Thought the JMT was overrated until I actually hiked it

I spent years telling people the John Muir Trail was just a crowded Instagram trail with nothing special. Then I finally did the section from Reds Meadow to Whitney last September. The way the light hits those granite basins around Evolution Valley around 5pm is something no photo can capture. Has anyone else written off a popular route only to eat their words after?

2 comments

2 Comments

lewis.drew20d ago

There's a real lesson in this that applies to just about everything, not just hiking. I've watched my kids write off whole types of food or activities because of one bad first impression, and it takes a lot of gentle convincing to get them to try it again. The JMT is a good example of that same thing. People see the crowded parts, the iconic photos, and they assume the whole thing is just a zoo. But the real magic is in the 95% of the trail nobody posts about, the quiet stretches where you have to earn the view. It's easy to judge something based on its most famous or accessible part, but the best parts usually take a little more effort to get to. That Evolution Valley light you mentioned is the kind of thing you can't put in a brochure, you just have to go see it for yourself.

eva_garcia5621d ago

Ok but "just a crowded Instagram trail" feels a little unfair. I mean sure, the first few miles out of Yosemite Valley can feel like a parade, but that's only like 5% of the whole trail. The stretch you did from Reds Meadow south is where it really opens up and gets quiet, especially if you push past the touristy stops. I think people see the photos of Half Dome and think that's the whole JMT vibe, when really most of it is just endless quiet granite and sky. Evolution Valley at golden hour is no joke, I totally get why you changed your mind.