I always thought the John Muir Trail was the longest continuous trail in the Sierra.

I was looking at a National Park Service map for Sequoia last week and saw a note about the High Sierra Trail. It's actually 72 miles from Crescent Meadow to the summit of Mount Whitney, which is longer than I realized. The fact it crosses the Great Western Divide really surprised me, I thought that was a much harder barrier. Has anyone here actually hiked the full High Sierra route?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_linda15d ago

Honestly, the whole "longest trail" debate feels like splitting hairs. It's just a line on a map. The High Sierra Trail is what, 72 miles? The John Muir Trail is over 200. They're both just long walks in the same mountains. Crossing a divide sounds epic, but on the ground it's just another pass to climb. People get so hung up on these titles instead of just going for a hike.

jessicab7015d agoOG Member

It's a serious route that needs real planning. The crossing at Kaweah Gap is no joke, and getting from the Giant Forest to Whitney is a huge change in elevation. You need a solid bear canister setup and to understand the permit system, which is totally different from the JMT. The resupply options are basically zero once you start, so your pack weight is critical.