John Muir Trail Transportation Guide
So you got your permit, decided on all your gear, mailed your resupply bucket, and are feeling the excitement as it begins to dawn on you that you really are about to hike John Muir Trail. But wait, your starting point is 220 miles from where you exit the trail. We need to plan the final logistics—the part immediately before and after putting boots on the ground.
Ideal Method: Get a Ride or Bring Two cars
The easiest way to get to the trailhead and back home is to either have a friend drive you, or hike with a buddy and bring two cars. This way, you can park one car at your exit trailhead and the other at your starting trailhead. Long-term parking exists at both Whitney Portal and in Yosemite at Curry Village and Tuolumne Meadows.
Free long-term parking is available at both trailheads, but it tends to fill up fast, so get there early! Otherwise you might be waiting a while for a spot.
Free long-term parking is available at Curry Village, which is within walking distance of Happy Isles. Free shuttles that run every 10-20 minutes will take you there as well. Here is a map of the Yosemite Valley shuttle route. Complete information on free Yosemite public transportation can be found here.
Parking is also available at the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center and Dog Lake. It’s a 1-2 mile hike to the backpacker’s camp and the Lyell Canyon trailhead from both, and a free shuttle exists that you will take you to the trailhead as well, but it doesn’t run as regularly as shuttles in the valley. Complete information on free Yosemite public transportation can be found here.
Burglaries and smashed windows are rare occurrences at the trailhead parking lots, but you are still advised to keep valuables out of sight. However, there is a different and more present danger you need to account for: Bears. Black bears are found in large numbers near all parking areas and are known to break into vehicles that either have food in them or simply smell like they have food in them. It’s such a big problem that it’s actually illegal to leave any food or food-scented items inside your vehicle.
- Do not leave anything that smells like food in you car, even if it’s sealed
- Food can be left in nearby bear lockers with a note
Going solo and can’t get a ride? No problem! Well, sort of. You still have to park at one of the trailheads and then find a way to get to the other one. Most people park at Whitney Portal and then make their way to Yosemite before starting the trail (parking at Whitney is easier), but there’s nothing wrong with parking in Yosemite either as long as you get there early. Here’s your options for getting a ride from one trailhead to the other:
Northbound Shuttle (better logistics):
Get on the Blue Line (Lone Pine to Reno) at the McDonalds at 601 S. Main Street in Lone Pine at 6:10AM and get off in Lee Vining at 51548 US 395 at 9AM. From there, take the YARTS at the Tioga Mobil Gas Mart at 6:37PM or 8:02PM into Yosemite and start your night next day after spending the night in a backpackers camp.
Southbound Shuttle:
Get on the Blue Line (Reno to Lone Pine) at the Chevron at 51557 US 395 in Lee Vining at 4:41PM and take it south to the McDonalds at 601 S. Main Street in Lone Pine, where it arrives at 7:40PM. YARTS is a paid Yosemite bus that makes stops at the Tioga Mobil Gas Mart in Lee Vining at 6:37PM and 8:02PM daily, and will take you into (or out of) the park. This means spending a night in Lee Vining though, or hitchhiking instead of taking YARTS.
The Tioga Gas Mart is a bit of a hike from the Chevron, but YARTS will also drop you off at the Lake View Lodge if you request it, which is a much shorter walk. To get from Lone Pine to the Portal though, you are on your own, which typically means hitchhiking or getting a very expensive Uber.
Private shuttle operations have been slowly popping up with the increasing popularity of the John Muir Trail. These are all reserved and paid for in advance, and are by far the most accommodating options. They are, however, the most expensive by a significant margin.
• https://sierrashuttleservice.com
• https://www.eastsidesierrashuttle.com
Additional shuttle options can be found here, although I have not verified all of them myself.
As a last resort, some hikers will try to hitchhike either part of the way or the entire way. Hitchhiking between Lone Pine and Whitney Portal is fairly common, and catching a ride between Tuolumne Meadows and Lee Vining is somewhat common as well. People have hitchhiked along US 395 between Lone Pine and Lee Vining, but this is a big highway in the middle of the desert and not the safest place for this sort of thing. It has been done, but do at your own risk.
The airport in Reno is also a viable option, but puts you farther from the trail than the Mammoth Airport. Eastern Sierra Transit combined with an airport shuttle and YARTS is your best option here.
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.