Ahead, pass Lake Virginia JMT052 Location: 37.493084, -118.933434 Bridge JMT044 Location: 37.591148, -119.058487 Cascade Creek below Red Cones. This spacious facility houses six private showers with two generous water heaters, so we can accommodate a large number of hikers and campers. Transportation from here is virtually non-existent. For more information about Reds Meadow Resort, click here. Services: Restaurants, Grocery/ Convenience Store, Lodging, Laundromat ($), Camping ($), Trash dumping, Public Transportation. However, don't bank on these boxes. The 12 miles we walked on the 3rd day were some of the most gorgeous, scenic miles of the entire trail. The Red's Meadow Resort is located at the comfortable elevation of 7,500 feet. because of 5-6 inches of snow on July 8th, blocking our ascent up Muir Pass and pushing us back an entire day. Shuttle 3. The shuttle they run is limited in times. Do you enjoy companionship, music, clean clothes, flushing toilets and laughter in an environment that also respects the rules of hiker midnight? Reds Meadow to Vermilion Valley Trail Guide Index Edison Lake Ferry shutting down during drought. Tags: Best Hiking Trails, Best Hiking Trips, Best Time to Hike John Muir Trail, California Hiking, Hiking Travel, JMT Resupply, John Muir Trail, John Muir Trail Blog, John Muir Trail Itinerary, Women Who Hike. Highlights in this section include: Lyell Canyon, Donahue Pass, Maries Lakes, Thousand Islands and Garnet Lakes, Mts. We donned our ponchos and hurried along the last descent to Duck Lake trail junction. Other than leaving behind toilets and cold beer at Reds Meadow, the path through the burn area was anything BUT depressing! Another option for an on-trail resupply is to have somebody hike in your resupply to you. These are the JMT, the PCT and the River Trail. I would 100% exit at Kearsarge Pass going NOBO if I was starting from Whitney Portal or Cottonwood Lakes/ Horseshoe Meadows. Challenges: Services are spread throughout multiple vendors in the Valley. Call hotels/ motels before sending a package. We hit the trail just after sunrise. It is possible to hike the route, following the trail along the lake, but this adds 4.8 miles to your journey. Most of the services can be found at Housekeeping Camp, Curry Village, and Yosemite Village. JMT heads S JMT053 Location: 37.481182, -118.934601 Campsite JMT056 Location: 37.470150, -118.923302 Silver Pass (10,895 ft.) JMT057 Location: 37.464565, -118.921265 Descend past Silver Pass Lake JMT054 Location: 37.475067, -118.929420 Follow JMT to Chief Lake JMT055 Location: 37.472282, -118.926247 Chief Lake JMT043 Location: 37.609917, -119.075348 Continue straight @ 4-way, bearing S on PCT/JMT JMT045 Location: 37.584534, -119.047981 Keep R, heading S on JMT/PCT Sign at Reds Meadow Location: 37.629532, -119.088745 Outside the Reds Meadow store, check out this cool sign depicting local Sierra peaks and attractions. The store, cafe, showers, flush toilets, water fountain, and charging station are all within 50 yards of one another. Enjoy the amazing Sierras in all their quiet splendor: fishing, water sports, hiking, ping-pong, disc golf, and more! Operating under a special use permit of the Inyo National Forest. Ive heard from a lot of sources that VVR is extremely kind to thru-hikers if it hadnt been so far off trail, I would have loved to check it out for myself! When the visitor center is open, outlets are available. You've made it this far, you're either into this site or you're still looking for something. There is a US Post Office in Lone Pine that packages can be sent to for general delivery. They generally close by the end of September. I would also skip MTR if going NOBO, since the amenities are so-so. If not, then youre a party pooper and nobody at VVR wants you in the mix anyway (please - diligently log those JMT miles between Mono Creek and Bear Ridge in your little ledger). Highlights in this section include: Duck Creek, Purple Lake, Virginia Lake, Tully Hole, Squaw Lake, Silver Pass, Lake Thomas Edison, and Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all fantastic. This post covers the first leg of our JMT hike, from Tuolumne Meadows to our re-supply at Reds Meadow (roughly miles 23-60 of the JMT heading SOBO). We strive to project the authenticity of places we visit through honest words and visuals. Pickings are usually slim, unless you really love mystery oatmeal and crumbled, stale bars. There is a hiker box, so check there before paying for soap. 2nd leg of our SOBO JMT hike: Reds Meadow to Vermillion Valley Resort. Town of Independence via Kearsarge Pass This is a tough resupply, but if you arent stoked on the thought of going without a resupply from VVR or MTR to Whitney, it is a good option. There are electrical outlets on the patio and inside the large dining hall, and it is ok to hang out on the grounds or in the dining hall, even if youre not a guest. Squaw Lake below Silver Pass, John Muir Trail. Caffrey and Dan at Purple Lake, Sierra Nevadas, California, Virginia Lake, Sierra Nevadas, California. The Best San Diego Hikes for Your Next Coastal Adventure. I kid you not, one of the first questions my mom asked me when I told her I was planning on hiking the John Muir Trail was, But.. how are you going to eat? After I entertained myself with some cheesy joke along the lines of, um, with my mouth, I informed her that the JMT has a few resupply points along the trail, in which you can send yourself food and necessities. As much as carrying 10 days of food out of Muir Trail Ranch sucked, it was worth it to me not to have to worry about our upcoming resupply. Skies that were clear only moments earlier became yellow and hazy; we could smell the fire. I would 100% exit at Kearsarge Pass going NOBO if I was starting from Whitney Portal or Cottonwood Lakes/ Horseshoe Meadows. Leaving Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR), we were red-faced and sweaty as we hiked along the 4 mile Bear Ridge trail. Along the way, our group of 3 became an entourage of 4 as we welcomed our new friend Hugo into our hiking crew. Our routine was . Here are the details for your resupply options after Kennedy Meadows. Mail your resupply via the United States Postal Service (best option: Flat Rate Priority Box) to: Make sure to include ETA: (your estimated arrival date) on the package. The only lodging available needs to be reserved in advance, and they are rustic canvas cabins without electricity. Usually, MTR has large hiker bins that you can rummage through, so if you are not picky, you could resupply from those. At Deer Creek, I soaked my feet and knee in the cool water after lunch. Yes, I only resupplied twice, and yes, that meant carrying 10 days worth of food from Muir Trail Ranch to Mount Whitney. Our official starting point for the John Muir Trail (JMT) was Tuolumne Meadows, heading southbound (SOBO) to Lyell Canyon. 93546, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. Something had to change or I wasnt going to make it! Biggest changes: I would not send a resupply package to VVR. We were fortunately able to keep moving forward, but it was touch-and-go for a while there, reminding us to appreciate every moment we DO have on the trail because it could end with a single mis-step. The grill has decent food, and the store has lots of hiker snacks. Reds Meadow will pick up your package from the Mammoth Lakes post office and hold it until pick-up for a flat fee of $40. Resupply: Mt. Thereafter, the JMT rises again to 10,740 feet at Silver Pass, drops to Tully Hole, and ascends again to a lengthy ridgeline featuring several spectacular lakes. We took a ZERO day on day #5 to rest, enjoy the 105 degree hot spring (oh so needed!!! Highlights: Duck Creek, Purple Lake, Virginia Lake, Tully Hole, Squaw Lake, Silver Pass, Lake Thomas Edison, and Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR). Everyones resupply strategy will be different on the John Muir Trail, and it really depends on time of year hiking, hiking pace, direction, and amount of amenities wanted. . They do have showers for guests, though. With clean clothes and a fresh shampoo smell, Caffrey, our friend Dan Chung and I hopped off the YART shuttle from Mammoth Lakes at the Tuolumne Meadows post office on Friday, July 22, 2022. If the store and grill are open, buy a yummy ice cream to celebrate your progress, and keep on going! Read their website about their service packages and costs. The hiker bunk rooms, if you wish to pay for them, are sparse but nice to have, especially if you have lots of electronics to charge. To top it off, as the sun dipped low and shadows spread, the sound of Badgers flute drifted across the meadow, lulling us all to a deep sleep. Are staying overnight at the Reds Meadow Resort or at any designated campground in the valley. It took us another 30 minutes to discover that we had settled in a "stock camp. Electricity goes out around 10 pm since they are on a generator, so be aware when charging devices/ staying in a room, and make sure all of your chores are done early. Camped at Deer Creek. Andrew Matranga Chief Lake below Silver Pass Location: 37.470921, -118.925537. Ive heard great things about how friendly the owners are, and their whole business model is centered around JMT thru-hikers. Located only .9 miles off of the JMT and pretty much smack-dab halfway along the trail (111 miles from Happy Isles; 110 miles from Whitney Portal), MTR is extremely accessible to thru-hikers. The hot springs are also really beautiful and great to soak in. As we were about to pitch our tents, a ranger emerged out of nowhere and informed us that camping at Shadow Creek was prohibited due to forest restoration. The sun was shining and the temperature was pleasant, not a cloud in the sky as we walked along the dry, sandy trail. Fresh green forest growth surrounded charred tree stumps blackened three decades ago, interspersed with cheerful clumps of colorful wildflowers. I hated to admit it, but the lighter pack made a huge difference. If a problem does arise, the northern section of the JMT has more convenient resupply opportunities (Tuolumne Meadows, Reds Meadow, Vermillion Valley Resort, Muir Trail Ranch) than the more remote section in the South. From June through September 15, VVR charges $30 per resupply bin (5-gallon bucket, cardboard box, you name it). ", Operated Under a Special Use Permit, Sierra National Forest, USFS. Backpackers must use the shuttle system. It could have meant the difference in finishing our hike or not. While I found the staff to be friendly, they are definitely not super hiker-friendly or overly accommodating to hikers like VVR. ALSO, MTR lets you drop off your trash with them, and for that, they get an A+. Along the way, we skirted an assortment of Native American-themed lakes: Chief, Warrior, Papoose, Lone Indian In the distance were the last vestiges of Mts. Andrew Matranga Ascending to Silver Pass Location: 37.466320, -118.922348 David Taus hikes to Silver Pass with the knobby peaks of the Mono Divide to the south. My bear canister is literally packed as full as it can get, and I leave out my first days food to maximize space. The trail ends at the Twin Lakes trailhead, where you can take the free shuttle into Mammoth Lakes proper. He also shares that the hike over Kearsarge Pass (where many hikers choose to hike out and resupply) is no cakewalk (you gain 1,235 ft / 376 m and then descend 2,564 ft / 781 m over 7.6 mi / 12.2 km over to get to a remote trailhead you need to hitch 13 mi / 20.9 km down from and back to). Lots of food options (personal favorites are the Curry Village pizza and the Ahwahnee breakfast buffet), and grocery options in case you forgot to pack an essential snack or toiletry. Vermilion Valley Resort From May 20 to October 20, 2019, Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR) offers resupply service for thru-hikers. Alternatives: You would have to go north to Bishop, CA for a larger town with more amenities. Todays mission was to tackle our first Sierra high mountain pass: Donahue! IMPORTANT: If Tuolumne Meadows facilities are not open, your box will be delivered to the Yosemite Valley Post Office. Backpackers campground available in the normal campground ($6/person/night) - CASH ONLY! They wont have anything too fancy or specific: think small-town grocery store, but usually I can find anything Im craving. At the Resort you will find a general store, the Mule House Caf, and cabins to rent. Do you like pizza, giant fluffy pancake breakfasts, or BBQ? For details on hours of operation and alternatives, check the VVR Water Taxi site. Services: Convenience Store (minimal), Package Pick-Up ($), Hiker Box, Electrical Outlets, Camping (free), Trash dumping. Getting off the JMT and into Independence requires you to hike 7.6 miles over Kearsarge Pass to the Onion Valley trailhead and hitchhike into town. The first scenic spot of the day was Purple Lake, followed by a climb through a talus field littered with 20 foot boulders. Not bad, if you ask me. Williamson Motel, on the other hand, is pretty expensive, but they have a pretty sweet resupply set-up. Plus, the general store sells COLD BEER.. ON TRAIL. Reservations are strongly encouraged. JMT042 Location: 37.615002, -119.074852 Reds Meadow Resort: great diner and moderately stocked store; thermal showers at group campsites; shuttles run to Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and town bus runs into Mammoth town JMT062 Location: 37.375702, -119.012451 Vermillion Valley Resort (http://www.edisonlake.com) first beer and one-night stay in platform tents free for thru-hikers; meals in diner are pricey, but filling JMT047 Location: 37.538166, -118.969147 Continue S on JMT JMT048 Location: 37.528915, -118.950165 Continue on JMT S JMT059 Location: 37.421902, -118.910500 R to Ferry to Vermillion Valley Resort JMT060 Location: 37.412334, -118.925201 Leave JMT/PCT for ferry across Edison Lake to Vermillion Valley Resort at this junction JMT049 Location: 37.527466, -118.949417 Outlet of Purple Lake; no camping allowed. My ego was bruised, but it was better than quitting. They are in a very remote location. Fortunately, I manage to convince another hiker, Achilles, that doing this is a good idea. Once we arrived, witnessed the lakes and set up camp, Dan relaxed and admitted it was pretty cool. A typical JMT itinerary ranges from 14 to 21 days, averaging 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 km) per day. Youll want to give yourself a break at the beginning of this hike if youre going NOBO: plan for less miles and for your body to acclimate. Caffreys ankle was also pretty swollen. Reds Meadow offers a package service ($40 in 2016). Backpackers must use the shuttle system. Reds Meadow Resort was just a short walk from Devils Postpile. ", "One of the highlights of the trail is the great people you meet along the way. Located 6.3 miles off of the JMT, VVR requires a little more effort to get to than any of the other on-trail resupply points. Enjoy! This is actually the 2nd time that we have seen this type of volcanic columnar basalt. 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