John Muir Trail: June Lake to Tuolumne Meadows
Fresno, CA
Trip Highlights
- Dramatic Alpine Scenery
- Mule-supported Hiking
- High Country of Yosemite
- Gorgeous Tuolumne Meadows
- High Mountain Passes
- Pristine River & Lakes
Description
The John Muir Trail is one of the most famous trails in the world, and justifiably so. This pack-supported trek travels through a section of the John Muir Trail that is considered one of the most beautiful of all. This truly is “postcard country!” We’ll hike past Thousand Island Lake and below the impressive, glaciated peaks of Mount Ritter, Mount Banner, and Mount Lyell. Then we’ll enter into Yosemite National Park via a backcountry route over 11,000’ Donahue Pass. You’ll just carry your water and camera each day while the mules carry all the gear!
$2830 Per Person
DIFFICULTY LEVEL 3
Scale of 1-5. 1 is least difficult; 5 is most difficult
This trip features moderate hiking distances on moderately rugged terrain that includes on-trail and off-trail sections. Backpack weights are on the light side at 8-12 lbs.
Hiking Distances:
Up to 10 miles
Backpack Weight:
8-12 pounds
Terrain:
Moderately Rugged
Max Daily Elev. ↑↓:
Up to 2200 feet
Heights Exposure:
Light
PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THIS TRIP
- Hiking uphill or downhill with a 8-12 lb backpack for 4-6 hours
- Maintaining balance and footing on terrain that can be uneven, steep, rocky, snowy, or muddy
SOLITUDE LEVEL 3
1 least solitude, 5 most solitude
We rate this High Sierra stock-supported trip a solitude 3. Expect hours of solitude at a time.
We require a minimum of 4 guests to confirm this trip. If a trip date is not confirmed yet, you can register and will be notified when the trip is officially confirmed. We recommend not making final travel arrangements until your trip meets the minimum number of guests and is confirmed.
In most cases, if a trip does not reach the minimum number of guests, you may choose to transfer to another trip date or another trip, be refunded your payments in full, or you may have the choice to pay a supplemental fee to run the trip with fewer guests. We make the final determination for these trips 65-60 days before the departure date.
PRIVATE TRIPS
Travel in perfect company by booking a private trip exclusively for your group!
Our sliding scale for private trips is based on the final number of guests in your group. Rates are per person and do not include sales tax, national park fees or guide gratuity. The final rate is based on the actual number of guests on the trip and may adjust based on cancellations or additions.
Please Note: you can also enjoy a private trip at our normal scheduled rates by filling any empty tour to capacity. However, if group members drop from the tour those spots will automatically become available on our website for instant booking. By purchasing a private trip at the rates listed below, your trip will remain exclusive to your group regardless of cancellations.
PRIVATE RATES FOR THIS TRIP
- 2 People: Rate x 2.5
- 3 People: Rate x 1.75
- 4 People: Rate x 1.25
- 5+ People: Rate x 1.15
*all rates are per person
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ITINERARY
Day 1
- Shuttle: 4 hours
Today you will meet your guide and group at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Fresno Airport Hotel at 11:00 AM. We will enjoy a scenic drive along the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and then into Yosemite National Park. Our drive takes us to the mouth of Yosemite Valley, then up into the high country and over famous Tioga Pass. We will set up camp at our campground near a beautiful mountain lake, conduct an orientation and enjoy our first dinner together.
Day 2
- Shuttle Time: 4.5 Hours
- Hiking Distance: 7 miles
- Elevation Gain: 2142 feet
- Elevation Loss: 696 feet
We’ll wake up to a delicious breakfast with hot tea and coffee. Following breakfast we’ll pack up and head to the stunning Eastern Sierra and our trailhead at Agnew Meadows. First we need to deliver our gear and supplies to the muleskinners, who travel separately from the group. Around mid morning we’ll hit the trail, hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail into the stunning Ansel Adams Wilderness. Tonight’s camp is at the beautiful Clark Lakes, which we aim to reach by late afternoon. We’ll set up camp and settle in for our first backcountry dinner prepared by your guides.
Day 3
- Hiking Distance: 6 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1121 feet
- Elevation Loss: 957 feet
This morning our route merges almost immediately with the John Muir Trail at the aptly named and wildly picturesque Thousand Island Lake. We’ll stop for pictures and a short break to soak up the awe-inspiring beauty of this amazing alpine lake. We then hiking to the Davis Lakes area through some of the most scenic sub-alpine Muir Trail country in the Sierra. Above us Mount Banner (12,936) and the Kuna Crest (12,000+’) loom ominously. We’ll set up camp at a gorgeous spot with great water access, and enjoy another scrumptious backcountry dinner.
Day 4
- Hiking Distance: 10 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1289 feet
- Elevation Loss: 2500 feet
We start off the longest hike of the trip with a hike to Donahue Pass, which marks our backcountry entrance to Yosemite National Park. We’ll then hike below Lyell Glacier, dropping several thousand feet into dramatically beautiful Lyell Canyon. We’ll make our final night’s camp alongside the meandering Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne River beneath the Kuna Crest.
Day 5
- Shuttle Time: 4.5 Hours
- Hiking Distance: 8 miles
- Elevation Gain: 322 feet
- Elevation Loss: 633 feet
After packing up camp the last time we’ll hike out through Tuolumne Meadows, the world famous subalpine part of Yosemite. Our route takes us through Lyell Canyon into Tuolumne Meadows to our waiting shuttle . We’ll meet the mule team to pick up our gear in time for you to grab lunch at the Tuolumne Grill, Tioga Pass Resort, or the Whoa Nelly Deli. After lunch your Guide will transport you back to Fresno.
Please Note: We always do everything in our power to follow the set itinerary, however it can change occasionally based on temporary access restrictions, weather, lodging/campground availability, guest ability/injury, natural events like fires and flooding, and other potential causes. Normal terms and conditions apply to trips with itinerary changes.
TRIP DATES & BOOKING
AVAILABLE TO BOOK
This trip is available and bookable online! Click on the date to register now or contact us online to book through our award-winning customer service team!
GOING FAST
This trip has 1 or 2 spots remaining and is bookable online! Click on the date to book now or contact us online to book through customer service.
REQUEST A RESERVATION
This trip is exclusively booked through customer service due to logistics with lodging, permits, staffing, availability, or something else. Please contact us online or call us at 800-715-HIKE (4453) to request a reservation.
Don't see your dates? Call us! We may be able to add new trip dates.
800-715-HIKE (4453)Trip Details
What's included
- Mules to transport the majority of gear and food
- Transportation for the duration of the trip beginning and ending in Fresno, CA
- Trained hiking guide(s) with years of personal wilderness and hiking experience, medical certifications, and a passion for leading people into breathtaking landscapes. See Guide Bios.
- Top-of-the-line tent, backcountry sleeping pad and multi-day backpack
- High quality, synthetic sleeping bag (professionally laundered after every use) – or bring your own.
- Use of trekking poles
- All meals are included from breakfast on day 2 through breakfast on the last day
- Emergency equipment including a company-issued first-aid kit and communication device (InReach Explorer or satellite phone)
What's Not Included
- Clothes, raingear, and footwear (see recommendations)
- Sunscreen, toiletries and personal items
- Waterbottles and a headlamp or flashlight
- Guide gratuity (industry recommendation is 10-15% of trip cost)
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about what to pack.
Meals: What to Expect
All of our hiking and backpacking tours include a diversity of tasty meals packed full of critical carbohydrates, proteins and fats. We carry foods that travel well in the backcountry – rice, pastas, lentils, beans, couscous, packaged meats, nuts, breads, oatmeal, granola, and more.
For optimal taste and energy, we supplement all our meals with spices, herbs, oils, cheeses, butter, sugar, and fruits and vegetables (fresh and dried). In addition, we provide you with with an assortment of trail mix, snacks, and dried fruits to eat at your own discretion.
We regularly accommodate vegan, vegetarian, kosher and non-gluten diets and will make adjustments for food allergies. These and other special dietary requests may require an additional fee.
Gear We Provide
We provide all group gear which includes the following:
- Deuter or Osprey backpacks
- Sierra Designs or Mountain Hardware tents
- Sierra Designs, Big Agnes and Mountain Hardware synthetic-fill sleeping bags (or bring your own)
- Thermarest or Big Agnes sleeping pads
- Leki trekking poles
- Mountain Safety Research cooking stoves
- Mountain Safety Research cookware
- Bear spray cannisters and food-hanging gear
- Company-issued first-aid kit
- Emergency communication device(s)
Guest Packing List
When you register for this tour you’ll receive access to a printable, downloadable trip information packet with a detailed packing list specific to this trip (click here to see it now.) All trips require a sturdy pair of hiking shoes or hiking boots, rain gear, a recommended clothing system, a headlamp or flashlight, a hydration system (water bottles and/or bladder) and other items specific to each trip.
Additionally, some guests choose to bring their own sleeping bag. We supply high quality, synthetic fill bags that are professionally laundered after every trip. Synthetic fill is non-allergenic, insulates when damp and stands up well to repeated washings, but is heavier and bulkier than down. If you’re able to bring your own down sleeping bag, there are multiple benefits. If not, we’ve got you covered!
Trip Logistics
How Do I Register?
Reserve your spot today! In the Trip Dates & Booking section of this page, the green and red dates are bookable online by simply clicking on the date, and blue dates must be booked through our customer service team for a variety of possible reasons. To email our customer service team, you can click here to get the ball rolling. Our adventure consultants will confirm availability, and if you’re ready to register we’ll email you a link to a registration profile. You’ll have 72 hours to complete your profile (and that of any dependents) and pay the deposit.
Feel free to call us for more info – we’re here 7 days a week!
Where Do We Meet?
You will meet your guide and group on Day 1 at 11:00 AM at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Fresno, California.
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about flights, shuttles, recommended lodging and more.
Start/End Times
Your guide will pick you up on Day 1 at 11:00 AM in Fresno. You will be transported back to Fresno on the last day of the trip. We do not recommend booking flights for this evening, as we can not guarantee a return time.
Safety Precautions
Your safety is our top priority. Our hiking tours are led by professional hiking guides, all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMT’s, each with years of guiding and wilderness experience. Guides adhere to standardized risk management protocols in case of any potential or actual incident, and all tours carry an emergency communication device and comprehensive first-aid kit. Additionally we have a “24/7” system through which guides or guests can reach Wildland support personnel at any time.
If you have any further questions about safety, please contact us at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) for more information.
Essential Eligibility Criteria
Essential Eligibility Criteria (“EEC”) have been specifically identified to help you understand the skills and abilities necessary to participate on each Wildland trip, and they apply uniformly to all potential trip participants, irrespective of the presence or absence of any disability.
Once you identify a trip in which you may be interested, please carefully review the EEC and itinerary details. If after reviewing the EEC that apply to your desired trip, you determine you need an accommodation in order to meet the EEC, please contact us prior to registering to discuss your requested accommodation.
The EEC exist for your own safety and the safety and enjoyment of all participants. If you are unable to meet the EEC for the trip, with or without an accommodation, you are not eligible for that trip. If you register and arrive for a trip for which you do not meet the EEC, you will be disqualified from participation on the trip and will be dismissed or evacuated from the trip without a refund.
Weather in the Sierra
Being a high mountain environment, the Sierra Nevada Mountains are prone to sudden temperature and weather shifts. This is an exciting aspect of being in the mountains. On trips in June, snow is a possibility, and the rest of the summer rain is always a possibility on your trip. To be fully prepared, please follow the recommended clothing list closely (this list comes as part of your trip packet when you register). See below for average summer temperatures:
| Average Temperatures (Fahrenheit) | ||||||
|
Month
|
Valleys
|
Alpine
|
||||
|
hi
|
low
|
hi
|
low
|
|||
|
January
|
49°
|
26°
|
45°
|
25°
|
||
|
February
|
55°
|
28°
|
46°
|
26°
|
||
|
March
|
59°
|
31°
|
48°
|
27°
|
||
|
April
|
65°
|
35°
|
54°
|
30°
|
||
|
May
|
73°
|
42°
|
62°
|
37°
|
||
|
June
|
81°
|
51°
|
71°
|
46°
|
||
|
July
|
89°
|
57°
|
77°
|
50°
|
||
|
August
|
89°
|
56°
|
81°
|
53°
|
||
|
September
|
82°
|
51°
|
71°
|
46°
|
||
|
October
|
74°
|
39°
|
62°
|
37°
|
||
|
November
|
58°
|
31°
|
51°
|
29°
|
||
|
December
|
48°
|
26°
|
46°
|
25°
|
||
Accommodations
Backcountry Sleeping
3 Nights TENT CAMPING
Sleeping on backcountry treks is in premier 1-person, 2-person or 4-person backcountry tents. Solo travelers, and anyone else who requests it, are issued single tents. Top-of-the-line self-inflating sleeping pads and synthetic-fill sleeping bags (professionally laundered after every trip) are also provided.
Backcountry Cuisine
FRESH & DELICIOUS
Meals from breakfast Day 1 through lunch the last day are fully included and prepared by your trekking guide. We never use dehydrated backpacking meals, instead serving freshly prepared, delicious backcountry cuisine made with a variety of common and specialty ingredients that travel well in the wilderness.
Amazing Campsites
IN THE ACTION
Campsites vary by destination, trip and even by the individual day of a trip. However, you can expect to camp in beautiful areas that put you right in the action to make the most of your trekking adventure. We carefully design our itineraries with campsites in mind.
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