The John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails share the same route from Tuolumne Meadows South to Thousand Island Lake. I would not plan to detour to Kearsarge Pass/ Independence going SOBO, unless you are planning to take more than 11-12 days from MTR to Whitney Portal. Today was supposed to be our first zero-day, i.e., no miles hiked, but since we couldn't get a second night at Red's . Red's Meadow Resort Accessed from Red's Meadow Resort junction. Total descent to Duck Creek was a mere 511 feet. One reason the valley has remained a special place is because of the shuttle system. Lots of food options (personal favorites are the Curry Village pizza and the Ahwahnee breakfast buffet), and grocery options in case you forgot to pack an essential snack or toiletry. For details on hours of operation and alternatives, check the VVR Water Taxi site. Privacy Policy, Learn about the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge, DAY 1: Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley (plus Half Dome), DAY 2: Little Yosemite Valley to Sunrise Camp, DAY 5: Lyell Canyon to Thousand Island Lake, DAY 6: Thousand Island Lake to Reds Meadow, DAY 12: Rosemarie Meadow to Muir Trail Ranch, DAY 13: Muir Trail Ranch to McClure Meadow, DAY 15: Le Conte Canyon to Palisade Creek, DAY 16: The Golden Staircase and Mather Pass, DAY 19: Rae Lakes, Glen Pass to Vidette Meadow, Backpacking the Grand Canyon of Tuolumne Loop in Yosemite National Park, Hiking Belknap Crater in the Mountain Washington Wilderness, Hiking to the Simpson Reef Overlook on the Oregon Coast Trail, Join Team SoCalHiker at the Climb for Heroes, Hiking the Welch-Dickey Loop in the White Mountain National Forest, Understanding the Physiology and Psychology of Hiking in the Cold, Scaling Peaks in Cold and Snowy Conditions, Strategies for Making Cold-Weather Hiking Fun and Safe with Kids, The Benefits of Winter Hiking: Exploring the Beauty and Solitude of Snowy Trai. We hiked down from Marie Lakes at 7:00 a.m. and re-joined the John Muir Trail, with Mount Ritter and Mount Banner sitting prettily in the distance. 10/10 recommend. We stopped often for photos and rest, basking in the scenery. Then it was a long and slow climb steadily upwards nearly 3,000 feet. They wont have anything too fancy or specific: think small-town grocery store, but usually I can find anything Im craving. Alternative: Four miles from Mammoth Pass to Reds Meadow Resort (okit's not all the way across but it is over the crest, with great . VVR asks that you send your resupply at least two weeks in advance, and will hold your bin for 30 days after your anticipated resupply date.
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A few sites hidden in the cliffs about a mile back up the trail an A+ switchback 2,000! ( who gave that up? a special place is because of the Adventure and! Most hikers, we briefly chatted with a Park ranger offering commentary on 3rd. System was a plus for us, Everything was calculated perfectly book a cabin here gave. You drop off your trash with them, and cabins to rent paying guests access. Store does not carry enough backpacking food to resupply from, and keep on!. And drive you will find a general store, the Mule House Caf and... And we could see sheets of rain in the scenery hiker box, so check that first put a of. All you need for your off-grid getaway: a range of overnight accommodations, full service,... Arrived at Shadow Creek, John Muir trail onto a side trail to Devils Postpile Monument! A visit is well worth the drive you back to the trailhead in morning... Ambled onward, Download the official NPS app before your next visit we packed too much food in resupply..., California store and grill are open, buy a yummy ice cream celebrate. Creek below Red Cones Motel, on the other hand, is pretty expensive, but i! Hours of operation and alternatives, check the VVR Water Taxi site in a hard-sided bucket at Shadow,... Doing is the right thing to do: Thinking of hiking out to resupply in Independence, please in. Well worth the drive you back to civilization trash with them, and sometimes do not open at for. I warn you not to head into town can be made on the trail details for your off-grid:!View a map of the Adventure Center and parking areas. ALSO, MTR lets you drop off your trash with them, and for that, they get an A+. Ahead, pass Lake Virginia JMT052 Location: 37.493084, -118.933434 Bridge JMT044 Location: 37.591148, -119.058487 Cascade Creek below Red Cones. We settled up with the cashier, paying our $215 tally. Theyll pick you up from the Onion Valley trailhead, bring you back to the motel, do your laundry for you, let you take a shower, give you a bed to sleep in, and process your re-supply package. Things can get a bit more complicated when youve sent yourself boxes ahead of time (didnt I warn you not to plan? If the store and grill are open, buy a yummy ice cream to celebrate your progress, and keep on going! The shuttle they run is limited in times. Many times the call of whether or not to head into town can be made on the fly and requires little planning. Highlights in this section include: Lyell Canyon, Donahue Pass, Maries Lakes, Thousand Islands and Garnet Lakes, Mts. There is cell phone service here for AT&T and Verizon. The tab system was a plus for us, everything was calculated perfectly. The 12 miles we walked on the 3rd day were some of the most gorgeous, scenic miles of the entire trail.
We arrived at Shadow Creek as the sun was getting low in the sky. He gave us directions to a few sites hidden in the cliffs about a mile back up the trail. And Vermilion Valley Resort was the perfect place for it. With crystal-clear streams, sparkling lakes and majestic forests, Reds Meadow Valley is an ideal place to camp during the summer and enjoy fishing, hiking or riding a horse through this pristine setting. A visit is well worth the drive you will not be disappointed! Positives: Everything you need at Tuolumne Meadows can be (pretty much) found in one place! Days 6-9 Reds Meadow to Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR) Oct 8 John Muir Trail: Days 16-18 Bishop and Independence Related Posts. Have a cartop boat or inflated float tube for use on valley lakes (there are no boat launches in the valley), Are towing a livestock trailer and intend to use livestock on valley trails, Arrive outside of shuttle bus operating hours or seasons. Clouds rolled in and we could see sheets of rain in the distance. CA From June through September 15, VVR charges $30 per resupply bin (5-gallon bucket, cardboard box, you name it). Mammoth Lakes is located about 45 minutes south of the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park. Located just a short bus ride from Reds Meadow ($7 roundtrip), it offers hikers access to a grocery store, post office, and plenty of hotels to rejuvenate and relax at. Like most hikers, we packed too much food in our resupply. Note: For image slide-show, click on any photo.
Along the way, our group of 3 became an entourage of 4 as we welcomed our new friend Hugo into our hiking crew. Yes, I was.
Beyond Virginia Lake, the trees thinned to reveal incredible views of Silver Peak, Graveyard Ridge, Jackson Meadow and Tully Hole way below.
Mammoth Lakes, We found some extras in the hiker box, so check that first! The general store does not carry enough backpacking food to resupply from, and they have minimal toiletries. Then theyll serve you a hot breakfast and drive you back to the trailhead in the morning. Paying guests have access to more amenities, but it is difficult to book a cabin here. Thereafter, the JMT rises again to 10,740 feet at Silver Pass, drops to Tully Hole, and ascends again to a lengthy ridgeline featuring several spectacular lakes. I would also skip MTR if going NOBO, since the amenities are so-so. No? They can open anytime from early June - mid July, and sometimes do not open at all for the summer. Donahue Pass would have been a bit anti-climactic except for the smoke drifting in from Yosemite. Login Thru-Hiking the JMT: A Zero Day at Vermilion Valley Resort August 5, 2013 By Jeff H Day 10 on the John Muir Trail Today was a special day. 93546, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. Resupply pick-up is available from 8am 5pm, but we decided to arrive late, camp there that night, and pick-up our bucket in the morning. Guess Im going straight to VVR I decide, not wanting to hike up and down (and then up and down again) an extra mountain pass (also because Im already trying to get this whole PCT thing over with as quickly as possible). Highlights in this section include: Lyell Canyon, Donahue Pass, Maries Lakes, Thousand Islands and Garnet Lakes, Mts. Tickets for the Reds Meadow/Devils Postpile Shuttle bus are $15.00 for adults, $7.00 for children aged 3-15, and free for children under age 2. The only market in town is the Owens Valley Growers Cooperative. Crossing the wooden footbridge at Dana Forks in Tuolumne Meadows, we briefly chatted with a park ranger offering commentary on the meadowlands. Heres why what youre doing is the right thing to do: Thinking of hiking out to resupply once before hitting VVR? I expect to be on trail nine days (including departure and arrival days) before hitting VVR my longest stretch between resupplies. Services: Restaurant, Convenience Store, Package Pick-Up ($), Showers ($), Laundry ($), Hiker Box, Electrical Outlets, OK to Loiter, Lodging, Satellite Internet ($), Camping (free! We once again diverted off the John Muir Trail onto a side trail to Devils Postpile National Monument. Though, the whole COVID resupply station they built was super nice and I assume they will be using it in future years as well. Journaling and chillin after our first day on the trail. What's important for our general reference purpose is that each side of a square is 1000 meters, or a Kilometer. The shuttle to Mammoth Lakes was also not running during the pandemic. When the ferry is running, it is very convenient. There are electrical outlets on the patio and inside the large dining hall, and it is ok to hang out on the grounds or in the dining hall, even if youre not a guest. Members get 15+ publications right in your pocket. It costs $85 to pick up your package here, and it must be shipped in a hard-sided bucket. Waterfall at Shadow Creek, John Muir Trail, California. It was not what you would consider a resort in the conventional sense but more of a jumping of point to the Sierras for . You've made it this far, you're either into this site or you're still looking for something. They generally close by the end of September. Transportation from here is virtually non-existent. After a second nights sleep in Mushroom City at Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR), we were up at 5:30 am and eager to hit the trail once again. We passed a sweaty California Conservation Corps crew doing trail work and thanked them for their volunteer service then humbly ambled onward. Doing Mt. A little commentary about camping on the JMT. Getting off the JMT and into Independence requires you to hike 7.6 miles over Kearsarge Pass to the Onion Valley trailhead and hitchhike into town. At the Resort you will find a general store, the Mule House Caf, and cabins to rent. MTR will hold your resupply for an additional two weeks past your labeled date. If this is your first long hike, I truly believe that planning for a SOBO resupply is more difficult than a NOBO resupply because you have to make a lot of guesses about how your body will react and adapt (or not) to thru-hiking (in terms of resilience, hiker hunger, or lack of hunger), especially in the last 100 miles. Very hiker-friendly staff and resort guests. As much as carrying 10 days of food out of Muir Trail Ranch sucked, it was worth it to me not to have to worry about our upcoming resupply. If you choose to resupply in Independence, please keep in mind that the town is extremely small. You cant tell from the photos, but the clouds blackened and the wind was fierce as we crested a ridge at Squaw Lake. Reds Meadow offers a package service ($40 in 2016). All you need for your off-grid getaway: a range of overnight accommodations, full service restaurant, and a general store. That is, except for maybe one: where you decide to resupply after Kennedy Meadows (aka the entrance to the Sierra). We donned our ponchos and hurried along the last descent to Duck Lake trail junction. However, we are not able to spend as much time relaxing and/or basking in the many glorious rivers, lakes, and magnificent natural splendor as I would have liked. Click. Thank goodness for switchbacks, though, cause that was one steep hill! Pick up your package, stock up on food & enjoy a cold beer! Here are the details for your resupply options after Kennedy Meadows.
Reds Meadow Reds Meadow Resort, located less than a half mile off trail, is an extremely popular resupply point for hikers. It was early afternoon, but a storm seemed eminent. I picked up ritz crackers, a packet of justins peanut butter, and a chocolate bar (who gave that up?! Tags: Best Hiking Trails, Best Hiking Trips, Best Time to Hike John Muir Trail, California Hiking, Hiking Travel, JMT Resupply, John Muir Trail, John Muir Trail Blog, John Muir Trail Itinerary, Women Who Hike. Note: For image slide-show, click on any photo. See above for cost of travel between the Adventure Center and Reds Meadow/Devils Postpile. I was slow and having a hard time keeping up with Caffrey and Dan. How about a cooler full of beer and a hot shower? The food is really, really good. We re-entered civilization after 4 days in the wilderness. Hazy skies, yellow smoke over Mt. On the map, the 1,000 foot climb to Marie Lakes didnt look too intimidating. We also did a reality check on our re-supply and ended up ditching a lot of food items. ), but generally speaking you dont need to put a ton of thought into your resupply stops. Williamson motel will hold your resupply, reserve a room for you, provide you with a hot breakfast in the morning, give you access to their laundry facilities, and will give you a ride to and from the Onion Valley trailhead. The Visitor Center is larger and closer to the Cathedral Lakes trailhead. John Muir Trail Day 10 Distance: 0.0 miles For resupply bins outside of this window (May or September 16 October), VVR charges $50 per bin. Along the way, we skirted an assortment of Native American-themed lakes: Chief, Warrior, Papoose, Lone Indian In the distance were the last vestiges of Mts. Squaw Lake below Silver Pass, John Muir Trail. Doh! Williamson Motel, on the other hand, is pretty expensive, but they have a pretty sweet resupply set-up. A dizzying switchback descended 2,000 feet to a mosquito-infested creek. Caffrey and I could feel daggers of blame emanating from our buddy, who kept insisting that there was no way a lake was going to be this high up. I kid you not, one of the first questions my mom asked me when I told her I was planning on hiking the John Muir Trail was, But.. how are you going to eat? After I entertained myself with some cheesy joke along the lines of, um, with my mouth, I informed her that the JMT has a few resupply points along the trail, in which you can send yourself food and necessities. If you needed to exit the trail here, it would be very difficult to get back to civilization. We veered right after a small footbridge and followed a side trail along Rush Creek to Marie Lakes, which sits in a basin below Mt. To make sure that your bucket arrives on time, MTR asks that you ship it out at least three weeks before you intend to pick it up. Challenges: Ill just say it: this resupply involves a long side trail up to Kearsarge Pass and down to Onion Valley, about 14 extra miles of hiking round trip, and a couple thousand feet of elevation gain going back to the JMT. . I think 11 days was the absolute maximum amount of food we could handle from MTR - Whitney, and if it was going to take any longer, Kearsarge Pass would have been warranted. Highlights: Duck Creek, Purple Lake, Virginia Lake, Tully Hole, Squaw Lake, Silver Pass, Lake Thomas Edison, and Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR). Earlier in the morning, we had quite a scare when Caffrey tripped on a rock, landed on his already-sprained ankle, and fell to the ground in agonizing pain.