Transportation Guide

John Muir Trail 

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The Eastern Sierra has very good public transportation but you will need to plan ahead a bit to arrange shuttles or reserve seats.

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In this John Muir Trail Transportation Guide, you’ll find all of the information you need to plan your public transportation logistics for your John Muir Trail hike.

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Which Direction Are You Hiking the John Muir Trail? The most popular direction for John Muir Trail hikers is North to South because you are able to adjust to the altitude more gradually.

Closest Airports to the John Muir Trail

Mammoth If you don’t live out West and you plan on flying into California to start your hike, the easiest airport to fly into is Mammoth airport.

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Reno

The second best option is the Reno airport. However, getting to Yosemite from Reno requires a transfer in Mammoth, and Reno is several hours further from the endpoint at Mt. Whitney (assuming you are hiking north to south) than Mammoth.

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San Francisco, Oakland, or Los Angeles

Major airports on the west side of the Sierras may have cheaper flights, but they are substantially more difficult to get back to since you will finish your hike on the east side of the Sierras.

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Regional Airports

Other regional airports like Fresno-Yosemite or Merced don’t offer the same convenient transit options and also aren’t any cheaper.

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Shuttle & Public Transportation Options for Getting to and from the John Muir Trail

If you are going to fly round trip to the Mammoth Yosemite Airport, then public transit is a great, easy, and cheap way to get to the JMT and back to the airport at the end.

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