This post was originally titled “A No-Stress Guide to the John Muir Trail (JMT) Permit Process” but honestly, that’s reaching a bit!  With a reported 70% of John Muir Trail permit applications being denied, it’s no exaggeration that securing your John Muir Trail hiking permit can be one of the most complicated and challenging parts of your JMT thru-hiking experience!  Trust me when I say the JMT is 100% worth the permit process hassle!

After some partially useful but mostly unhelpful and confusing internet research into the JMT permit process, I secured my John Muir Trail permit through recreation.gov on March 22, 2022 for my July 12^th, 2022 JMT start date.  In my research, I found that there’s a lot of information out there on the JMT thru-hiking permit process, and some of it is even accurate!  😉

I hope my blog post simplifies this for you as I frankly found the JMT permit process ridiculously frustrating!

Before applying for your John Muir Trail permit, start by asking yourself these 5 questions…

1. How many days do you want to take to complete your John Muir Trail thru-hike?
2. What are your ideal start and end dates?  Are these dates flexible?  See this post for more info on the best times to hike the JMT.
3. Do you prefer to hike Northbound (NOBO) or Southbound (SOBO)?  See this post for the pros and cons of each direction.
4. Which trailhead would you like to start from?
5. Which camp area will you camp at your first night on the trail?

My original plan was to hike Southbound (SOBO) – but I failed to “win” a SOBO permit through the lottery system.  Our “plan b” was to hike Northbound (NOBO) out of Whitney Portal. But once again, I had no luck with the lottery system.  Ultimately, I tried my luck at applying for a NOBO permit out of Horseshoe Meadows via Cottonwood Pass.  Winner!

When I applied for my NOBO John Muir Trail (JMT) permit, instead of stating my 21-day projected timeframe, I listed 26 days to give myself some wiggle room and a buffer zone in case I needed more time to finish the trail.  The permits are not any more available or easier to obtain if you decide to complete the trail in 10 days or 28 days so really, this is all about what works best for you and your schedule!  You can always finish and exit the trail early but you cannot stay on the trail past the end of your permitted date so select wisely!

Three John Muir Trail permit application options…

There are three John Muir Trail (JMT) permit application options.  If you choose to hike SOBO, you will need to apply for your permit via the lottery system on Recreation.gov.  The same is true if you opt to hike NOBO, starting from the top of Mt. Whitney via Whitney Portal. 

If you want to avoid the lottery system (remember when I said there is a 70% denial rate for applications?) and you’re open to hiking NOBO, I recommend you aim for the third JMT permit application option – starting your trek at Horseshoe Meadows trailhead via Cottonwood Pass or Cottonwood Lakes.  This route adds 20+ extra miles as you will have to hike further to arrive at the southern terminus on the Mt. Whitney summit, but the major advantage is that you avoid the JMT permit lottery system.   

Let’s start with this last JMT permit application process – hiking NOBO from Horseshoe Meadows via Cottonwood Lakes or Cottonwood Pass.

Hiking Northbound (NOBO) from Horseshoe Meadows via Cottonwood Pass & Cottonwood Lakes John Muir Trail (JMT) Permit Process:

With a 70% permit application denial rate (yes, I know I’ve already mentioned that a couple times now!), it’s a huge incentive to avoid the JMT permit lottery system for this first come first served application process.  And bonus, you find out immediately if you scored a JMT wilderness permit or not!

To apply for a John Muir Trail permit starting at Cottonwood Pass or Cottonwood Lakes, log into Recreation.gov and search for the Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permits page.  60% of the JMT permits are made available on Recreation.gov six months in advance of the permit start date on a rolling basis with the remaining 40% being issued two weeks in advance of the permitted trail start date.  Recreation.gov releases the permits at 7 AM PT each day.  It’s a good idea to log in before 7 AM PT and be ready to snag those available permits once they are released because they go QUICKLY – like instantly actually!

Do a practice run (or two) a few days before applying for your permit dates of choice!

I also recommend you practice with a couple of test runs a few days before your target application date.  This will help ensure you are prepared knowing exactly what to expect so you aren’t timed out, resulting in losing your reserved permit while completing the somewhat complicated application process.

For a JMT permit via Cottonwood Lakes, Recreation.gov releases 36 permits (60% of the total permits offered) each morning on a rolling basis at 7 AM PT.  24 additional permits (40% of the total permits offered) for the same start date are held and reserved for applications dating two weeks in advance of the trail start date.

Additionally, Recreation.gov releases 24 Cottonwood Pass JMT permits (60% of the total permits issued) six months in advance of trail start date with an additional 16 permits (40% of the total permits offered) being held and released two weeks in advance of trail start date.

Follow these steps when applying for your NOBO John Muir Trail permit out of Horseshoe Meadows via Cottonwood Pass or Cottonwood Lakes:

Step 1:  Log into Recreation.gov before 7AM six months in advance of your trail permit date.

Step 2:  Go to “Permits” in the side-bar menu.

Step 3:  Enter “Inyo National Forest – Wilderness Permits” in the “Where To” search box at the top of the page. https://www.recreation.gov/permits/233262

Step 4:  Click on the blue button bar “Explore available permits” on the right-hand side of the page.

Step 5:  Select “no” for “Is this a commercial guided trip?”

Step 6:  Select “overnight” for “Permit Type”.

Step 7:  Enter your “Start Date” (i.e. 07/02/2023) next to the “overnight” bar.

Step 8:  Add your total number of “Group Members”. Enter a minimum of 1 person up to a maximum of 15 people.

Step 9:  For “Entry Point”, scroll down the chart or search for “Cottonwood Pass” or “Cottonwood Lakes”. 

I applied for a Cottonwood Pass permit, so I selected “Cottonwood Pass – GT60”.

Click on the box for the date you are aiming to reserve.  You can find the number of available permits listed inside the box here. Alternatively, this box will be greyed out when there are no longer permits available. Regarding boxes with a “W”, this refers to the additional 40% of permits slated to be released two weeks prior to the trail start date.

Step 10:  If the permit you are searching for is available, hit the blue “Book Now” button at the bottom right of the data table.  From here, you will have 15 minutes to complete the application process, although you will be given the option after 10 minutes of “adding 5 more minutes” for additional time.  Your permits will be released for others to reserve if you do not complete the application within this timeframe. 

Step 11:  Fill in the requested personal information of the “Permit Holder”.  This will include your first name, last name, email, phone number and address. 

Adding additional permit holders to the permit…

At this point, you can list up to 3 additional people as alternate trail leaders for this permit. To do this, click “Add alternate permit holders”.  You will need to enter their first and last name along with their email address.  FYI – If you are stopped by a ranger while backpacking the JMT, you or someone else present in your hiking group must be listed on your permit as a trail leader or permit holder.  This prevents people from reserving permits and giving them away to others.

Step 12:  Confirm your “Entry Point”, “Entry Date” and “Group Size”.

Step 13:  Search and select your “Exit Point”.  I exited at Happy Isles – the closest point beyond the completion of the JMT, so I selected “Happy Isles – Yosemite Valley (Exit Only) Yosemite NP – POS01”.

Step 14:  Enter your “Exit Date”.  This will be dependent on how many days you want to finish the trail. 

Step 15:  Enter your “Camp Area Selection”.  Note that you only need to enter the first campsite at this point in the permit process.  You can log back in later and enter the remaining campsites for your trek. 

This was the most complicated part of the application for me as I didn’t recognize many of the campgrounds on the drop-down list.  I’ve written in the chart below the exact way the camp areas are listed on the Recreation.gov drop-down menu to simplify this process for you.  You will notice that some campgrounds start with “SEKI”.  This “SEKI” indicates that the campsites are located in either Sequoia or Kings Canyon National Park.

For me, I hiked NOBO via Cottonwood Pass… 

I selected “SEKI- Rock Creek (84)” for my first night’s camp area. I ended up sticking to that location my first-night camping on the trail.   See the chart below for my remaining camp area selections.  I did end up camping at some of the spots listed below (like Rae Lakes and Little Yosemite Valley). But for the most part, I ended up going completely rogue and camping in different locations and on different dates than the information I listed on my permit application.

Note that because I gave myself a buffer and added five extra days to my permit completion time, I opted to duplicate campgrounds two or three nights in a row to fill in the extra time my permit gave me on the trail even though I was still fully planning on finishing in 21 days. 

My JMT Camp Area Itinerary Details Listed on my John Muir Trail Wilderness Permit:

Step 16:  Select “Foot” for “Travel Method”.

Step 17:  Choose “No” for the “Are you bringing animals on your trip” question if you are not planning on bringing animals on the trip (note – dogs are not allowed in the National Park sections of this trek).

(You can ignore “Step 18” since it is no longer applicable but I’m keeping it in here just in case they bring it back)

Step 18:  This step has recently been removed so you can ignore it but in case Recreation.gov adds it back, here is the info for you… Enter your permit’s “Issuing Station” for permit pick-up location.  I selected “Eastern Sierra InterAgency Visitor Center” but never actually had to pop in there to pick up my permit.  I instead opted to print my permit within one week of my trail permit start date.

Step 19:  Select the box acknowledging you have read the “Need to Know” information.

Step 20:  “Proceed to Cart” (blue button on righthand side of the page) and then “Proceed to Payment” to pay the permit fee.  The permit cost includes a $6 reservation fee plus an additional $5 per adult/child permit requested.  My permit was for 2 people so the total cost of our 2 permits was $16.  Had I been hiking solo, my permit would have totaled $11.

Step 21:  WINNING!  Celebrate scoring your JMT permit for a moment and then hit some trails with that weighted backpack and start your JMT training!  Trust me, you will appreciate this training time six months from now!

I may not know you, but I am excited for you all the same!  Happy hiking the John Muir Trail my friends!

Let’s now address the John Muir Trail lottery system permit process which you will need if you plan on hiking SOBO from Happy Isles, or NOBO from Whitney Portal. 

Your John Muir Trail (JMT) Permit Guide for Hiking Northbound (NOBO) out of Whitney Portal:

If you want to hike the John Muir Trail Northbound starting at Whitney Portal, then you must apply for your JMT permit through a lottery system on Recreation.gov.  The lottery application season is open from February 1, 2023 – March 1, 2023. This application season covers all permits for the upcoming 2023 hiking season. They will publish the lottery result notifications on March 15, 2023.

There are 100 permits available per day for Mt. Whitney – 60 overnight permits and 40 day hiking permits.  When you are applying for a JMT permit out of Whitney Portal, you are also competing with the Mt. Whitney overnight summit hikers for your permit.  Trust me when I say, these JMT NOBO permits out of Whitney Portal are not easy to come by.  I applied via the lottery system multiple times and lost every single lottery.

Steps for completing the NOBO lottery application out of Whitney Portal:

Step 1:  From February 1, 2023 – March 1, 2023, log into Recreation.gov. Next, go to the Mt. Whitney Permit page at https://www.recreation.gov/permits/233260

Step 2:  Select “Register for Open Lottery”

Step 3:  Fill in the requested personal information of the “Permit Holder”.  This will include your first name, last name, email, phone number and address. 

Adding additional permit holders to the permit…

You can also list up to 3 additional people as alternate trail leaders for this permit now by clicking on “Add alternate permit holders”.  Enter their first and last name along with their email address.  FYI – If you are stopped by a ranger while backpacking the JMT, you or someone else present in your hiking group must be listed on your permit as a trail leader or permit holder.  This prevents people from reserving permits and giving them away to others.

Step 4:  Use the “Lottery Preferences” section to enter the number of dates you would like to apply for.  The max you can apply for is 15. I recommend you take advantage of every one of those 15 options to increase your odds.

Step 5:  Enter your dates under “Enter Choices”.

Step 6:  For each of your starting dates select “Mt. Whitney Trail (Overnight)” in the “Entrance” field.  This permit allows you to camp overnight while summiting Mt. Whitney but it can be extended, allowing you to exit Mt. Whitney onto the John Muir Trail allowing you to complete your JMT hike at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley. 

Step 7:  Enter your “Start Date”.

Step 8:  Enter your “Group Size” (1-15 people)

Step 9:  Check the box stating you have read the “Need to Know” information.

Step 10:  Click the “Proceed to Cart” button and then “Proceed to Payment” to pay for your lottery application.  The fee is $6.00 to apply and is non-refundable. 

Winning…

Step 11:  If you are one of those lucky lottery winners announced on March 15, 2023, you will have to pay an additional $15 for your permit.  The deadline to confirm your awarded permit and pay the $15 permit fee is April 15, 2023.

JMT Permit Application Guide for Hiking Southbound (SOBO) out of Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley:

Hiking Southbound (SOBO) out of Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley is by far the most popular choice for John Muir Trail thru-hikers.  To read why many hikers prefer to hike SOBO, check my blog post here on Hiking the John Muir Trail.

For all you Southbound hikers, you will need to apply for a permit through the Yosemite National Park Wilderness Permit Application Lottery Process (link:  https://www.recreation.gov/permits/445859) via Recreation.gov. 

Reference this chart below for important dates regarding 2023 SOBO JMT permits:

View and/or download this pdf chart on relevant lottery dates and timing when applying for your 2023 SOBO JMT permit…

SOBO John Muir Trail (JMT) Permit Lottery Information:

Wilderness permits for SOBO JMT hikers out of Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley are first allotted through a weekly lottery. This weekly lottery takes place 24 weeks in advance of your trail entry date. 

Each lottery applicant (and their group) can submit at most one application for every seven-day lottery week window.  However, you may submit up to 8 different itineraries for each lottery permit you are applying for each week.  I recommend you take advantage of every one of these itinerary options to increase your odds of winning a lottery permit.

The application period each week begins on Sunday at 12:01 a.m. (PT) and ends on the following Saturday at 11:59 p.m.  They send email notifications of the lottery results the following Monday evening.  Successful lottery permit winners must confirm and claim their permit by Thursday at 11:59 p.m.  Any unclaimed permits will be released and available to purchase on the next Friday at 9:00 a.m.

Steps for the JMT SOBO permit lottery application out of Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley:

Step 1:  Log into Recreation.gov 24 weeks before your trail start date (see chart above for important timing and dates for applying) and go to the https://www.recreation.gov/permits/445859 page to begin your lottery application process.

Step 2:  Select “Register for Open Lottery”

Step 3:  Fill in the requested personal information of the “Permit Holder”.  This will include your first name, last name, email, phone number and address. 

Adding additional permit holders to the permit…

You can also list up to 3 additional people as alternate trail leaders for this permit now by clicking on “Add alternate permit holders”.  You will need to enter their first and last name along with their email address. Just so you know, if a ranger stops you while backpacking the JMT, you or someone else in your hiking group must be listed on your permit as a trail leader or permit holder. This prevents people from reserving permits and giving them away to others.

Step 4:  Use the “Lottery Preferences” section to enter the number of dates and itineraries you’d like to apply for.  The max you can apply for is eight. I recommend you take advantage of every one of those eight options to increase your odds!

Step 5:  Enter your dates under “Enter Choices”.

Step 6:  For each of your itineraries, enter either “Single Date” or “Date Range”. 

If you select “Single Date”, you will enter a single date for your permit application. If there is availability for that single date, you will receive a permit. The lottery system will automatically move to evaluate your next choice listed if that date is not available, and so on, until it runs through your remaining dates listed.

When applying for multiple dates to increase your odds…

Select “Date Range”, if you’d like the lottery system to evaluate your permit application on an entire date range.  It will start with the first date listed in the date range. If that date is not available it will continue searching a date within the date range you have entered until it either finds an available date or denies your application.

Step 7:  Enter your “Entry Date” or “First Date Available Within” depending on if you entered “Single Date” above or “Date Range” above, respectively.

Step 8:  State your “Group Size” (1-15 people)

Step 9:  Enter “Happy Isles – Past LYV (Donahue Pass Eligible)” for your “Entry Point”

Step 10:  Check the box stating you have read the “Need to Know” information.

Step 11:  Click “Proceed to Cart” button and then the “Proceed to Payment” button to pay for your lottery application.  The fee is $10.00 to apply and is non-refundable. 

Step 12:  They will announce the lucky lottery winners the following Monday evening!  Successful lottery permit winners must confirm and claim their permit by Thursday at 11:59 p.m.  They will release any unclaimed permits to purchase the next Friday at 9:00 a.m. at https://www.recreation.gov/permits/445859.

Good luck!!!

If you feel inclined, comment on this post if (WHEN!) you successfully score a John Muir Trail (JMT) permit.  I’d love to hear your story and cheer you on from afar!