High Sierra Topix

Hey everyone -

I'm planning a trip for a portion of the JMT this summer from Mammoth to Onion Valley and trying to align on the best time to do it. In a normal year, it seems like the consensus is typically to start in August to allow for snow melt and run-off. That said, work schedules and other obligations in Aug/Sept may not allow me to get away later in the season. Instead, I'm looking at a July 20-31st time frame.

Understanding that it's currently still early in the water year, we're definitely running behind in terms of snow pack in the southern Sierra (22% of normal as of today). Has anyone else done the JMT in late July in either a normal or low snow year? If so, what are your thoughts? Any input would be hugely helpful.

Thanks!

Hi Dryfly,

Welcome to HST!

My guess is that your dates are just perfect, but be prepared for the mosquitoes, and if we get some late storms, dropping some serious amounts of white stuff, then some of the higher passes may hold some snow, but you will have had enough PCT/JMT traffic by then, not require any technical gear.

Thanks for the info, Maverick! Guess I'll just have to keep close tabs on the snowpack. Do you think mosquitos tend to be less pervasive in August or is it more a function of how big of a winter we get?

Do you think mosquitos tend to be less pervasive in August or is it more a function of how big of a winter we get?

In a normal year, the mosquito activity tends to wind down slowly in mid August, last year they were still annoying in early Sept, 2-3 years ago during the drought, they were mostly gone by August.
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Hey dryfly,
I did the JMT in late July 2013 (a medium snow year), and it was fine. I encountered zero challenging snow crossings. In my opinion, July is a perfect time for the JMT: the daylight is relatively long, the meadows remain green, and there's usually enough snowmelt to keep the waterfalls flowing. It's true that you will encounter mosquitos in July... but not everywhere! Bring repellant and a headnet, don't camp near the wet boggy spots, and you'll be fine.

Thank you Maverick & Flamingo! Great to get some first hand knowledge. Those mosquito reports are awesome - will be sure to track those moving forward. Here's to still getting a decent snow pack but clearing out of the way before mid July!

I hiked the JMT in 2015 from July 21 to August 3, a low snow year, and there wasn't any snow on any of the passes by then. Also very little mosquito activity.