This is arguably the easiest permit to get to hike the John Muir Trail (but don’t let that fool you, it can still be competitive, especially for the peak seasons of July and August). From Horseshoe Meadows, you can start at either the Cottonwood Pass or Cottonwoods Lakes trailheads. This is the permit I ultimately got for my August 2021 John Muir Trail thru-hike. I did apply for both the other permits (southbound out of Yosemite and northbound out of Whitney Portal), but I did not win either of the lotteries. However, I honestly loved going northbound out of Horseshoe Meadows and felt like it was one of those “everything happens for a reason” experiences.
Something to be aware of is that going northbound out of Horseshoe Meadows will add additional miles to your hike if you plan on hiking all the way to Happy Isles Trailhead in Yosemite National Park and summitting Mount Whitney. If you go this way, you are actually starting your hike south of the official John Muir Trail. You will hike on the Pacific Crest Trail and intersect the John Muir Trail at Crabtree. Starting from Horseshoe Meadows will add roughly 20 miles to your John Muir Trail hike (20.4 miles to Crabtree if starting from Cottonwood Pass Trailhead and 22.5 miles if starting from Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead), not including taking a side trip to Mount Whitney. In order to hike Mount Whitney, you’ll he to do an out-and-back from Crabtree to tag the summit, which adds miles to your trip. From the Crabtree junction, the summit of Mount Whitney is a 7.5-mile hike one-way.
I started from Cottonwood Pass and hiked about 260 miles total (this included extra mileage for resupply at Onion Valley) vs. the standard 221-mile JMT length from Happy Isles to Whitney Portal), but I loved hing additional time on the trail.
Where & When to Apply for a Northbound John Muir Trail Permit from Horseshoe Meadows via Cottonwood Pass Trailhead or Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead:
Northbound permits for Cottonwood Pass and Cottonwood Lakes trailheads are reserved via the Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permits page on Recreation.gov. The permits are made ailable on a 6-month rolling basis for 60% of the ailable quota (quota is the number of people that can start at each location per day) and then the remaining 40% of the quota is ailable 2-weeks in advance of the trip dates:
Cottonwood Pass: Quota season for Cottonwood Pass entry point is June 30 - September 15 (the number of people per day is limited). So if you are checking for a permit date that is prior to June 30th (or after September 15th) for Cottonwood Pass, you cannot reserve online and only walk-up permits will be ailable. There will be 24 permits per day ailable 6 months in advance for quota season and 16 more will be ailable 2 weeks in advance.
Cottonwood Lakes: Quota season for Cottonwood Lakes entry point is May 1 - Nov 1. There are 36 permits per day ailable 6 months in advance in quota season and 24 more will be ailable 2 weeks in advance.
The permit application opens at 7:00 am Pacific Time each day for the date 6 months in advance. You need to be logged into Recreation.gov ahead of time so right at 7:00 am PT you can select the date and trailhead you want. During the more desired dates (July and August), the permits will likely go within a few minutes, so I recommend practicing the permit application process a couple of times before you apply for your desired date.
Cottonwood Pass vs. Cottonwood Lakes Trails
Both trails start out of Horseshoe Meadows and are roughly the same distance to the John Muir Trail junction at Crabtree. It is 20.4 miles if hiking Cottonwood Pass and 22.5 miles if hiking Cottonwood Lakes. Cottonwood Pass is a bit easier while Cottonwood Lakes is a bit harder but more scenic. Cottonwood Lakes is considered harder because you go over New Army Pass, which is at an elevation of 12,400 ft, with an elevation gain of 2,400 ft over 8.2 miles. Whereas Cottonwood Pass it at an elevation of 11,200 ft, with an elevation gain of 1,200 ft over 3.75 miles.
I got a permit for Cottonwood Pass and I think that was a great way to start the John Muir Trail for me because it wasn’t too hard but was still beautiful.
STEPS TO APPLY FOR A NORTHBOUND PERMIT FROM COTTONWOOD PASS/COTTONWOOD LAKES:
Step 1: Log in to your Recreation.gov account or create one if you don’t he one (make sure to do this first!)
Step 2: Go to Recreation.gov’s Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permits page
Step 3: Click “Explore ailable permits”
Step 4: Select "No" for the question "Is this a commercial guided trip? This can include an Outfitter, Guide, or pack Outfitter" (unless you are a commercial guided trip, then select 'yes')
Step 5: Select your permit type as “Overnight”
Step 6: Choose your start date
Step 7: Input your group size
Step 8: In the chart, scroll down to “Cottonwood Lakes” or “Cottonwood Pass” and click on the date you want if permits are ailable.
If permits are ailable for the date you are trying to get, there will be a number in the box. If only walk-ups are ailable, it will he a “W” and indicates 40% of the quota will open for reservations 2 weeks before the trip (or in the case of “Cottonwood Pass”, it will say “W” for dates prior to the last Friday in June since that is not quota-season, yet). If the date’s permits he not yet been made ailable, the box will be gray with a “0”.
Step 9: Click “Book Now” (once you do this, your permit will be held for you for 15 minutes so you can fill out the rest of the application, but if you do not complete it within this time, they will release it and someone else can take it)
Step 10: Fill out Permit Holder information (name, email, phone number, and address) for yourself and add alternate permit holders if you want to (you may select a maximum of 3 other people to act as alternate permit holders)
Step 11: Confirm group size
Step 12: Select your “Exit Point”. To hike the John Muir Trail, you’ll want to select “Happy Isles - Yosemite Valley (Exit Only) Yosemite NP - YOS01”
Step 13: Choose your “Exit Date” based on how many days you plan on taking to hike the trail.
I selected a date a few days later than I actually planned on finishing just to he some wiggle room in case something unexpected happened (i.e. taking an unplanned zero-day (rest day), hiking fewer miles per day than planned, etc.). There’s no issue finishing your hike earlier than what your permit Exit Date says, but you must be off the trail by your selected Exit Date. You can update your “Exit Date” online later, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much when applying for your permit, just make sure it is accurate when you print or pick up your permit.
Step 14: Select your campsites for each night. These can be updated later and they don’t he to be completely accurate. You must at minimum select your first night’s campsite (i.e. I started at Cottonwood Pass and camped at Chicken Spring Lake my first night)
Step 15: Select “Trel Method” of “Foot”
Step 16: Indicate whether or not you are bringing animals on the trip (please note that if you are planning on hiking the full John Muir Trail, it does go through National Parks and dogs are not allowed in National Parks)
Step 17: Read the "Need to Know" information and check the box acknowledging you read and agree to the Need to Know information.
Step 18: Click "Proceed to Cart" and pay the $11 fee.
What I really like about the Northbound Permit is that you know immediately whether or not you get it. If the day you want doesn’t he any ailable permits, try again the following day and check for cancellations every day.
ConclusionGetting the permit was honestly the most stressful part of planning my John Muir Trail hike, so I hope this helps you he a smooth permit application process. Make sure to check out my John Muir Trail Resupply Guide to help plan your thru-hike!
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Backpacking Gear I Took:Here is all the gear I brought with me on my John Muir Trail thru-hike! For a full gear review, check out: John Muir Trail Gear List (lightweight).