111th Birthday John Muir Trail

Celebrating 111 years of the John Muir Trail!
On May 17, 1915, California Governor Hiram Johnson signed a bill into law dedicating funds to construct a trail through the High Sierra honoring John Muir “for his inestimable service in making known to the world the wonders of the mountains of California.”

That was 111 years ago today.

Construction was neither fast nor simple. Within two years of the first funding, crews had roughed out two major sections: from Yosemite south to Grouse Meadow in Le Conte Canyon, and from Vidette Meadow north to Mount Whitney.

Over the following decades, new stretches were carved, and difficult sections improved as funds allowed. The summit trail to Mount Whitney was completed in 1930. Forester Pass, discovered only a year earlier, was finished in 1931. The final section, the Golden Staircase, was completed in 1938.

Twenty-three years of work. Five funding bills. $50,000 in state appropriations (roughly $1.25 million in today’s dollars). Countless hours of federal labor. Every supply packed in by mule. And 213.7 miles of trail, from Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mount Whitney, through some of the most rugged and beautiful terrain in North America.

A GIFT TO MARK THE OCCASION

To celebrate the 111th anniversary, JMT Wild has released a limited-edition poster printed from the first official map of the John Muir Trail produced by California State Engineer W.F. McClure and dated 1916. The poster is 12×18 inches, printed in high quality, with the founding date rendered in gold ink: May 17, 1915.

The first 50 donors who give $100 or more will receive one of these exclusive posters as a thank-you gift. Once they are gone, they are gone. (Make sure to mention the poster in the donation note!)