Half the joy of a vacation happens before the actual trip. The planning, the daydreaming, the anticipation…!

I’ve had permits for the John Muir Trail since February, which means I’ve had 6 months to daydream by reading all the books and blogs I could get my increasingly starry eyes on.

Here are 11 books I’ve enjoyed reading as I prepared to hike the JMT. They range from informative guidebooks to personal memoirs, meal planning guides, stories and history of the Sierra Nevada region, fun facts about plants and animals, and even a meditation on trails in general.

Maybe I’ll write my own JMT memoir someday. I’ll call it “Not Another Hiking Memoir.” 😉 But until then, here’s what’s on my Sierra Nevada shelf.

1. John Muir Trail: The Essential Guide to Hiking America’s Most Famous Trail

This incredibly detailed, turn-by-turn guidebook is a must-have for anyone hiking the JMT. Elizabeth Wenk’s enthusiasm for the geology, flora and fauna of the region is contagious.

Many hikers carry this book with them on the trail —I’d recommend the Kindle version, if so— and make time at camp each night to read about the next day’s section.

2. Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada

This book got me on a first-name basis with some of my favorite plants and animals around the Sierra. Color-coded pages and helpful illustrations make it easy to look up things like “pink flower” or “scary looking beetle with antlers” when you don’t know the name.

3. Highs and Lows on the John Muir Trail

Inga Aksamit is an admin and active poster in a lot of JMT Facebook groups as well as a blogger with lots of practical advice. After reading a lot of content from serious thru-hikers (the people who hike 20+ miles a day,) it was nice to read a “normal” person’s account of the trail (from someone like me who’s fit but not necessarily an athlete, hiking a long-distance trail for the first time.)

4. Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail

Suzanne Roberts hiked the JMT with two girlfriends after graduating college in 1993, and her journal entries are relatable and entertaining. Despite plenty of obstacles —blisters and bugs, boy drama, a severely anorexic hiking partner, almost running out of food— they completed the trail and learned a lot along the way.

5. The Hungry Spork: A Long Distance Hiker’s Guide to Meal Planning

A helpful, practical guide to trail food with tons of recipe inspiration. I ended up packing mostly pre-packaged meals instead of dehydrating my own, but the nutrition info and lightweight flavor tips were super helpful. I know I’ll reference this book for future trips.

6. The Land of Little Rain

Mary Austin is sometimes known as the female John Muir for her lyrical descriptions of the southern Sierra Nevada. The text is public domain, so you can find non-illustrated versions of it online and even on Amazon for FREE!!

You can also visit her house in Independence, California, the cute little town below Kearsage Pass with the world’s cutest post office (that’s also a common JMT re-supply.)

7. The Last Season

I couldn’t put this one down! It’s non-fiction but the story is as captivating as they come. It follows the life and disappearance of Sequoia backcountry ranger Randy Morgenson, with lots of info on the region and the history of the ranger program.

8. On Trails: An Exploration

This isn’t specifically about the JMT, but it’s a great popular science-y read for any hiker. I brought the paperback version with me to Minaret Lake and ended up reading it for hours.

9. Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California’s Natural Resources

What John Muir called “wilderness” was often actually the farms and gardens of dozens of indigenous tribes. This dizzyingly detailed book squashes the “hunter gatherer” myth and gives a glimpse of pre-invasion ecological abundance in California you’ll wish you had a time machine to see. A must-read/reality check for anyone reading Muir.

10. John Muir: Wilderness Essays

But of course, no John Muir Trail reading list is complete without the man himself. No one can rhapsodize about a wildflower or a water ouzel quite like Muir. “My First Summer in the Sierra” and “The Yosemite” in particular are eminently quotable and will have you hearing the mountains’ call in no time.

—-

Any favorite books about the John Muir Trail, hiking, or the Sierra Nevada I should add to this list? Let me know below!

Photos of me by fellow bookworm and hiking enthusiast @whileholdingcoffee, one of my fiercest supporters on and off the trail. Yes, I am wearing shorts.