California trails · John Muir Trail
John Muir Trail
A 6.2-mile out-and-back in California, with 2,961 ft of climbing. Reaches Clark Point and other summit/viewpoint/waterfall destinations.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Clark Point (summit)
- Nevada Fall (waterfall)
- Sierra Point (summit)
- Sierra Point (viewpoint)
- Clark Point (viewpoint)
Heads up
Getting there
Happy Isles Trailhead. About 2 h 37 min drive (93 mi) from Clovis. 37.73284, -119.55779 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:39 a.m., the sun rises at 7:05 a.m. and sets at 6:22 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:48 p.m. (PDT) — 11 h 17 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 12.5-mile round trip takes roughly 7 h 35 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:40 p.m. — 3 h 42 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Unnamed trail + John Muir Trail + Stock Trail — 2.5 mi loop, 685 ft gain
- Mist Trail + Unnamed trail + John Muir Trail — 4.5 mi loop, 1,033 ft gain
- Unnamed trail + John Muir Trail + Mist Trail — 6.1 mi loop, 1,030 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Red Peak Pass — 9.6 mi
- Isberg — 20.5 mi
- Alger Lakes — 21.9 mi
- 20 Lakes Basin Loop — 22.6 mi