Build your JMT resupply plan
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Happy Isles → Whitney summit → Whitney Portal
Your trail
JMT + separate Portal hike · USGS elevations
Resupply map
Resupply information
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Daily targets · enlarged trail corridors
Approximate targets, not campsites. Mapped 2D chainage; Portal and access hikes separate. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright
Selected pickup logistics
John Muir Trail resupply overview
OpenStreetMap route data · © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0. Day positions interpolate retained original mapped chainage. Agency description: about 211 mi; mapped 2D route: 208.65 mi. The line is an overview, not a navigation map.
Resupply stops and logistics
The guide below works without JavaScript. Enable JavaScript to personalize daily mileage, stop choices and a printable itinerary. Source information was checked 2026-10-02; future-season dates and fees need confirmation.
Read the complete location guide below for access, mailing and collection instructions.
Plan your food carries
Start with a pace you can manage with a loaded pack at altitude. Add a few pickups, then look at your longest carry. The map shows the walking miles, food days and average climbing between your choices.
A shorter carry can mean a lighter pack. It can also mean a long side hike or a ride into town. Compare the extra travel with the food weight you would save before adding a stop.
Leave room for delays and rest days. The plan estimates walking days; it does not add time for shopping, waiting or transport.
JMT resupply stops
Here are the options on the map, from north to south. Use the operator links to confirm arrangements before you send anything.
Buy / mailed pickup · 22.5 mapped JMT miles from Happy Isles
Tuolumne Meadows
A short side trip for a store visit or a mailed pickup near the northern end of the JMT.
0.42 mi access hiking each way · 0.84 mi round trip.
- Use USPS General Delivery. The NPS publishes the format below; another published address differs, so confirm it with the post office. Mark the package as food and include your pickup date. Avoid perishables; unmarked food packages may be held only 14 days.
- Pickup
- Bring suitable photo ID. Check post office hours and store opening dates separately: an early-season hike can reach Tuolumne before services open. The ranger station is not a food pickup. Tioga Road and bus seasons are separate, too.
NPS mailing format
Your name
c/o General Delivery
Tuolumne Meadows, CA 95389
NPS resupply guidance · Yosemite seasonal guide · General Delivery rules
Back to planner ↑Buy / mailed pickup · 58.2 mapped JMT miles from Happy Isles
Red’s Meadow
A nearby seasonal store and reserved mailed pickup. Choose this or Mammoth at the same trail junction.
0.28 mi access hiking each way · 0.56 mi round trip.
- Reserve first and use the operator’s current label. Its linked form specifies USPS and a box or 5-gallon bucket. The current resupply page asks for arrival at least 14 days before pickup; the older form differs.
- Pickup
- The operator collects mailed packages in Mammoth and brings them to the resort. Confirm your collection window and fee when booking. Unclaimed packages are not returned. Hiking to the resort and taking the road or shuttle into town are different access plans.
Published mailing address
Your name
Red’s Meadow Resort
P.O. Box 395
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
Book and check shipping · Linked 2025 form · Store details
Back to planner ↑Town access · 58.2 mapped JMT miles from Happy Isles
Mammoth Lakes via Red’s Meadow
Choose town if you want grocery and gear shopping beyond a trail store. It replaces Red’s Meadow in this plan.
0.28 mi access hiking each way · 0.56 mi round trip.
- Getting to town
- Walk to Red’s Meadow, then arrange seasonal road or shuttle transport. Those road miles are separate from hiking. Check access in both directions: road closures can cover pedestrians and bicycles as well as vehicles. No bus or hitch is guaranteed; the 2027 schedule is unconfirmed.
- Food and mail
- Allow time to shop and get back to the trail. For a mailed pickup, confirm the authorized General Delivery facility, address, ZIP and postal hours directly. No unverified town address is supplied here.
Road and shuttle access · PCTA resupply overview · General Delivery rules
Back to planner ↑Buy / mailed pickup · 86.7 mapped JMT miles from Happy Isles
Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR)
A resort store and mailed pickup with a substantial side hike. This plan walks both ways, without an assumed ferry.
6.49 mi access hiking each way · 12.98 mi round trip.
- Send a box or bucket up to 25 lb. Label your name and estimated arrival on four sides, and arrange arrival at least 14 days before pickup. Use the address for your carrier.
- Access and timing
- No ferry ran in 2026; 2027 service is unconfirmed. The resort’s shorter dock-to-resort mileage starts off the JMT. Return to the same junction to keep the full trail. Recheck seasonal pickup deadlines and fees before sending.
USPS
HOLD FOR HIKER (your name)
c/o VVR - General Delivery
Lakeshore, CA 93634
UPS / FedEx
Vermilion Valley Resort
c/o China Peak Landing
62311 Huntington Lake Road
Lakeshore, CA 93634
Shipping and pickup · Season and ferry status
Back to planner ↑Mail pickup · 106.2 mapped JMT miles from Happy Isles
Muir Trail Ranch (MTR)
Send your complete food carry: the ranch’s current rules say no food sales or hiker box.
0.88 mi access hiking each way · 1.76 mi round trip.
- Reserve and prepay. Pack a sturdy plastic bucket, 5 gallons or smaller, not cardboard. Label the lid with your name and pickup date; secure the handle and tape the lid. Ship at least 21 days ahead (28 internationally); USPS Priority Mail is recommended.
- Pickup
- Tracking to Lakeshore does not mean your food is at the ranch. Arrive early and your bucket may still be at Florence Lake. Non-guest meals, showers and laundry are not included.
- Budget
- 2026: $115 up to 25 lb, plus $2 per extra pound and postage. 2027 fees and dates are unconfirmed.
Published mailing address
Your name
c/o Muir Trail Ranch
PO Box 176
Lakeshore, CA 93634
Arrange your bucket · Packing and pickup rules
Back to planner ↑Town access · 135.1 mapped JMT miles from Happy Isles
Parchers Resort via Bishop Pass
A long out-and-back over Bishop Pass, followed by a separate road walk from South Lake to the resort.
12.12 mi access hiking each way · 24.25 mi round trip. Plus 1.34 mi road walking each way (2.69 mi round trip).
- Use UPS or FedEx; USPS is not accepted. A sealed bucket is preferred, though boxes are accepted. Label it “Hold for thru Hiker” with your name and arrival date. Published storage is limited to 30 days, with no return shipping.
- Pickup and rides
- The operator’s undated page lists 06:30–18:00 collection and a $30 storage fee. Confirm the season, hours and rate. Ask about a ride at least two days ahead; availability and price are not guaranteed. Check pedestrian road access if you plan to walk.
Published mailing address
Parchers Resort
5001 South Lake
Bishop, CA 93514
Town access · 177.6 mapped JMT miles from Happy Isles
Kearsarge Pass and Onion Valley
An extra pickup here can shorten the southern food carry, but it adds a return trip over Kearsarge Pass.
7.75 mi access hiking each way · 15.51 mi round trip.
- Mail and book
- Reserve Mt. Williamson Motel and Basecamp’s service first, then use its booking labels. Send USPS Priority Mail in a handled 3–5 gallon plastic bucket; arrange arrival at least seven days before pickup.
- Pickup
- Reserved delivery meets at the parking-lot turnaround by the toilets and bear boxes, not the campground lot. Afternoon times conflict (14:30 and 15:00); follow your booking confirmation. Never cache food unattended in trailhead or wilderness lockers.
- Town access
- Independence adds about 15 road miles each way. Book your ride or delivery and check the road is open. Grocery choice is smaller than Mammoth or Bishop.
Book a resupply service · Pickup details · USFS access factsheet (historical)
Back to planner ↑Before you mail your food
Book the pickup first where required, then follow that location’s current carrier, container and label instructions. These are separate businesses with different rules.
Allow time beyond the carrier’s delivery estimate. A package delivered to a town collection point may still need to reach the resort. Keep your tracking number and confirm receipt before you depend on that food.
If you plan to shop instead, check opening dates and food availability. Muir Trail Ranch’s published rules say no food sales and no hiker box; Yosemite ranger stations do not accept resupply packages. NPS: JMT permits, route and resupply · Muir Trail Ranch: current resupply rules
A few planning details
Trail miles and side trips. The JMT runs from Happy Isles to Mount Whitney’s summit. Whitney Portal is a separate approach or exit. This planner uses 208.7 miles of mapped JMT chainage and a separate 10.6-mile summit–Portal hike. Access hikes and road walking count separately; ferry and vehicle travel do not count as walking. NPS: JMT permits, route and resupply · NPS: Whitney access and permits · NPS Yosemite
Dates and conditions. Resupply information was checked 2026-10-02. Published 2026 details do not confirm 2027 openings, fees or ferry service. Recheck your permit, pickup arrangements, snow, rivers and closures before leaving. Daily markers are approximate targets, not confirmed legal campsites.
Reading the elevation profiles
Profiles use USGS elevations sampled along the mapped walking paths. Average climbing is the section’s estimated ascent divided by its walking days. The plan balances distance; individual days can be harder or easier. These estimates and the topographic map are planning aids, not navigation.
USGS 3DEP: approximately 10-meter native DEM, sampled every 50 meters; NAVD88 elevations, with a 3-meter vertical simplification for ascent. The central map uses an approximately 112-meter export; wider context uses approximately 304 × 297 meters and 200-meter contours. The outer layer's acquisition date and vertical datum are unknown. Route data: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0. USGS-produced data are in the U.S. public domain.
Your choices stay in this browser. Reset clears the saved plan. A shared link includes your pace, direction, date and pickups.
Public geodata: Download the original and derived JMT database (ZIP, 1.8 MB). OpenStreetMap-derived geometry, chainage and route-aligned samples are available under ODbL 1.0, © OpenStreetMap contributors. The bundle includes machine-readable data, provenance and license notes.
