John Muir Trail Section Hike: Duck Pass - Piute Pass
It all started with a story about a seasoned park ranger who disappeared from his backcountry post in 1996 within Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (SEKI).
Roughly 10 years ago, I read a book about Randy Morgenson, a ranger who left his remote cabin in the Sierras to go on one of his regular patrols. Randy’s post was situated near the John Muir Trail (JMT) in the High Sierra’s of California. As ranger for 27 years, having spent every summer in some of the most remote parts in the country, it was odd for someone with his type of experience to go missing. The incredible descriptions of the Sierra Nevada mountain range noted in Morgenson’s story were inspiring. Stirred by Randy’s story, I was filled with curiosity and wonder and I was completely unfamiliar with this trail. But I had to see it for myself and the seed was planted.
You can read Randy’s story here.
The Range of Light
Naturalist John Muir, for whom the trail is named, was transfixed by the magic of sunlight that played along the mountain peaks. He called the Sierra’s “the range of light”. He spent years wandering through meadows and mountain peaks. Often referred to as “Father of National Parks”, he saw well before others did, the importance of setting aside special places for all to experience and enjoy.
Here ends my forever memorable first High Sierra excursion. I have crossed the Range of Light, surely the brightest and best of all the Lord has built. And, rejoicing in its glory, I gladly, gratefully, hopefully pray I may see it again. - John Muir
Silver Pass Lake, elevation 10,350’ and two days rigorous hike from the nearest trailhead.
Planning for a summer 2018 hike began
In the fall of 2017, ideas began to stir about how to hike this remote trail, much of which sits above 8,000’ in elevation. Do the whole thing? Do a section? I along with some interested friends, decided that a section would be best due to the fact that we hadn’t done a backpacking trip in the mountains, much less at high altitude.
After some research, it looked like Mammoth Lakes, CA was a good jumping off point. Not only did it allow us to spend a few days acclimating at 7,900’+ but it also had an accessible trailhead to the JMT near town. While there are a handful of direct access trailheads for the JMT, there are many that use spur trails that join the JMT. We decided to use a spur trail. Based on our research this section was supposed to be especially scenic.
We had roughly 9 days allowance for our trip and originally planned to exit at Bishop Pass, 83 miles to the south of our starting point in Mammoth. Once we were on trail, we decided to exit closer at Piute Pass Trailhead, which we’ll share more about later.
Planes, shuttles and trolleys
We starting planning our trip and route about a year before our trip. This was so that our group of 5 could plan vacation time, train and reserve a permit for Duck Pass. Permits for all Inyo National Forest trailheads are available 6 months prior to your entry date. We reserved our permit by 7am (Pacific time) as they fill fast. Last minute permits can also be secured 14 days in advance of your entry date. Our trip date began on the first of August, 2018.
Because we’re from Wisconsin, we decided to fly from Minneapolis, MN (MSP) to Reno, Nevada (RNO). From there we hopped onto reasonably priced, four hour shuttle from Eastern Sierra Transit Authority (ESTA) to Mammoth Lakes, CA. We made shuttle reservations in advance. Most people coming from out of state will likely use the services of a shuttle or bus regardless of where they begin the JMT. Thankfully, there are many choices and great options. An additional bonus of starting in Mammoth is that they have a town trolley which is free to all users. It makes stops at hiker-friendly locations such as the ranger station, grocery store, motels and local outdoor businesses. It also makes some stops at nearby trailheads, like Duck Pass.
At the end of our hike, out plan was to take the ESTA shuttle from our trailhead and ride it back to Mammoth Lakes (which included one connection spot). ESTA shuttles are reasonably priced and have many stops along the Eastern Sierra trailheads. As of 2020, they recommend making reservations.
The trail heads up and up
Prior to our hike, we reserved a campsite at Lake Mary Campground, roughly a 2 mile walk to the trailhead for Duck Lake Pass. In hindsight, it would probably have been easier to pay for an inexpensive motel in town and take the trolley to a stop close to the trailhead start. Being that it was August, sleeping at a local campground was a noisy and sleepless experience. But it was clean and other campers were friendly.
Our first day along the Duck Pass trail was dramatic and scenic. The trail steadily climbs up along the Coldwater Creek watershed starting from 8,900’ to the pass at 10,800’. It was an impressive wake-up for us flat landers. This scenic trail starts tucked within dramatic pines, finally heading over the rocky pass along teal-blue alpine lakes.
At the junction of the JMT, we took a right onto the trail to camp near Duck Lake creek, roughly a .5 mile north. Our route would take us south, but this was a recommended campsite with easy water access. Even though we spent a couple of days acclimating, our bodies felt the altitude. It was like walking through molasses. In most areas of the JMT, you’re allowed to camp anywhere provided its on durable surfaces like dirt, gravel, or rock, and are set up 100’ away from any water source.
The following day took us up and down over a rollercoaster of elevation through Purple Lake, Lake Virginia, Mono Creek and up over Silver Pass. It was a challenging introduction to high sierra backpacking. That said, the views are spectacular with miles of mountain tops on all sides as we hiked mostly above the tree line. Characteristically, the trail tends to drop down into watersheds and meadows and then after a handful of miles, it slowly climbs towards the next pass, heading above the tree line through rugged, rocky terrain. And then it repeats itself over and over. Sometimes it took us the better part of two days to get over a pass as our mileage averaged around 9-12 miles a day.
That evening as we camped at Silver Pass Lake, the mood of the group varied. Some dropped into their tents, exhausted, others explored the lake shore while others enjoyed the beauty of the sunset dropping behind the peak.
On the second morning on trail, one of us was struggling with a few issues, including altitude. We knew it was a challenging section to choose for a first time, mountain trip. It was humbling to me. When someone starts to struggle, it’s difficult to decide what choices to make when recalling year long plans and preparations that have been invested. Do we stay in place or continue? Can we manage the symptoms and will they feel better? It’s hard to always be sure. The nearest exit point was a 2 day hike backwards, and in hindsight, it may have been the best choice to go back to a lower elevation and made a plan B or gotten off the trail.
For better or worse, I encouraged the group to move forward with our plans and suggested we continue our hike as far as Muir Trail Ranch (MTR), another two days hike further south. I figured we could reassess there. My hope was that our friend would feel a bit more acclimated to the trail and altitude by then. Heck, I hoped we all would be. If not, MTR might be a safe exit point.. Plus, we had to stop there anyway as our resupply buckets were there waiting for us. MTR is located on the western side of the Sierras and if someone needed to get off trail, it would require a full day of logistics to get back to Mammoth.
So, we continued towards the Bear Creek watershed. After numerous switchbacks, we headed over Bear Ridge which felt like going over another pass to us. We came upon the cool waters of Bear Creek. After dropping our packs from our tired backs and hastily setting up our tents, we ran over to the creek, found a quiet, sandy bottom pool to swim in. Bliss! Cool water ran over our dusty, sweaty bodies and we felt revived!
Bear Creek is at about 8,500’ and we all felt and slept better. I recommend that if you hike the JMT, sleep at lower elevations your first days on trail. By gradually sleeping at higher elevations, your body may respond and adapt better.
While at Bear Creek, we shared our campsite with two other female hikers who’d come from the south and had hiked parts of the JMT before. Thinking about how the group was doing as a whole, I consulted them and asked about a different exit strategy. Bail out options this far south on the trail are limited, but there was one trail junction about 2 miles past Muir Trail Ranch that would shorten our distance by about 20 miles and allow us to exit on the eastern side of the Sierras while still finishing our trip together. My hope was to gather more intel from the MTR staff about the feasibility of this option.
After following the creek the next morning with its pools and cascades, we passed through some gorgeous meadows filled with purple, white and pink alpine flowers. Indian Paintbrush, Sunflowers and Sierra Columbine brushed against our legs. Even late in the summer the trail has a rainbow of flowers.
Floating in a glacial lake
Today was a nero, which means we did shorter miles. After six miles we climbed the trail up into Marie Lake. This cluster of lakes sits at about 10,000’ and quickly became one of our favorite areas on trail. We set up camp with views in both directions of the aquamarine waters. We were the only people around for what felt like miles. Inspired to dip our bodies in the cold waters, someone got the bright idea to inflate our air mattresses and go for a float. It was frigg’n cold and totally awesome. 10/10 recommend. The rest of the day was spent exploring the surrounding shoreline and meadow, playing card games and relaxing. Everyone was feeling great!
The following morning was an easy hike up over Selden Pass, stopping frequently to admire the receding views of Marie Lakes and surrounding landscape. It is always exciting to crest the final climb right before the pass. You have no idea what’s on the other side. It’s always dramatic, beautiful and changing. You can often see where you came from and where you’re going - even days away. It was truly breathtaking.
Our day was spent dropping 7 miles down towards Muir Trail Ranch. As we followed the thin line along the shores of Sally Keyes Lake, our stomachs anticipated the resupply.
Heaven in hiker buckets
Muir Trail Ranch is a remote, backcountry resort that caters to cabin campers and trail riders. They’re also an oasis for hikers. They offer a resupply service for a fee and have a small general store that seems well stocked with hiker specific needs. When we were there in 2017, they had hiker buckets. These were established so that hikers could dump or swap anything they no longer needed or wanted, like food, gear or first aid items. After checking in with staff, we grabbed our previously mailed resupply buckets and claimed a picnic table to sort, organize and mingle with other hikers. We also descended on the hiker buckets and nabbed some fresh cheese and summer sausage. Unapologetically, I grabbed a gas station quality pastry!
After chatting with the MTR staff about exiting over Piute Pass, we were informed that it was a good route to finish at. We were told that ESTA had a regular shuttle at the trailhead that would take us back to Mammoth. Two hours later, we rolled out of the MTR coma and headed to our next campsite, roughly a mile away. Camping again under giant Ponderosa pines, we enjoyed the spoils of our hiker bucket harvest.
Note that as of 2020 MTR no longer offers hiker buckets, but they still provide resupply and have a store with limited supplies for hikers.
Where the JMT meets the Piute Pass spur trail
Rays of sunshine hit our camp, signaling another warm day on the trail full of light. As we headed the mile towards the junction for Piute Pass, we wondered about the new area we were about to head into. Having done no research, we were curious as to what we’d encounter. One thing that was guaranteed, more climbing for sure. As we steadily climbed along Piute Creek the scenery continued to amaze us with sunlight bouncing off the white granite. Hillsides were dotted with Western Juniper, Ponderosa and Sequoia pines. The air was scented dust, cedar and pine. Taking two days to hike this spur trail, we stopped alongside the creek that evening located below the tree line.
The next morning, we broke through the tree line as the trail threaded up into Humphrey’s Basin. A glorious area of high country, it’s dominated by the panoramic Glacier Divide and Humphries Peak at 13,986’. Stopping near a cool creek for water, we marveled that this basin alone would be worth weeks long explorations.
Humphreys Basin, Inyo National Forest. Magic landscape at 11,000’.
Later that afternoon, we encountered day hikers coming from the trailhead below Piute Pass. We paused for lunch, savoring the final past and pondering the end of our journey. Surrounded by the remaining alpine lakes, we dropped down roughly 4 miles towards our trailhead. It was a good reminder that going downhill is not always easier. We were motivated by a brooding thunderstorm that threatened to overtake us. Thankfully we got down into trees before it started to rain. At the trailhead there is a small campground. It was full. After some searching, there didn’t seem to be a shuttle stop or information about any shuttle service. We also did not have phone service. My emergency contact at home couldn’t seem to locate any info about a shuttle stop via my InReach.
Figuring that the shuttle stop may be outside of the campground, we headed down a 3 mile dirt road, moving aside to let the occasional car pass. Nothing. No shuttle stop or much of any buildings for that matter. We considered our options. The campground was filled, eliminating the option to spend the night. The only other option was to hitch a ride towards Bishop, CA, the nearest town about 30 minutes by car away. So that is what we decided, try to catch a hitch that was willing to take all 5 of us.
As we made our way down the dirt road to the highway, we encountered a couple who’d we’d passed hours ago on the trail. They had been hiking for the day but turned around when the rain hit. As they were driving by, they stopped to see how we were. We discussed our problem with a lack of shuttle service. They kindly offered to drive us to Bishop as they were headed that way any way. The only challenge was they were in a pickup filled with camping gear and kayaks. After a little shoving we climbed in, doubled up on each others laps and headed north, relieved that our exit situation wasn’t more complicated. We were supper grateful to these kind trail angels who selflessly helped us out. We offered money for their time and gas, which they declined.
As of 2018, it was somewhat common to hitchhike along the side of the Sierras. We talked to local folks who encouraged it. We suspect it may have changed since the pandemic. We felt pretty safe risking it as a group of 5. One other option we could have explored would have been to have my emergency contact back home arrange a private shuttle to pick us up at the trailhead, but that can be a bit of work with lack of cell service and communication options. And it’s not cheap. It turns out there was never a scheduled shuttle stop at the Piute Pass trailhead and as of 2021, there still is not.
Back in Mammoth, we indulged in a nice condo, meal and hot showers, grateful for the experience of having explored about 65 miles of the John Muir Trail and its connecting spurs. The magic of the Sierras is worth multiple visits, whether you do a short day hike, hike a longer section or hike the entire JMT. Managed by three national parks, multiple wilderness and national forest areas, it is a gem worth continued preservation and protection.
If you go, love it well.
"Keep close to Nature's heart...and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." - John Muir.
GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
The John Muir Trail is a 211 mile trail within the Sierra Nevada Mountain range that starts in Yosemite National Park and ends at Mt. Whitney Portal, all within California.
Prior to the arrival of European-American settlers, the Paiute people living in the High Sierra region utilized a series of ancestral trails for hunting and trade with neighboring indigenous groups. In an effort to acknowledge the original people who traveled this region, some modern Native American and environmental organizations recognize the JMT as Nüümü Poyo, which translates to "Paiute Road," "Paiute Trail," or "People's Trail. (source Wikipedia)
There are many resources for planning a John Muir Trail hike. We used Bearfoot Theory extensively when planning our trip. Their info is clear and concise and they share great section hike options.
We found JMT paper maps to be helpful in pre-trip planning and jotting notes while on trail.
We highly recommend downloading a map of the JMT for your phone from Far Out apps (formerly Guthook Guides). It works without cell service and has up to date trail info. For example, current hikers can add a note if a water source is dry or not.
Acclimate at least a few days before you start your hike. I can’t stress this enough. Altitude can affect anybody regardless of age, gender, fitness level/experience and health. Everyone on our trip was either an ultra runner or had done other extensive wilderness trips. We were all women in our late 30’s - mid 40’s. Most of us felt the altitude to some degree. It took us about 4 days to feel our trail legs and acclimate fully.
Learn the signs and symptoms of altitude sickness and how to address it. Diamox has been proven to help minimize the symptoms of altitude. Check with your doctor.
Thunderstorms are common during late summer months. Prevent getting struck by lightening. One rule of thumb is to get over passes before noon as thunderstorms tend to appear in the afternoon.
There will be a million opinions about what gear to use, how far to hike, what food to bring and how to pack. Do some research, but don’t get into the weeds with it. Do some trial, overnight hikes on a local trail (your training for this, right?) and test out gear, what you like to eat and how you like to sleep.
When we went in August, everyday had sunshine! A few pockets of rain, but not much. Wear protective layers and sun gloves so that you don’t burn.
Use a bidet style system for toileting (it sounds gross but its clean and easy to do). Pack out all toilet paper, feminine products and wipes. Again, it’s a cinch as you can dump garbage when you resupply.
Use others hikers experience as a guideline, but be flexible and test what works for you. If this is your first mountain backpacking trip, plan conservative miles or allow more buffer days on trail. This allows you flexibility and opportunity for more sightseeing.
We used this training plan as a guideline for our trip. As always, check with a professional before starting any plan. All of us had a good fitness base going into training for this trip.
This was my packing list for the trip. While I have over 20 years of backpacking experience, I didn’t have mountain experience. My pack weight was pretty light, but I didn’t skimp stuff like good rain gear and an InReach personal locator beacon. Note that this is a 2020 list as I’ve hiked another portion of the JMT since then.
There are a few resupply options along the trail. The Pacific Crest Trail Association has put out a full list of resupply options along the JMT.
We strongly encourage you take a Wilderness First Aid course so that you are equipped to help yourself, your buddy or someone else on the trail.
Please practice Leave No Trace methods so that we all can enjoy the trail for years to come.
Wildfires can be a common occurrence late in the summer. During our trip parts of the trail north of our route were closed due to heavy smoke. We relied on InciWeb from our emergency contact at home for updates through our InReach.
Helpful, local resources from Mammoth Lakes tourism.
And last but not least, the story of Ranger Randy Morgenson and his life spent exploring and patrolling the Sierras along with his mysterious disappearance.
Marie Lake, near the halfway point of the John Muir Trail.
Elevation profile of the John Muir Trail. Source: Pacific Crest Trail Association.
Disclaimer: Some of the information we’ve provided may not be accurate or up to date. It’s your own responsibility to plan, research, train and prepare for your adventure. Make sure you understand all of the conditions you might encounter including altitude sickness. This is a remote, rugged wilderness. Help could be hours or days away.
