. Scroll down on the chart to Cottonwood Lakes and Cottonwood Pass. If there are permits available, there will be a number in the box. If there are walk-ups available, there will be a W. If none are available, the box will be grey.

Step 6. If a permit is available, select “book now”

Step 7. Fill out personal info of the trip leader.

Step 8. Answer additional questions

• Visiting Mt. Whitney – yes

• Enter campsites for each night – they don’t have to be completely accurate and you can edit them later.

If you’re lucky enough to get a northbound permit, you’ll know right away! This is definitely a plus in comparison to the southbound lottery system. Make sure to pay the $5 processing fee and $6 reservation fee right away so you don’t lose your permit. If you’re unable to get a northbound permit, keep checking the permit page as any cancelled permits will automatically become available. Unfortunately, unlike Yosemite, Inyo doesn’t allow permit transfers.

I hope this helps you to score your dream JMT permit. It’s a crazy process but once you have your golden ticket, you can sit back, relax, and start planning!