Me and some friends are looking at doing the John Muir trail next year. We know that permits are extremely competitive, so any tips from anyone to possibly improve our chances on getting the permits?
I hiked the JMT in 2019... but I got a permit going northbound since I wasn't able to secure a traditional one going SOBO from Yosemite. Here's how- I got a permit starting out of Cottonwood Lakes through recreation.gov. Select the Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permit. You have to choose your campsite for each night (I think I chose a time frame around 3 weeks). I googled an existing itinerary to base each campsite on. The funny thing is I ended up starting a day early and going to the ranger station and getting a whole new permit, so you could potentially do walk up as well (if they are still doing that). Hope that helps!
