JMT best time?

[Alan Campbell]

My wife and I plan to ultralight the John Muir Trial this summer.

When is the best time?
How do you best check trail conditions?
Where is the spot that needs checking?

Thanks for the help, Alan

[Billy Ray]

I'm sure you will get lots of opinions on that.

The most popular months are July and August… partly because those are the most popular vacation months…

In a typical year with a typical snow pack, August would have fewer mosquitos and less snow on the high passes so some would consider that the best month

This year has an unusually low snow pack so July might be the best month this year while there are still some flower blooming… and days are longer than August…

But for me, September is the best month because there are fewer people and the weather is still mostly good… cooler days and nights… maybe a few more rain days… but the September days are shorter.

take your pick as to which factor is more important to you…

bill

[Ken Thompson]

Here is some reading while the others have a chance to chime in.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/johnmuirtrail/

This should actually should be in pre trip planning.

Welcome to the forums.

[Billy Ray]

also consider that these past two years have been extremely dry… which ups the odds of California having a big fire season… the prime fire season would be August and September, I think…

even fires in the foothills and valleys can blow smoke up into the Sierra…

so if you have asthma or get headaches from smoke or sinus problems or just want a clear view… perhaps July would be a better bet…

bill

[Ultralite Hiker]

September is my favorite. 2nd to third week of September is awesome. No bugs, nice days, cool nights. Rain is few and far between, and the first snow *should* not have fallen.

[Paul McLaughlin]

Definitely you will see many opinions on what is the best time. And each year the best time will vary. My opinion is that the best time is when there are few skeeters, fewer people and fewer thunderstorms. That usually means late August/early September. This year, due to the low snowpack, that will probably mean some dry streams as well, so there may be a few spots where you'll have a few more miles between water sources, but no big deal.

In general, thunderstorms are more likely late June through mid-august; wildflowers this year are probably best in July (but that depends on temperatures and rainfall up to then,so could be different). Late July through August is the most popular time so you'll see the most people then. Stream crossings are trickier/more dangerous the earlier you go, although this year that will likely not be a big deal unless you leave today. June and July are the buggiest usually – headnets will save your sanity.

Trail conditions I would not be too concerned about this year. In most years you might be concerned about how much snow is left on the high passes, but this year many people have already been over the highest with good success, so you are not likely to have any problems anywhere. There is a JMT group on Yahoo that probably has the most current dope, also highsierratopix.com will have pretty recent info on the area.

Go whenever you can, you'll hae a great time no matter when you go.

[Hiking Malto]

I would agree with the September though IMHO there isn't a bad month to do it. I have been on sections during all twelve months and each month brings out something a little different than the previous month. In making a decision I believe the first question to ask is what is you snow tolerance? And along with that your comfort and experience in doing stream crossings. The less your desire for snow the later you will want. This year you could head to JMT now and only see moderate snow. In most years July will still have some snow, August and later little to none. The easiest place to monitor snow on the JMT is probably on Postholer. It becomes an obsession on there right around the first of the year as the upcoming class of thru hikers get ready to hit the trail.

[Billy Ray]

I still think the biggest factor this year could be smoke.

Reduce your chances of getting smoked out this year by going early…

If there is smoke, most likely August and September will be the worst.

Bill

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