I saved the hardest for last. This was the final section of the John Muir Trail for me, and in 2026 I finally closed the gap. There were three of us. My original plan had us leaving one car at the Onion Valley trailhead and another at South Lake, starting on a Saturday afternoon, hiking to Saddlerock Lake, and getting over Bishop Pass and down to Le Conte Canyon on day two.
Then I saw that monsoon rains were forecast for the next week. The original plan had me climbing Mather Pass in the afternoon, and that did not sit well with me. I redid the whole itinerary so that I would be over every pass before the afternoon storms. I arranged with David Pedersen to pick me up at Onion Valley and drop me back at South Lake. He is prompt and helpful, and he guided me through the change; I highly recommend him for any shuttle in the Bishop area.
Day 1: South Lake to Dusy Basin
I stayed Friday night at Lee Vining, and as I drove to South Lake, dark brooding clouds gave me a good scare: it was dumping rain over Ritter and Banner, and the clouds over Bishop Pass gave me a lot of concern. I carried rain pants and a rain jacket and was prepared to pitch the tent quickly, so I hoped for the best. Parking and overflow parking were full by the time I reached the trailhead at 9 a.m.; I had to drive back a mile, park by the side of the road, and start from there.
The climb from the trailhead to the foot of Bishop Pass was uneventful. Hikers coming down said it had rained on them at Dusy Basin that morning; I kept checking the weather on my Garmin inReach and saw no further thunderstorms. The only snow I saw on the entire trail was on top of Bishop Pass, where I had to clear a snowfield.
I camped at Dusy Basin for the night. I got separated from the other two and spent an hour looking for them. I pitched the tent as it was getting dark. I caught this magnificent sunset on Isosceles Peak in the Palisades. I would reach the other side of that range on the evening of day three.
Day 2: Dusy Basin to Stillwater Meadow
I had hiked Le Conte Canyon to Dusy Basin once before, a steep climb; going the reverse direction and losing about 2,600 feet over a 3.5-mile descent was its own challenge. Thankfully the broken bridge over Dusy Branch had been fixed, so I got down without incident. I had lunch at the Le Conte Canyon junction and started to climb toward the Palisades. I wanted to reach Deer Meadow, but it was getting late, so I stayed at Stillwater Meadow; the last stretch to Deer Meadow was another 550 feet of gain that would have set me up nicely for the Golden Staircase.
Day 3: Stillwater Meadow to Upper Palisade Lake, through the Golden Staircase
Trail crews finished the Golden Staircase in 1938, the last section of the JMT to be built.
Ever since I first heard the term "Golden Staircase" and watched videos of the section, I had hiked it in my head many times. Today I would hike it for real. Thankfully this was one of the days with rain, and it did rain on me as I climbed, so I wore my rain pants and jacket and kept going.
I don't see how people hike the Golden Staircase on a sunny day; you can literally cook in the granite. I once hiked a three-mile section on the High Sierra Camp loop from Merced Lake up to where that trail joins the JMT, under intense heat; this reminded me of that, but worse. The rain actually helped.
The views looking north from the staircase are beautiful. Once I reached the top, the Palisade range came into focus, and I reached Lower Palisade Lake. I wanted to get closer to Mather Pass, so I kept pushing to Upper Palisade Lake and stayed near Palisade Creek.
Day 4: Upper Palisade Lake to South Fork Kings River, over Mather Pass
There is a reason some hikers consider Mather Pass the toughest on the JMT. The climb was relentless, full of boulders and large rocks; the trail disappeared in a couple of spots and I had to scramble over boulders to proceed. The view looking north from Mather Pass is truly jaw-dropping; I watched the Palisade Lakes disappear behind me and could see thirty or forty miles to the north.
Having climbed the Golden Staircase yesterday and Mather Pass today, I have no idea how hikers do both in a single day; thankfully I did not.
I could see thunderstorms headed my way, so I hustled off the summit. Getting down the south side was equally hard. As the Upper Basin came into view, I could see the section I would hike shortly. When I reached it, the thunderstorms started, and I decked up in rain gear again, thankful I had re-planned to clear Mather Pass before the weather. I would meet hikers who had to take cover on the ascent and wait for the lightning to clear. Most hikers push on to Lake Marjorie, another thousand feet of climbing, to set up for Pinchot the next day; I was completely exhausted and stayed by the Kings River junction.
Day 5: South Fork Kings River to Woods Creek, over Pinchot Pass
The Kings River crossing was a tough one. The monsoon rains had the river in full flow; thankfully I didn't cross until morning, when the water was lower, but it was tricky, and I still got both feet soaked. This day was hot; I didn't know it then, but a heat wave was hitting Owens Valley, and lightning fires near Big Pine would soon force evacuation warnings. It took me a good two and a half hours just to reach Lake Marjorie, and the climb from there to Pinchot Pass was hard; I cooked in the sun. Many hikers call Pinchot one of the easier passes, but I didn't see it that way.
Pinchot Pass reminded me of the south side of Muir Pass and the Ladakh region of the Himalayas. The heat got to me, and I camped at the first large flat site with access to Woods Creek; the suspension bridge was another three miles on, and much as I wanted to push to it, I stopped early.
Day 6: Woods Creek to Middle Rae Lake
After three miles of downhill I reached the suspension bridge; crossing it was a fun experience. One of our group, who had gone ahead, got lost: instead of continuing on the JMT he started toward Paradise Valley. The other two of us stayed on either side of the bridge and waited an hour; thankfully he met hikers coming from Paradise Valley and found his way back, and I could continue the climb to Rae Lakes.
This six-mile section climbs 2,400 feet and is considered an easy hike, but it got very hot and I struggled. By the time I reached Dollar Lake it was 5 p.m. I took my pack off, took a dip to cool down, and made tea; that sugar rush was what I needed for the last two-mile push to Middle Rae Lake, arriving just in time for sunset. When I reached Middle Rae Lake, I had completed my John Muir Trail, eight years after I started it. I was exhausted, but I celebrated, glad it was done.
When I reached Middle Rae Lake, I had completed my John Muir Trail. I was exhausted, but I celebrated, glad it was done.
Day 7: Middle Rae Lake to Kearsarge Lakes, over Glen Pass
I had done this section before, but it didn't really prepare me for the climb that Glen Pass is. Looking toward the Sixty Lake Basin reminded me of Upper Lyell Canyon. As I came down from Glen Pass, Charlotte Lake came into focus, and the thunder and lightning started again. This time it was intense, and I pushed hard in the rain. As with most Sierra thunderstorms, by 5 p.m. the rain abated. I took a break at Bullfrog Lake, had tea, and made the final push toward Kearsarge Lakes.
The Kearsarge Lakes are magical, as always; this was my third straight year staying here, and my fourth night at the lakes.
Day 8: Kearsarge Lakes to Onion Valley
The last day took me over my fifth pass, Kearsarge, and dropped me down to Onion Valley. I called David from the trail to say I would be down earlier; he met me ahead of schedule and drove me back to the South Lake trailhead, and I had a lovely conversation with him about the Sierra Nevada and living in Bishop.
Fit hikers can do this section in about five nights. Seven nights was hard for me; I don't think I was trail-hardened and trail-ready, and it showed. The gear failures I had are in Gear, Permits & Logistics at the end of the book.