Just found out the John Muir Trail has a 95% permit rejection rate for walk-ups now

I read it in a trail report from a ranger station in Lone Pine. That's basically a lottery system now, not a 'first come' thing. Anyone else try to get a walk-up permit in the last couple seasons and get totally shut out?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_phoenix26d ago

Saw that same report and it matches my experience. Tried for a walk-up at Tuolumne last August after my original plans fell through. Showed up at four in the morning and was already twentieth in line. They had maybe three slots for the whole trail. It felt pointless. The system is completely broken for anyone who can't plan a year ahead.

perez.mia26d ago

Ugh, that's brutal. I tried at Happy Isles two years back and it was the same story. Got there in the dark with a sleeping bag, whole line of people already wrapped around the building. They called out the numbers and my heart just sank. It turns a dream trip into a stressful gamble before you even take a step. What's the point of a walk-up if you need to camp out for days to maybe get one?