Most JMT thru-hikers resupply at several points along the trail. To resupply, pack your non-perishable supplies in a box or 5-gallon paint can (no more than 25 lbs), and mail it to yourself using the following addresses.
For mailing to a post office:
Your Name
c/o General Delivery
City, State, Zip Code
To all other locations:
Your Name
c/o Name of Business
Street Address
City, State Zip Code
Thru-Hike recommends labeling the sides of your package with your last name, “Hold for JMT Hiker” and “ETA:[month and day]” to make it easier to locate your package when you reach your resupply point.
| Mile | Address | Type of Service |
|---|---|---|
| 31.3 | Tuolumne Meadows Yosemite National Park CA, 95389 | P.O., US Mail |
| 66.7 | Reds Meadow | Print required form at redsmeadow.com |
| 99.8 | Vermillion Valley Resort c/o Rancheria Garage 62311 Huntington Lake Rd. Lakeshore, CA 93634 | UPS only, $18 fee per box. See special requirements and other mailing options at edisonlake.com, $10 fee for errors |
| 121.6 | Muir Trail Ranch P.O. Box 176 Lakeshore, CA 93634 | US Mail, open daily during limited season, $50/bucket. Visit muirtrailranch.com for special requirements and restrictions. |
Check with resupply point to verify addresses and mailing restrictions, as the rules sometimes change. The most important thing to remember is that you cannot ship fuel. All of these resupply points offer fuel for sale.
When to ship?
Generally you should mail your package 2-3 weeks before your pickup. Check with the resupply point for specific instructions.
Hi Jeff,
Great site, alots good informations.
How did you get re-supply for the section from Muir Trail Ranch to Whitney portal, its stretch of 100miles?
Did you had to carry aprox 10 days of food?
Yes, we carried 10 days of food. That was a challenge (10 days x 2 lbs food per day = 20 lbs of food each), but the bigger challenge was getting it to fit in a bear canister. We didn’t have to put the first day’s meals in the canister (we were eating them before nightfall), but even 9 days of food was a challenge. But it can be done.
If I were to do it again, I would probably recruit some friends to come in over Kearsarge Pass with a food drop (we did this on my first JMT trip in 1980). You can also hire a company that will bring in your resupply via horseback around that same area. That helps split it up to something more manageable.
Thanks Jeff,
I’m also concern about whether my bear canister would fit that much food, is there any bear box in the next 2-3 days hike from Muir Ranch, I’m wonder if I could carry the food outside the canister and store them in the bear box at night. I know there are bear canister at Raes lake, but its too far. The first 2-3 days is the most challenging, as my full size canister can mostly fit 7-8 days food.
Thanks
There are some bear boxes in a few areas (though these are slowly being removed and not replaced), and there are a few areas where the bear canisters are not (yet?) mandatory. But the safest bet is to squeeze 9 days of food into the canister (it CAN be done with careful food choices) or arrange one more resupply point (usually meeting someone near Kearsarge or hiking out there, which would then add a couple days).
Hi Jeff! We are doing a resupply at MTR and then nothing else. Besides food, what should we pack in our resupply bucket?
How much does Toulumne charge for holding your resupply?
@MeandMyselfonaTrail — that’s a bit of good news. Toulumne doesn’t charge anything to hold your resupply package, BUT… you have to mail it to them. You cannot drop it off there for them to hold; they simply won’t take it. You have to mail it to them.
Hi Jeff, do all of these locations sell canister fuel?
Jenny,
Tuolumne General Store, Reds Meadow and Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR) all sell fuel in isobutane canisters, white gas and denatured alcohol. Muir Trail Ranch — as I recall — does not. MTR doesn’t really have a “real” store per se. They have a few items for sale, but don’t expect much. On the other hand, MTR does have backpacker buckets where you are free to scavenge what people have donated.
Does Onion valley charge to hold Resupply buckets? I can’t find out if it’s $22 or $100.
I can see that your advising to send the resupply 2-3 weeks in advance… We are from Denmark and are planning a trip in August ´16 (if we can get the permit)… Therefore: We are comming from overseas and cannot buy and repack all our stuff 2-3 weeks in advance. We might only have one week before we hit the trail … Any idea how we can handle this challange ? …
Hi Jeff, what is the company that will bring in your resupply via horseback? I am having a hard time finding someone to deliver a resupply at Kearsarge Pass or even at Charlotte Lake.
For mule re-supply at Woods creek bridge (almost half way between Muir ranch and Whitney) contact Cedar Grove pack station 559-565-3464. They operate out of roads end in Kings Canyon. It is a 30 mile two day round trip for packer/horse/mule so it is not cheap. Try to share the cost. I’ve got a drop scheduled for August 26 2016 if that helps
My daughter will be ending her hike at Happy Isles and plans to stay awhile. Where is the closest place I can send her a resupply near Happy Isles. Thanks in advance.
Almost every trailhead parking area in the Central Sierra from Lone Pine to Yosemite has bear boxes designed so that people don’t leave food in cars. Technically it is illegal to leave food in the car and NOT use these. You can leave yourself a resupply box at these trailhead locations to pick up later. Just label it with pickup dates so rangers don’t ditch it for you. I successfully dropped resupply boxes using these at Tuolmne Meadows and Onion Valley in 2014 and they were undisturbed and ready for me when I arrived to pick them up. This approach does require that you drive to these scattered locations in advance to drop them off.
Stared new concoct:
http://hester.blogs.telrock.org
MTR fee is now eighty dollars, and they want it at their post office three weeks early. They also have canister stove fuel at what they say is a reasonable price. I just researched this yesterday, and mailed two buckets.
Had a rough experience with Sequoia Kings Pack Trains for resupply at Kearsage Pass; we were first limited with scheduling when we could pick up the resupply and raced to get there in time only to find that our resupply was not there. The packer was there with another group’s supply but not ours. We received several excuses from Danica (one of the owners who we corresponded directly with to confirm the pick up) after the fact for why our resupply was not there. We also heard several stories of issues with Sequoia Kings Pack Trains. Suggest using Mt Williamson Hotel for resupply to this area. This could have been an incredibly dangerous situation as we would not have had enough food to even hike out, but thanks to the kindness of strangers and the packer hunting down our box, we were able to get to our resupply 2 days later to finish the trail. Be wary of Sequoia Kings Pack Trains or at least have some back up plans in case the resupply does not show up. Happy trails!