JMT Walk-up Permit Question

Hi. I wrote the answer for this and now I see that I wrote "PMT" instead of "JMT" in my title, so not very useful for search. I should probably re-post it.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=104657&skip_to_post=884611#884611

Thanks, that's exactly the info I was looking for! I think we'll be shooting for the walk-in permit at Tuolumne. Are the "walk-in" permits from Happy Trails to Tuolumne Meadows essentially day-hike permits?

Hi. I don't know the answer to your question but I don't think so, I suspect you can get a wilderness / camping permit out of Happy Isles. What I do know, absolutely, is that there is no getting over Donohue Pass without a visit to the Tuolumne permit office. When I was there two guys actually walked away with a permit to go south at 8am that same day. Others of us going in all different directions had to be content with waiting until 11 am to get next-day permits. Luck of the draw-

And I suppose that if you get a JMT entry permit (over Donahue Pass) that you automatically get a Whitney Zone Exit Permit?

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog

I *believe* the answer is yes. The conditions for exiting Whitney without asking for permission from Inyo are (1) that you originate from another trailhead / authority (not Inyo) and (2) that your permit says that you intend to exit there. I intend to exit this way, originating from Sequoia this summer. This does not mean that PCT hikers can exit there with their permits, there are some funky new laws about that, and, of course, they are not concluding their trip at Whitney, so it sort of makes sense, kind-of:
http://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/permits/pct-long-distance-permit-faq/

You've got it right. JMT Walk up permits are now only from Tuolumne Meadows. 10 per day. And yes you have to go stand in line really early in the morning the day before you want to start your hike.
I chatted with one of the rangers at the permit office about this a couple of weeks ago. She said that when she arrives in the morning there is already a long line of people waiting. What time in the morning do they get in line? I asked. 4 am, maybe earlier. They expect it to get worse as we get into late July, early August, traditionally the busiest time of year.

I lurk on a JMT Yahoo discussion group and the Facebook page for JMT hikers. (I hope to do the JMT in 2017)

There's been a lot of talk this year about the permit system changes and what it has meant to aspiring hikers.

There are a lot of different ways to do the JMT aside from the canonical Happy Isles->Tuolumne->Donahue route, such as:

1) Dana Meadows trailhead (I think it's called the Mono/Parker Pass Trail) -> Parker Pass -> Koip Peak Pass ->rejoin JMT just on the other side of Donahue Pass

2) Mono Meadow Trailhead -> Isberg Pass -> rejoin JMT at Reds Meadow

3) Happy Isles -> Merced Lake -> Isberg Pass trail to Isberg Pass -> rejoin JMT at Reds Meadow

4) Tuolumne Meadows -> Vogelsang Pass -> Isbert Pass trail to Isberg Pass -> rejoin JMT at Reds

Northbound variations

Whitney Portal Northbound

Horseshoe Meadow -> Cottonwood Pass -> past Whitney and NOBO

Horseshoe Meadow -> New Army Pass -> past Whitney and NOBO

I think if you are willing to think "outside the box" you should have no trouble getting some sort of permit that will allow you to access most of JMT experience. I plan to keep these variations in mind when I go for it in 2017. I'm doing the Winds this year, and probably something longer than the Winds, but shorter than the JMT in 2016 to hone my skills at distance hikes and resupply.

Of all of your variations I like northbound the best. The advantages of north include looking at a landscape in light rather than in shadow, and having the sun on your back. A primary disadvantage is passing more people going south, so the trail feels more crowded. For me the Lyell Canyon-Donahue Pass-and the area just south of Donahue is a special and distinctive episode that would be unfortunate to miss.

I *believe* the… conditions for exiting Whitney without asking for permission from Inyo are (1) that you originate from another trailhead / authority (not Inyo) and (2) that your permit says that you intend to exit there. I intend to exit this way, originating from Sequoia this summer.

Really? Now that’s interesting. So if I come in from another jurisdiction with that jurisdiction’s permit, I can exit Whitney without a Whitney exit permit. Very interesting indeed.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog