Opinions on a Sierras long distance (300+ miles) backpack in September, 2017

kennedy meadows is mile 704 Echo lake is mile 1092. you might want to down load “Half-mile PCT maps” to determine your best entry point within the 300 miles you are looking to do. If Tahoe is where you want to get out and only do 300 miles you should be starting at VVR ( Vermilion Valley resort)on the west. or Reds meadow if you want to start on the east side of the Sierras.

Hope this helps.

Thank you Terry – do you think it is a nice section?  Would you recommend it for someone who wants to do about 300 miles of the PCT California?

Cottonwood Meadows to Sonora Pass is sort of the Sierra Solid Gold trip, all of the JMT plus Yosemite, about 300 miles. Similarly, Onion Valley to Tahoe.

Debra,Yes, it is a great section.You really can’t go wrong in the Sierras.How many miles a day are you planning on doing?

+1 to what Cameron said. It doesn’t get any better in the Sierra than that.

My trip for late September this year will be combining the JMT with the High Sierra Trail so I get the best of the High Sierra and get to see the Gianta Sequoias that only exist on the western side of the range. I’ll start in Yosemite NP and finish in Sequoia NP. As others mentioned, any stretch of the PCT from Kennedy Meadows to Tahoe will be an excellent trip. The JMT portion has the best scenery, but its also the hardest part. I personally enjoy the part north of Yosemite that others downplay along with the alternative Tahoe-Yosemite Trail route. The website, https://tahoetowhitney.com/, is a good resource on hiking the sierra between those 2 points.

That said, just buy the various Tom Harrison Maps of the Sierra and randomly piece together a 300 mile route. You can’t really go wrong with any trip into the Sierra in September, no matter where you end up going.

Thank you to everyone for all the comments and help!  We appreciate it.

In looking at things briefly today, we think that south of Tuolumne, we’d do only 12 or so a day because of all the elevation ups and downs (and that we are very quickly approaching 70, both of us.)  But north of Tuolumne, we could do more mileage/day.  Two more questions:

1.  Would you recommend going north to south for us sea level folks to acclimatize to altitude?
2. What are food resupply possibilities between Tahoe and Tuolumne?  I dehydrate and organize all our food ahead of time, almost exclusively.  We will drive to CA and could drop some food or mail ahead as to places like Muir Trail Ranch or PO’s that accept it.

Please check out the “Halfmile” iphone app. Just like the Halfmile maps mentioned, there is a ton of info for the entire trip; it is almost made too embarrassingly easy. The app tells you of all water crossings, camping, etc, in a linear manner, along the entire PCT, which is pretty much what you will be doing. It also tells you resupply opportunities, which will be your major challenge on a September trip. The section between Tuolumne and Tahoe corresponds to PCT sections I & J. I *think* (have not checked) those sections need to be done in two 75-mile chunks, doing resupply in Sonora Pass. The PO in Tuolumne closes early in September, and I have not read any current information but I would be surprised if they have opened MTR, and with all the snow and a late and small season it seems hardly worth the effort. September is a fabulous month to do this trip, but resupply definitely requires an extra effort, all the more so this year. No one on this site can tell you dates, because all of the resupply places tend to have a laissez-faire attitude about their schedules. Resupply should probably be where you should do your first research, and trail direction may very well be dictated by it.

I also question that you can do more mileage north of Tuolumne. In Section I, I found some of the trail to be a bit more rough and uneven than in the south, with more nasty 10-14″ drops that are hard on the knees. It gets much less traffic than south.

probably North to south might work better.

I would resupply at VVR instead of Muir ranch because of cost. Muir ranch charged $75./ bucket last year and you can’t take a shower, go to the bathroom or cook there unless you are renting a shelter.  VVR has showers for a fee and a general store and free camping and toilets.Reds meadow is another resupply that you could take the shuttle down from Mammoth Lakes and drop it off at the general store. $25 to pick it up on the way through. Tuolumne may be closed when you go through. They usually close at about that time,so you may have to take the shuttle down to the valley to get your resupply.  Because of snow damage to the building at Tuolumne it may not even open. Echo lake could be another resupply,depending on where you start.

The reason i asked about the mileage is because you are going to be finishing late in September. That is assuming you start the first of September and you should be ready for possible bad weather.

I did the JMT last year in 14 days north to south and i had my 70th birthday on top of Mt. Whitney.:-)

Good luck! hope you have a great trip.