Killer Sunset at The Sisters near Carson Pass Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Crown Jewel of the Pacific Crest Trail Need a Map? Lost Al near Lost Keys Lake
Muir Ranch to Bishop Pass, and the North-South Lakes Loop along John Muir Trail.
 
Dicks, and Fontanillis Lakes from Dicks Pass

Muir Ranch to Bishop Pass
Backpacking Map

Pacific Crest Trail and John Muir Trail
with the
North-South Lakes Loop

30 minute USGS Backpacking Map

Aloha Lake under Pyramid Peak from Dicks Pass

Maps Index
JMT
Kings Canyon

Muir
Ranch

to
Mount
Whitney

Guide Index
JMT
Kings Canyon

Muir
Ranch

to
Mount
Whitney

30 min
MAP
NORTH

Vermilion
Valley

to
Muir
Ranch

30 min
MAP
SOUTH

Bishop
Pass

to
Whitney
Portal

Miles
and
Elevations

NORTH

Vermilion
Valley

to
Muir
Ranch

Miles
and
Elevations

SOUTH

Muir
Ranch

to
Mount
Whitney

Trail Guide
PAGE

Muir
Ranch

to
Evolution
Meadow

7.5 minute
MAP


Muir Ranch
to
Bishop Pass

Click
RED DOTS
for
Trail Guide
Page

Click
BLACK DOTS
for
detailed maps

WEATHER

Mammoth Lakes

All
High Sierra
Weather

RESUPPLY

Muir Ranch

Whitney Portal
Lone Pine

PERMITS
Sierra
National
Forest

Inyo
National
Forest

Kings Canyon

map information

Kings Canyon National Park

Detailed Map
Muir Ranch
to Bishop Pass

NorthJ MT-PCT
Vermilion Valley to Muir Ranch
Click
Black
and Red Dots

  South JMT-PCT
Bishop Pass to the Whitney Portal

Muir Ranch backpacking past North South Lake Loop to Bishop Pass.
North: Vermilion Valley to Muir Ranch Click
Black and Red Dots

  South: Bishop Pass to the Whitney Portal


Location

Main Features and Location Information

 

Mapology
Those squares breaking the USGS maps up into grids are the Universal Transverse Mercator / Military Grid Reference System, otherwise commonly known as UTM.

What's important for our general reference purpose is that each side of a square is 1000 meters, or a Kilometer.

From my point of view that is 1093.6 yards or .62 of a mile.

Diagonal: 1414.22 meters, if my trig is correct.

That converts the diagonal distance into 4,639.8 feet or .88 of a mile.

Map Information Map Symbols

Online and Trail Maps Online Length Conversion

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Mapping, Mileage,
and
National Forest Information

 

 

Map
Bishop, Cal, 1978, 30x60 minute USGS Topographic Map

Compass Offset
True North is 16 degrees West of Magnetic North

 

 

scale
1:100 000

Contours
50 meters

 

Backpacking permitting authority

National Park
Sequoia National Park

Wilderness Area
John Muir, East of the Sierra Crestline

Physical location
Southern Sierra

 

North map:  Vermilion Valley to Muir Ranch                             South map: Bishop Pass to the Whitney Portal

Elevations   More Information

Muir Ranch: feet

Entering Evolution Meadow: feet

Entering Evolution Basin: feet

Muir Pass: feet

Trail Guide, Section:

Trail Guide, Segment:

Google Map:


Map Credit

U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior
The
USGS

USGS MAP LOCATOR

I love the USGS, as you can see from the Tahoe to Whitney Maps.

I also dig the NWS, as you can see from our Weather Page.

We gotta know the terrain under our feet, and the weather in the sky. These are the basics. In that spirit, let's set you up with the USGS maps sufficient to plan and execute your High Sierra Backpacking Trip with a set of custom backpacking maps.

In fact, we can use the USGS to set us up to plan and hike anywhere in the US of A.

Move the Map to the Sierras. Or your favorite backpacking spot in the US of A. Navigate the map to the area you wish to locate maps. Click "Mark Point" in the options to see the USGS map grid of the various scaled maps.

Select the maps that will help you plan and execute your backpacking trip, set up a directory on your computer named for the trip or location of the maps, and begin downloading those suckers.

Open your USGS maps with Adobe Reader.

But first, we have to "unzip" the maps.

I use 7zip.

Custom Maps
Once we get the maps downloaded, unzipped, and running on Adobe Reader we can cut and paste the pieces of the maps we need together, and mark our selected hiking routes to create our own customized maps using MS Paint, Photoshop, or some other image software.

Printing
If we want to print up our maps for field use we need some printer technology and knowledge. I understand Inkjet printers, special inks, and the proper paper are necessary to print up servicable maps.

At least one reader of Tahoe to Whitney has copied and printed out Tahoe to Whitney Maps with success.

Map Information Map Symbols

Online and Trail Maps

That is totally cool for personal and non-profit uses.

Trailhead
Comments
Contact
Alex Wierbinski

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Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney

Your guide to backpacking the Sierra Crest, including the Tahoe to Yosemite, Pacific Crest, and John Muir Trails
© Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Crown Jewel of the Pacific Crest Trail