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Thru-Hiking the JMT: Tuolumne to Upper Lyell Canyon

July 30, 2013 By Jeff H 7 Comments

Lyell Fork

Day Four on the John Muir Trail

Tuolumne Meadows StoreI was looking forward to this day. The mileage was a little easier, and the first nine miles were up the almost imperceptible incline of Lyell Canyon. Getting in later than expected on Day Three meant hanging around until the Tuolumne Meadows Post Office opened so we could pick up our resupply package.

While we waited, we feasted on tasty breakfast burritos at the café. The post office doesn’t open until 9am, and then we had to divvy up the foodstuffs, squeeze everything into our bear canisters and reload our packs. As we were repacking, we met some fellow JMT thru-hikers also picking up their resupply. I’ve found that camaraderie amongst backcountry hikers is effortless.  As John Muir said, “One touch of Nature makes the whole world kin.” You feel that kinship among just about everyone you meet on the trail. I think Muir was on to something.

img
John Muir Trail Day 4
Distance: 10.25 miles
Cumulative Distance: 40.75 miles
Total Ascent: 1,475 ft
Cumulative Ascent: 12,570 ft
Harrison Map Sheet 12
GPX file
It was nearly 10am when we finally hit the trail — a very late start. From the post office, we took a trail towards the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge then a short segment of the Pacific Crest Trail. This led us to a sturdy bridge over the Lyell Fork, finally reuniting us with the JMT.

Hari heads out

The trail up Lyell Canyon was heavenly. Well, the first nine miles or so.

The water is unbelievably beautiful

First off, the trail is soft, smooth and straight. It’s as close to level as you’ll see on the JMT. And it parallels the sublime waters of the Lyell Fork creek. The waters of Lyell Fork were so clear and so stunning, it was difficult to keep out of the water. So we jumped in! 

At our lunch break, Joan and I (Jeffrey and Hari were up ahead, as routine) found a secluded boulder outcrop next to a wide, deep section of the creek. We kicked our boots off and stretched out on the boulders like lizards in the sun. When it got a little too warm, we jumped into the invigorating water, washing away the trail grime and sweat. It was heaven on earth.

I swam

We lazily lounged about for two hours, enjoying the perfect setting, and then decided we’d better hit the trail again if we were going to make camp before nightfall.

img
Enjoying the Journey
JMT-JoanWe found that by the end of the day, we were so exhausted, that after cleaning up from dinner, we just wanted to climb into our tent to sleep. I loved our long lunches when we lounged, soaked our tired feet in the water, and took some time to enjoy the moment.
As we hiked up Lyell Canyon, we saw pristine meadows, a multitude of tiny, nameless waterfalls down the steep canyon walls, wildlife and wild flowers. Finally, our trail began to climb. And boy did it climb.

The last bit goes up steeply

Our elevation gain for the day was modest by JMT standards (about 1,475 ft). But most of it was in the last mile. The trail is made up of granite steps better suited to horses than humans. This makes sense because both the JMT and the PCT were designed specifically to support horses, explaining in part the giant-sized steps we climbed to our camp for the night.

We made camp at Upper Lyell Canyon, just before the wooden bridge. There are a number of great camp sites here, and they are spread out far enough that although we had seen other hikers there, we weren’t aware of their presence when we were at our camp site.

Lyell Fork runs rapid here, so filtering water required extra caution. We didn’t want to fall in or lose any equipment.

And at an elevation of 9,670 ft, we were nearing the tree line. Tomorrow we’d be heading over snow-covered Donohue Pass and saying good-bye to Yosemite.

Tuolumne Meadows to Upper Lyell Canyon

This map details our journey on Day 4 of the JMT, from Tuolumne Meadows to Upper Lyell Canyon. You’ll notice that the trail follows a nice, gentle slope for the first nine miles, then ends with a strenuous climb. Phew!

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Download file: JMT-Day-41.gpx

JMT Day 4 Photo Gallery

Click on any photo to view a larger version. You can also leave comments on any photo.




The water is unbelievably beautiful
Tempting us to jump in

I swam





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Tomorrow, we hike over Donohue and Island Pass and down to Thousand Island Lake. 

Originally hiked on July 30, 2010. 

Filed Under: JMT Resources, Trail Guides Tagged With: 8-10 miles, Backpacking, Day 4, Hiking The John Muir Trail, JMT, John Muir, John Muir Trail, Lyell, mountain, National Park, resupply, Sierra Nevada, Tuolumne Meadows, wilderness, Yosemite, Yosemite National Park

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Jeff H

About Jeff H

I'm an avid hiker and backpacker. My wife Joan and I are on the trails every weekend. I started SoCal Hiker to share my passion for outdoor adventure.

Comments

  1. Chris Marks says

    March 6, 2014 at 1:44 pm

    Man… this post really makes me miss summertime.

    Reply
  2. Barbara says

    March 18, 2014 at 6:43 pm

    I am hoping to hike the JMT next year for my 60th birthday. I’ve started doing the research and this website is fantastic!!! Thank you for doing this for all of us.

    Reply
  3. Nasim says

    May 12, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    The picture of the trout, which part of the trail was that?

    Reply
  4. Jeff HJeff Hester says

    February 3, 2016 at 5:49 pm

    Nasim, you can find trout like that in many places along Lyell Canyon. The trail parallels the creek the entire way, so you will see many, many trout.

    Reply

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JMT Planning

  • Overview of the JMT
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  • Our JMT Itinerary
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Day-by-Day on the JMT

  • Driving to Lone Pine
  • Shuttle from Lone Pine to Yosemite
  • DAY 1: Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley (plus Half Dome)
  • DAY 2: Little Yosemite Valley to Sunrise Camp
  • DAY 3: Tuolumne Meadows Resupply
  • DAY 4: Tuolumne to Upper Lyell Canyon
  • DAY 5: Lyell Canyon to Thousand Island Lake
  • DAY 6: Thousand Island Lake to Reds Meadow
  • DAY 7: Devil’s Postpile to Deer Creek
  • DAY 8: Deer Creek to Tully Hole
  • DAY 9: Tully Hole to VVR
  • DAY 10: Zero DAY at VVR
  • DAY 11: Mono Creek to Rosemarie Meadow
  • DAY 12: Rosemarie Meadow to Muir Trail Ranch
  • DAY 13: Muir Trail Ranch to McClure Meadow
  • DAY 14: Over Muir Pass to Helen Lake
  • DAY 15: Le Conte Canyon to Palisade Creek
  • DAY 16: The Golden Staircase and Mather Pass
  • DAY 17: Over Pinchot Pass to Woods Creek
  • DAY 18: Woods Creek to Rae Lakes
  • DAY 19: Rae Lakes, Glen Pass to Vidette Meadow
  • DAY 20: Forester Pass to Wright Creek
  • DAY 21: Wright Creek to Guitar Lake
  • DAY 22: To Mt Whitney and Whitney Portal

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