Thanks to the moderator over at the Yahoo John Muir Trail Group I’ve been made aware of the following correspondence.
Dear Yosemite Hiking Community,
I wanted to take this opportunity to share information with you about the John Muir Trail (JMT) within Yosemite National Park. Over the last several years, Yosemite National Park has seen a significant increase in demand for permits to hike the JMT. During that time, there also has been an increase in the number of impacts related to JMT hikers along the trail corridor. Last summer, for example, there were 31 reported bear incidents in the Yosemite Wilderness; 30 of which occurred along the JMT. In addition, popular backcountry camps have seen a sharp increase in overnight users which is affecting the quality of the visitor experience. The increased demand for JMT permits has also lead to some hikers skirting the traditional permit system, which has made it more difficult for non-JMT hikers to obtain wilderness permits for other trails within Yosemite National Park.
The National Park Service is working with its neighboring agencies to develop an interim solution that will protect natural resources, provide for a quality visitor experience, and maintain hiking access throughout Yosemite—including the JMT. Implementation of an interim solution will be communicated to the public and the hiking community.
The National Park Service will continue to work with social media sites to ensure current, accurate, and up to date information is shared. We look forward to a solution that enables access and protects the park resources that attract JMT hikers.
Finally, I would like to apologize for any confusing or mis-information that has reached the Yosemite (John Muir) hiking community. I understand and appreciate your support for Yosemite’s Wilderness and invite you help us protect its truly unique qualities.
Sincerely,
Ed Dunlavey
Wilderness Manager, Yosemite National Park
A few quick points:
1. This means that it’s business-as-usual until we see something new. Tomorrow people will be requesting permits for July 1st—well into hiking season. There is no need to do anything differently, yet.
2. While I am not sympathetic to the park service when they complain about people “skirting the traditional permit system” (after all, they set it up), I am sympathetic to the difficulties all this presents to non-JMT hikers. That is a real problem and I applaud the park service for looking for a solution.
3. If the tone of this message reflects the attitude the decision makers are going to assume when crafting a solution, I think we’re in pretty good hands. We’ll see what they come up with, but we’re sure hearing the right things thus far.
More to come as we know more.
Good hiking, Ray
This has been a hot topic on the JMT Face Book page for days. Every time some one made a reservation they were given different information. Hiker A could leave from any trailhead, Hiker B could only leave from HI, Lyell canyon or TM. Hiker C was leaving from Glacier Point, while Hiker D was told he couldn’t Leave from GP but could only leave from HI, LC, TM or Sunrise. IT was so confusing.
I am in for all the parks to operate out of one permit system for this. I think one agency should run it so there is no confusion between the agencies and that way the rangers also know what to expect as well.
It’s been frustrating, Gary, but I think we’re going to get some clarity in the weeks ahead. I hope it is clarity we can live with. Thanks for the comment.
When I was an NPS employee in Yosemite last year I definitely experienced the JMT permit scramble every single weekend, and it was super troublesome (sadly, I didn’t work in wilderness, so I got to stand in line for 11 weekends in a row over the summer to get permits for personal weekend trips). So, I’m glad they are addressing that, because I felt like I had a lot of issues getting any permits out of the valley for non-JMT trips out of a lot of trail heads. That being said, finally having the time off this summer to thru hike (assuming I can even get a permit), I find equally troublesome the idea that I could potentially only leave from a few trailheads (i’ve done Happy Isles more times than I can count, and I hated it every time), so I’m hoping that they leave options such as Mono meadow etc open….
It’s a complicated situation, Lindsey, and I–like you–sympathize with the non-JMT hikers. Thanks for the comment!
Ray, a different topic but still pertaining to JMT permits…in your planner which we bought online (great, BTW!), on the page about permits you have an image of YOUR permit. It shows “Wilderness Area” and the next column shows “Nights”
Who assigns those number of nights in the wilderness areas? Planning for our trip we’re not really sure exactly where we will be each night. Does this matter, or should we do more finite, precise planning as to where we are and for how many days in each wilderness area?
Thanks.
Thanks for the question, Rick. Each time I have gotten a permit the Ranger (when I pick it up) asks, “How many nights in the park, how many nights in Ansel Adams, etc.” They have never debated the number; they just ask. I’ve also asked Rangers out in the wilderness if it was a problem if I was off by a day or two because of unforeseen circumstances. All told me that it was no big deal, although they do like you out of the wilderness by the day you indicate, or the day after.