Wenk's Guide

What should I do if I want to hike the John Muir Trail??

As I said in the appendix of The Trail, the best thing you can do is read Elizabeth Wenk's fantastic guide to the JMT:

John Muir Trail, The essential guide to hiking America's most famous trail

Please carry some kind of paper maps or guidebook—I've had to help more than one person "lost in the wild" when their phone with all their maps and vital information was dropped or died. Paper has no batteries! I personally recommend:

Tom Harrison's JMT map pack

And please please please follow all Leave No Trace (LNT) guidelines.

Be sure to check out Wenk's other great hiking guides too:

Sierra North

Sierra South

Yosemite National Park

Wildflowers of the High Sierra and John Muir Trail

John Muir Trail Data Book

(And for those of you who've scrolled down this far—the guy on the cover of Wenk's guidebook in the Tevas heading up Muir Pass is my buddy Steve Jones from my Berkeley days. Small world.)