The last pass on the John Muir Trail is Forester Pass. At 13,153 feet above sea level, it is the highest pass on the John Muir Trail* (and the highest point on the JMT’s much longer sibling, the Pacific Crest Trail). For many who hike southbound, it will also be the fourth pass in four days.
The trail up and over the pass was one of the last portions of the trail completed. Much of it is carved into granite, with–if not hair-raising–at least significant exposure to falls.
The only way to hike the last few miles of the approach in the shade is to hike it at night (or carry an umbrella). There isn’t a tree to be found. As John Muir Trail passes go, this is the top dog!
Actually, it’s not that tough.
Physically, by the time to start your way up to Forester Pass, you will have developed legs of steel. With more than 180 trail miles behind you, as well as seven other passes, walking uphill just isn’t going to wear you out like it once did.
Psychologically, there will be very little left on the trail to intimidate you. The butterflies, which were doing loop-de-loops in your stomach as you stood in front of the trailhead sign in Happy Isles, have been exterminated long ago. Besides, as I’ve mentioned previously, once you’ve cleared Glen Pass (probably the day before), your frame-of-mind has subtly changed: you are no longer hiking the trail, you are finishing the trail.
The other factor in your favor is the way the trail is built. It’s miraculous, really. The grade is relentless, but it is also moderate and consistent. There are no possible navigation problems to contend with (unless the area is covered with snow). Keep moving and keep admiring the gorgeous scenery and you’ll be at the top of the pass before you know it.
The view from near Forester Pass is remarkable, as is the exposure!
When you arrive you’ll quickly realize that you will have reached somewhere special. If you were to straddle this pass in a rainstorm, drops that fell to your north would ultimately find themselves in the Kings River. The precipitation to the south will run downhill to the Kern River. One foot will be in King’s Canyon National Park, and one in Sequoia National Park.
The perfect geometry of Junction Peak, with a summit less than a mile away and just a little more than 700 feet above the pass, looks impossibly symmetrical–almost sculpted.
To the south you’ll see Diamond Mesa (looking, unsurprisingly, narrow at the close and far end, and wide in the middle), and Tyndall Creek, your constant companion for the trip down.
Forester (on many old maps it’s called Foresters) Pass was named in August of 1929 by the then supervisor of the Sequoia National Forest, Frank Cunningham. He named the pass in honor of the foresters who discovered the pass. (Frank was one of them, so, in a way, he named it after himself!)
It’s not all downhill from Forester Pass to the end of the JMT; you will climb even higher before you finish at the summit of Mount Whitney. But, as you depart Forester Pass, one of the last great challenges of the trail will be behind you and in two days it will likely all be over.
Good hiking, Ray
* Once you leave the John Muir Trail for the trip down to Whitney Portal, you’ll cross another, slightly higher, pass: Trail Crest. However, the less-than-a-mile stretch from the point at which you leave the JMT, to Trail Crest pass, involves very little climbing.
Thanks for the inspiring post! It is nice to look forward to my trip this summer as I sit at my desk….
I know exactly what you mean!
Although I have been on Forester many times in summers past, I have camped there too many times to count when all is covered in snow during the months of May and June. Your SE picture off the pass showing a green tarn at the base of the climb is where we usually create a base camp from which we teach ascent, descent, and safe traverse skills for tackling sierra passes. We usually make the camp near a large stack of rocks, or “duck” and get our water from that tarn by digging through its frozen surface about a foot. It was refreshing to me to see it in the summer! I imagined its shape as in your picture, but when snow covers something, it smooths it all out so you can’t really see what it actually looks like! I imagine the green color comes from how shallow and perhaps warm it is?
Thanks for the comment, Ned! Camping there must be quite a thrill. If anyone looks back at the pass from the southern side it would be quite clear why you use the area for ascent & descent skills. It’s pretty intimidating!
Thank you for this inspirational piece. I will be entering my first JMT trip on July 30, 2013. I am so excited and so very challenged. 🙂
You picked a great year for an end-of-July start. Given the snow situation this winter (below average), July 30th might just be the sweet spot! Good luck, Diana. It is a challenge, but it’s also just one step at a time!
Ummm, isn’t Forester Pass also known for its snow chute? I remember looking down one time as I crossed it and thinking “If I slip, I’m gonna die”.
Unlike Ned, I have never been there in the winter, but I’m sure you’re right. Another good reason to take a winter training course (like Ned’s) prior to getting out in the snowy wilderness. Thanks for the comment!
Yes it is indeed noted for its snow chute. I was looking over the trail diary and I crossed this in early July (July 2 2003) and that snow chute was in place. Fortunately, I crossed it at the end of the day, and after numerous hikers had made a path for me to follow. I wish the same could have been said for Colby Pass (I was looping Roads End – going over Forester, Colby, and Avalanche passes). Although the boulder hopping the north/west side talus field wasn’t too bad as I was going down, the climb up was interesting.
Mind you, I had not great luck with Forester Pass. The other times I crossed it, later in the summer, was invariably in brutal thunderstorms.
Something to look forward to! So much fantastic scenery I can’t wait! Never mind the legs and the lungs.
Agreed!
My Son Wes just text me from the top of Forester Pass on his way to Whitney Portal to exit. Thanks for the visual of what he is seeing today! All of you who do this are Amazing people !!!
Congratulations to your son! He’s almost there.
Looking at the photo, it is unclear how wide the trail is. If there was a person standing on it to give a perspective, that would help. How wide is it? Thanks.
Great question, Ken. I would say that it varies from four feet to six feet. I never felt any sense of teetering on the brink, so to speak, and didn’t even slow my quicker, downhill pace. I wouldn’t say that I am afraid of heights, but I experience the normal sense of unease (and sometimes even dizziness) at particularly exposed vista points and scenic lookouts. This trail didn’t bother me a bit.
For a more extemporaneous account of Forester Pass, take a look at this:
Thanks Ray. I have to say the view of the trail stretching off into the distance at about 3 minutes into the video looked to be a challenge, my legs started an involuntary shake at that point. I’m determined to make it though, I’ll just have to see if I can scramble myself across that ‘great divide’ with some dignity intact. Nice video by the way.
ralph and I went over kearsarge pass out of onion valley, and got to vidette meadow the first night. we moved on up past center basin and camped below the pass the second night. the next day, we went up to the top without packs and it was indeed a pleasure. very easy hike. next day, back to vidette meadows, where we were hit by bears that night. they got our (obviously) poorly hung food, and ate it all. But the strangest thing was that the bears unfolded all the wrappers, licked them clean, and stacked them in a single pile for us to pack out. the only thing they left us was sugar-free swiss miss.
Great story, Dave. Thanks.
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