How to Resupply on the John Muir Trail
You Need at Least One Resupply
Many different resupply options exist on the John Muir Trail, but one thing is for certain: You will need to resupply at least once. If you hike slowly (10 miles or less per day), then you will likely need to resupply more than once. Alternatively, if you hike very fast, you might want to resupply multiple times to keep your pack weight down. How often you resupply also depends on the size of your bear canister, how compact your food is, and how much weight you are comfortable carrying.
The most common resupply point is Muir Trail Ranch, just north of the halfway point of the trail. It is common for this to be a hiker’s only resupply. This is where I resupply, and to be honest I’ve never found a need to resupply more than once. You absolutely can, but the lack of an easy resupply south of MTR has trained me to carry enough food to easily cover the stretch from Yosemite to MTR without needing to pick up more food. Many hikers will utilize other resupply points to lighten their packs by carrying less food though, and there’s nothing wrong with this.
How to Prepare Your Resupply
The best way to mail yourself supplies along the trail is in a plastic bucket, either 2.5 or 5 gallons, with the lid duct-taped on. This protects your food from mice and water, both of which are common in the Sierra. Muir Trail Ranch even requires you to pack your food in a bucket to protect it from mice, as their storage shed is very much just a storage shed in the woods.
Each paid resupply service has a website with detailed instructions, which are linked to below. Fees vary, with Muir Trail Ranch being the most expensive at $85. Unsurprisingly, MTR is also your best bet for resupply due to their location. Vermillion Valley Resort is only $30, but is still 135 miles from the end of the trail.
Three primary resupply services exist along the trail along with two trailheads that are commonly used to access nearby stores and post offices. These services are provided by Red’s Meadow, Vermillion Valley Resort, and Muir Trail Ranch. The resupply services will pick up a mailed bucket of supplies and hold it for you at a specified location for a fee. Alternatives to these services include mailing oneself a package and having it held at a post office, hiring a shuttle/resupply service from a trailhead into town, or paying someone a substantial amount to haul your food out onto the trail for you.
Tuolumne Meadows (20.8 miles)
The first possible resupply point is the post office in Tuolumne Meadows. There is a store and restaurant available that are convenient for grabbing a burger and anything you might have forgotten to pack, but there isn’t anyone to pay to pick up your package for you. You must mail yourself a package here with instructions for the post office to hold it for you. Most people do not resupply here, as it’s only a 2 day hike from Happy Isles and most hikers are starting here anyway (the post office actually requires backtracking if your start trailhead is Lyell Canyon).
Red’s Meadow (56.6 miles)
This is the first official resupply point and is located just 0.9 miles from the trail. It’s a resort with a store, restaurant, paid showers, and cabin rentals. You must mail resupply boxes and buckets directly to the post office in Mammoth and they will pick them up for $40 plus $3/day holding fee.
Red’s Meadow is near Mammoth, a resort/ski town in the eastern Sierra that is teaming with vacationers year round, and a shuttle exists that will take you there if you need a break from the trail. Most hikers will get a burger at the restaurant and camp at the backpacker’s campground 0.7 miles from the store before continuing south the next day. The backpacker’s camp is $20/night, but it’s large enough for several tents, and unless you get there early, odds are someone will have already paid for it and will be happy to share if you throw them a few dollars.
Vermillion Valley Resort (93 miles)
VVR is both the most hiker-friendly stop along the trail and the most remote wilderness resort in the contiguous United States. It’s at the west end of Lake Thomas A. Edison, and can either be hiked to or taken by ferry for $23 round-trip. The ferry is the most common option as the hike around the lake is 7 miles of hot, dry, dusty trail. It arrives at a clearly marked pickup point just off the trail at 9:45AM and 4:45PM daily, although they have been known to wait a few minutes for stragglers.
The atmosphere is absolutely welcoming, the restaurant is great, and hikers even get a free beer and two nights free camping in the backpacker’s campground! The resupply service is reliable and cheap at just $30 per 25lb bucket, and the buckets can be mailed directly to their warehouse in Lakeshore, CA. The resupply is only 20 miles north of MTR, making it less popular for resupply, but the friendly atmosphere and amenities make it a preferred stop for the majority of hikers.
Muir Trail Ranch (108.1 miles)
This is a private ranch with cabins for rent (by reservation only) that also offers a paid resupply service for hikers. It’s about 108 miles from Happy Isles in Yosemite, 88 miles from Tuolumne Meadows, and 115 miles from Whitney Portal. There are no easy or cheap resupply options south of this, making it the most popular resupply point on the trail. Typically, if you can make it from MTR to the portal without another resupply, then you can make it to MTR without a resupply either.
The price is $85 per bucket, up to 25lbs. You mail them your bucket a minimum of 2 weeks in advance and indicate your anticipated pickup date when filling out their online form. They offer a reliable resupply service, but they do not offer any other services to backpackers aside from hiker barrels and a scale to weigh your pack. Restrooms are off-limits, and they open at 8AM and close at 5PM SHARP.
Don’t expect accommodations here, the resort makes most of its money from expensive cabin rentals, often for company retreats (think Silicon Valley). Even the restroom is off-limits to hikers, but this is because hikers were stealing their toilet paper.
TIP: Free camping is available nearby along the south fork of the San Juaquin River but it gets crowded and usually fills up by early evening. Public hot springs are accessible across the river in an open meadow.
Onion Valley/Kearsarge Pass/Independence (178 miles)
This is not the most common resupply point, but for some people it’s not an option to not resupply here, the reason being they simply can’t carry enough food for the 115 mile stretch between MTR and Whitney Portal. If you want to learn how to carry enough food to skip resupplying here, check out this article.
The trail to Onion Valley from the John Muir Trail is 6.5 miles and goes past Bullfrog Lake, Kearsarge Lakes, and over Kearsarge Pass to the eastern side of the Sierra. It’s an absolutely gorgeous section of trail, and Bullfrog Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in the entire Sierra. No camping is allowed at Bullfrog Lake though, and Kearsarge Lakes get very crowded on the weekends.
From Onion Valley, you need to hitchhike down to the town of Independence, where you can buy supplies or pick up any packages you requested to be held at the local post office. You will then need to bum a ride back up to the Onion Valley trailhead to continue your hike. Hitchhiking is not as reliable here as you might expect—not many people want smelly hikers sitting in their cars in 100 degree heat with the windows up and A/C on. I have seen hikers walking several miles along the road, which is a brutal hike in the desert with no water and no shade.
Alternatively, you can pay $265 for the Mt. Williamson Motel Complete Resupply Package if you decide to resupply here.
Mt. Williamson Motel out of Onion Valley
If you really want to resupply at Onion Valley, but don’t want to deal with hitchhiking, then you can sign up for the Mt. Williamson Motel Complete Resupply Package. This service provides roundtrip transportation to/from the Onion Valley trailhead and the Mt. Williamson Motel, overnight lodging, breakfast, and of course pickup/storage of your resupply bucket. The price is $265 for a single person and $365 for a group of two.
Horse and mule pack trains frequent the Sierra Nevada, primarily for the purpose of taking vacationers on guided multi-day tours. These pack train services have also been known to meet hikers on the trail with resupplies, but for a substantial fee. Berner’s Pack Service and Sequoia Kings Pack Trains are experienced in the Sierra and could be contacted to work out details, although this is not a regular service they provide.
- Waiting until just before your trip to mail your resupply
- Caching food along the trail or in a bear locker somewhere
Until about 10 years ago, it was not uncommon for hikers to drop off caches of food in bear lockers at campsites near the trail. This had been done at Onion Valley extensively, as well as at some campsites along the trail that could be easily accessed from nearby trailheads such as Charlotte Lake. If rangers find a food cache now, they will confiscate it and possibly fine you. The below photo is of a note a ranger left by Charlotte Lake letting the Lewis party know their resupply had been confiscated and the ranger was waiting for them with a citation.
Hi! I’m Gary. I’m the mountain-enthusiast and gearhead behind Granite Cliffs. My goal is to provide the inspiration and information you need to go outside and explore. This is my Adventure Portal.