The Rim Fire roils to the north. This photo was taken from near Nevada Fall, when the smoke was blowing northeast.
I have long been a proponent of late summer or early fall for a thru-hike of the John Muir Trial. After my last two successful hikes, I am close to changing that recommendation.
Starting in late August or early September has a lot to recommend it. Most kids are back in school by the latter part of August, and by Labor Day just about all of them are. The deep snow is long gone from the passes. With little snow at the highest elevations there is less water in the rivers and creeks, which makes the stream crossings far less problematic.
I happen to really enjoy two nights—with a rest day between—at Muir Trail Ranch. One- or two-night stays for a single or a small group are far easier to arrange later in the season.
Lastly, I hate mosquitoes. It’s unlikely that you’ll complete a JMT hike in September without seeing ANY of those little bloodsuckers, but you’ll see darned few.
That’s an awful lot of good reasons to hike late in the season. Here’s the one disadvantage: wildfires. During my last two thru-hikes I encountered the smoke from forest fires that came close to ending my trip.
The first occurred in 2009. Two days before I started making my way up to Nevada Fall, a “controlled” burn, near Foresta, became anything but. The forest service was supposed to burn ninety-one acres; by the time the fire was out it had burned roughly eighty times as much (nearly 7,500 acres).
As I ascended out of Happy Isles the smoke wasn’t horrible, but it was noticeable. Three days later, while walking though the Rush Creek drainage, I could hear the build-up of stuff in my lungs. Sleeping was particularly unpleasant, as my noisy respiration kept me awake.
I took an unscheduled rest day at Red’s Meadow and went into Mammoth Lakes to find a doctor. After just one day of some wonderful pharmaceuticals I was nearly 100% and back on the trail.
In 2013 it was the Rim Fire. (This fire would ultimately dwarf the fire of 2009.) The Rim Fire almost disrupted my hike before it began. I acclimated in Mammoth Lakes, and if I had waited two more days before taking the YARTS from Mammoth to Yosemite Valley, I would not have gotten through. The road closed about forty-eight hours after my trip.
Then, on the fifth day of my hike, the wind changed and all the smoke that had been blowing northeast started to blow south. When I reached the top of Donohue Pass I could hardly see the terrain behind me.
I exhibited no symptoms of smoke-inhalation this time, but walking through all that smoke (while breathing hard) just wasn’t much fun. Fortunately, the smoke cleared the next day.
Twice more during the next two weeks the wind would change and spoil the air (and the views) during my hike. Each time I considered abandoning the trail if things didn’t improve within a day or two. Each time they did improve.
One last comment regarding the upcoming hiking season: right now we have a tiny fraction of the snow we might normally expect. Oh, and we have higher temperatures than normal as well. At the rate things are going, this could be a very bad year for fires.
So, is all of this a good enough reason to hike early? I don’t know, but it is something you may want to consider. If you decide on a June or July adventure, just make sure you bring the insect repellant!
Good hiking, Ray
I have a June 1 permit which is way too early normally but just might be possible this year due to the low snow conditions. I am monitoring the snow pack almost every day using this link:
http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/sweq.action
It is getting a little better but still 18% of normal in the central and 22% in the southern Sierra. Using the same link to go back to this time last year (which turned out to be a low snow year), the central sierra was at 83% of normal and the southern Sierra was at 75% of normal.
I suspect that a June 1 start will seem more like a July 1 start in a normal year so lots of insect repellant and a headnet will be going in my pack. Fire season could be really bad this year. I was only impacted by the Rim fire one day on my hike last year but I could see the smoke in the distance on several days and it added uncertainty at the start of the trip.
Thanks for the link, Ravi. I also notice that we have a little snow in the forecast for later in the week. It’s probably too late for a big snow year, but we can still get quite a bit more if we’re lucky.
I have another chart I monitor which allows me to compare snow from different years. Right now the snow is tracking the Minimum snow year from 1976-1977.
http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/swcchart.action
Great link, Mitch. Thanks!
Looking at past history, charts seem to show that there is at least a chance of much more snow between now and the end of March. Hopefully some precipitation comes in. I’m following some data on reservoir levels and I can see why California is taking drastic steps to deal with the drought.
I like anything after mid Aug. If I want to get molested by mosquitos I will stay here in Wa. Smoke in the lungs is bad but you can always change your plans if it gets too bad. If you really want smoke hike Yellowstone. I’m 4 for 4 there. Never has been good & we finally gave up.
Be sure to always carry a SPOT if you do need to be rescued — just first find a lake. I now carry mine even when I travel outside the country & into some sketchy areas. Purchase Evac insurance — Global Rescue is best even in the Sierras.
Thanks for the comment, Darryl. Having to choose between smoke and mosquitoes just doesn’t seem right.
Avoiding mosquitoes was my motivation for through-hiking the JMT in September of 2012, and the weather was perfect: mild temperatures, only one short nighttime rain event—and maybe six suspected mosquitoes. And, as you say, Ray, creek crossings were a piece of cake. Now I’m researching the best area along the trail for a weeklong trek in the snow in 2015; I want to experience the beauty and solitude that only the Sierras snowclad can supply. Pray for snow.
I’d like to try that myself one day, Steve, perhaps when we move to Nevada. Thanks for the comment!
This will be my first JMT hike. I have a July 9th start date. I’m hiking it as a warmup for my last 43.5 mile section of the AT, in Maine, late Aug or early Sept. Hence the early start. It’s also my intro hike to the PCT.
I’m a little concerned about the mosquitoes, but it may be so dry that they have no where to breed. And thanks to a good headnet, I survived them in NJ, NY, CN, MA in June and July on the AT last year.
If it stays this dry will there be enough water or will we have to hike further between watering holes? And might the fires be early also?
I just figured I’d wait until closer to my start date to decide for sure if I’m going. While I’m asking questions, how cold can I expect it to get at night in July and early August? I plan on taking about 30 days for the hike. I really want to have plenty of slow down, goof off, and enjoy it time.
Thanks for listening.
Thanks for the comment, Patti! Thirty days is a great amount of time, although you will have some resupply challenges in the south half. Temperatures at night in July and August should get no colder than the forties, but there are always exceptions. For more on hiking the JMT after a low snow year, take a look at this: http://bit.ly/1dpi6Pa. Good hiking!
My husband and I are thinking about doing a thru-hike on the JMT and deciding on a good month to go has been a tricky one to answer. So this post was really informative, thanks!
I was just wondering if you had any more opinions about the late summer months. I know the mosquitoes can be bad, but that aside, is the trail overcrowded? Or are there just hotspots where there are a lot of day hikers and short-term backpackers like through the Yosemite and Kings Canyon sections?
I also wonder about how impacted the area gets around the trail from campsites of the thru-hikers. I am a firm believer in the Leave No Trace philosophy and if that means being one less person having an impact on the area at a particular time, I am happy to go hiking somewhere else that isn’t as popular.
Any thoughts or insights on this would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Liz
Thanks for the comment, Liz. I would say that the peak for traffic on the trail is in late August. During that stretch you’ll likely see a couple dozen people each day, depending on your hiking speed and the speed of those around you. As an interesting side note, the last time I hiked the trail I did so with a heavier pack, which meant I was walking slower. I saw FAR MORE people than I did the first time, mostly folks who passed me.
That said, finding solitude is easy, easy. Just take a few steps off the trail within a forest or behind a terrain feature. And while there are plenty of overused campsites near the trail, it is not hard to avoid them, particularly if you are willing to camp away from water. Even the campsites close to lakes are secluded, if you are willing to move just a few hundred feet farther away. (I’m reminded of one of my favorite spots on the trail, Marie Lake, where I was in a terrific site, totally alone, and just a five minute walk to the shore.)
The mosquito presence is directly proportional to the presence of standing water. In the latter part of the summer there is little standing water so there are few mosquitoes. Even in the early months, though, one can avoid the little guys (while camping) by avoiding campsites near water. One can’t avoid them on the trail, so bring a head net.
Thanks for the quick reply Ray!
Related to the number of people on the trail, did you feel like the permit system was working? Were 2 dozen folks on the trail with you and the impacts in which that many people have on the trail and its surrounding environment seem to be a good balance or was it pushing the threshhold?
I ask this more as an environmentalist than a future JMT’er (but I also value the info for my thru-hike). Full disclosure- I am taking a class on Recreational Use in National Parks and Protected Areas and have picked the topic of overcrowding in Parks/Trails/etc. to research.
Your response about just stepping off the trail for a bit or finding the campsite less taken approach are great insights into how to satisfy the desire for solitude if it does seem like one is surrounded by too many people on a particular section of trail.
I appreciate your time and thoughts and look forward to taking these things into consideration when planning our trip(Hopefully in 2015).
Cheers,
Liz
Good day, Liz,
Was it Churchill who said that democracy is the worst possible system of government, except for all others?
I guess I feel the same way about the permitting system. I hate the fact that we have to get the government’s permission to walk on public land, but, as you point out, there is only so much the trail can handle. I have many complaints about the way the permitting system is operated, but my feeling is that they are getting the numbers part of it about right. If you want to hike through the Sierra Nevada and rarely see another person, one need only do Roper’s Sierra High Route.
My only complaint is when hikers flout the rules. For example, there was a contingent of ROK hikers about 15 strong (obviously hiking on two or more permits) who bunched together, camped where they shouldn’t (trail gossip said that they got fined at Thousand Island Lake; I witnessed them camping so close to the trail at Purple Lake that I could have literally spit on their tents from the trail), and generally were a pain to be around. They were all what I call rabbit hikers–folks who hike fast but take lots of breaks. Between TM and several miles past Donohue Pass I would see them six or eight times each day. They would all pass me on their way ahead, and then I would pass them as they cooked and lounged around the trail. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. After two days of that I got up really early to stay ahead of them.
Otherwise, I never felt that the number of people detracted from the experience.
Good luck with your class.
Good hiking, Ray
Ray,
I have really enjoyed your book as my brother and I prepare for a fall thru-hike this fall. With the recent limitation changes to the permit system I am concerned about getting permits for 2 starting HI. With people ending vacations and people going back to school what fall date would you target as being the beginning of the slower demand period? We would ideally like to start by 8/20-8/31.
Thanks much and good hiking to you.
Roger
Thanks for the kind words about the book, Roger. Great questions…let me see if I can address your points:
– First, as of right now there are NO CHANGES to the permit system. Check my blog Tuesday morning for more on this. It’s hard to calculate the best permit strategies without knowing what the new rules (if any) will be, but there will be strategies.
– I’m afraid that (unless you are snowshoeing) there is no “slower demand” time for the JMT. I often advocate for a late August/early September hike (my first day this year is going to be August 31st), but demand then will be just as bad as earlier.
So, here is the attitude I think we all need to take. Getting a permit is a bit like climbing a pass: it’s difficult, time consuming, and unavoidable. I am going to put in for a reservation at the appropriate time, but I do NOT expect to win the lottery. Instead, I fully expect to be lining up VERY early to get a walk-up permit. If there are two of you then six hours shifts put you twelve hours early–that (I would hope) will be early enough.
So Ray how are you?
Know, you don’t know me, but I have looked at some of your internet posts. I am so interested in anyone that can help me with time of the year to go on the JMT. I want the water flowing in the falls, least amount of misquitos during that time and least chance of smoke from fires!
Ok, I know it is a lot to ask for. I have searched and tried to figure it best. I’m thinking mid July but really an educated guess from reading on the web.
Thanks, Sally
Thanks for the questions, Sally. To illustrate the point of this blog post, just yesterday I had to abandon my hike because of fire from the Rough Fire near Fresno. It was really unpleasant. July will likely have more bugs, but less fires. It may be a good ideas. If you have lots of questions I recommend you start by reading my book. You can get a copy in minutes right here: jmtbook.com. Thanks for the comment!