John Muir Trail (JMT) – Resupply Options

Reflecting back on our 2014 hike of the JMT – The John Muir Trail is one of our favorite trails that we have hiked.  The scenery was spectacular, the weather was quite good and we were able to hike with some great folks.

When planning for this hike, we made the conscious choice to take things at a relaxed pace…partly because the trail is too beautiful to be rushed, but it was also the first backpacking trip for one of the people in our party.  So, we planned to average around fifteen miles per day.  This allowed us plenty of time for breaks during the day, and for an early arrival in camp where we had time to wash up, do laundry and just hang out before retiring to our hammocks at the late hour of 8:00pm.

There were several different John Muir Trail (JMT) resupply plans that we had considered before starting the trip.  When starting the trail in Yosemite, the first few resupply points are pretty obvious and uniform for all hikers.  However, as you get further south on the trail, there are more choices to be made.  Unfortunately, south of Mammoth, there are no free, on-trail (or near trail) resupply options.

Some John Muir Trail (JMT) Resupply Options:

Resupply Plan #1:

Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows (27 miles)

Tuolumne Meadows to Mammoth (36 miles)

Mammoth to Muir Trail Ranch (49 miles)

Muir Trail Ranch to Independence via Kearsarge Pass (76 miles)

Independence to Whitney Portal (48 miles)

Resupply Plan #2

Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows (27 miles)

Tuolumne Meadows to Mammoth (36 miles)

Mammoth to Vermillion Valley Resort (30 miles)

Vermillion Valley Resort to Bishop via Bishop Pass (60 miles)

Bishop to Whitney Portal (94 miles)

Resupply Plan #3

Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows (27 miles)

Tuolumne Meadows to Mammoth (36 miles)

Mammoth to Vermillion Valley Resort (30 miles)

Vermillion Valley Resort to Independence via Kearsarge Pass (97 miles)

Independence to Whitney Portal (48 miles)

Notes on Resupply Points:

Tuolumne Meadows: There is a general store here, but the selection is limited and the prices are quite high.  You are probably best to mail your food to the post office at the general store.

Mammoth/Reds Meadows: You can just stop in to Reds Meadow for a shower (for a fee) and pickup a mail drop ($40 fee + postage).  This can be pretty convenient if you don’t feel like you need a rest day, because this resort is right off the trail.  If you want a rest day, you are probably better served to take the bus from the trail into Mammoth.  The price is $7 for the bus ticket which gets you into town and back to the trail, so don’t throw your ticket away in Mammoth like we did!  There is a big grocery store, nice restaurants and a Motel 6 in Mammoth.

Vermillion Valley Resort:  There is a limited grocery store at the resort, so it may be best to mail food to VVR.  This resort is several miles off trail.  The trail to the resort is notoriously bad, but luckily there is a pontoon “ferry” which will pick you up near the JMT and bring you to the resort.  The cost of the ferry was $18 round-trip.  The ferry goes at set times which may change each year depending on the water level in the lake, so be sure to check with VVR if this is resupply point for you.

Muir Trail Ranch: You can mail a 5 gallon bucket of food to MTR.  I think the fee per bucket (postage not included) was around $65.  You will need to pay this in advance.  This option was very convenient for us as it only added a few miles to the trail.  Some people believe that it is possible to completely resupply at MTR using food that other hikers have discarded (there is a bucket system for separating discarded food, so it is actually quite organized).  This is pretty dependent on your timing and some luck.  If you don’t mind just eating oatmeal and peanut butter, then you have a better chance of getting enough food, but if you’re hoping for a more varied resupply, it just comes down to luck.

Bishop via Bishop Pass:  This route adds just under 12 miles each way off the JMT.  You will need to get a hitch into Bishop at the trailhead, which might be tricky depending on the day use of the trailhead.  Bishop has a hostel, several motels and a big grocery store. *NOTE – For Beardoh’s 2018 JMT hike, we sent (actually dropped off in person) at Parcher’s Resort.  Parcher’s is located just off the Bishop Pass Trail below South Lake.  The hike over was beautiful and with well built and maintained trail.  Getting a package to Parcher’s (you can mail), will save you time and effort of getting into the town of Bishop.

Independence via Kearsarge Pass:  This route adds about 7 miles each way off the JMT.  This trail brings you to Onion Valley Trailhead which can be a difficult hitch.  There isn’t much in Independence, so you can either mail food to Independence, or take the bus to Bishop which has a large grocery store.

Of course, there are many different possible resupply plans for the John Muir Trail.  We figured that these three were the most viable for our pace and desire for minimizing the weight we were carrying.  We met some folks along the John Muir Trail who were carrying two bear canisters in order to reduce their number of resupplies.  That was not an option we would have considered, simply due to the extra weight, but every hiker is different and has different priorities.

We ended up going with JMT Resupply Plan #1, because it seemed to create the most balanced number of days between resupply points and it shortened our longest carry.

This post on Pacific Crest Trail Resupply covers many of the same resupply options along the John Muir Trail…and has some additional info.

For more info on the JMT, check out the Pacific Crest Trail Association’s website.

Click here to check out our John Muir Trail 2014 Journal.

Click here to check out our favorite photos from our John Muir Trail 2014 hike.