But to leave the mountains, hikers must walk down to Whitney Portal on the Eastern Sierra. About 177 miles of the Muir Trail coincides with the Pacific Crest Trail. On the trail, hikers walk along the Sierra spine through three national parks and two national forests. Besides Yosemite, the trail cuts through a large portion of Kings Canyon National Park and a smaller part of Sequoia National Park. It runs through Sierra and Inyo national forests.
Many people plan and hike the entire length in three weeks to a month.
With new ultralight backpacking methods, some prefer to walk it in 17 or 18 days. Others like to hike parts of it over a number of summers. No matter which approach people choose, the Muir Trail is considered a true collector's item among people who bag long-distance hikes. Photography is one of the biggest passions of hikers along the Muir Trail. There are literally thousands of placid glacial lakes displaying mirror images of jagged granite peaks and snow-rimmed cirques.