Never cut down standing trees or branches off of standing trees. Please use existing campfire rings and make small fires to conserve available firewood. Extinguish fires with water, stirring until cold, never pour dirt on your fire as this rapidly fills the campfire ring. Campstoves are strongly recommended. Camp on mineral soil, never on vegetation.
T aving camp try to make the site look as if no one had been there.
To behold this alone is worth the pains of any excursion a thousand times over. Bears are present in many areas of the John Muir Trail. Improper food storage often results in bears eating food that is bad for them, and a hungry hike out to the nearest trailhead for the ill-prepared hiker. Bear-proof food storage lockers have been placed at some locations along the trail. Park regulations require that food be hung using the counter-balance method or stored in one of the lockers provided.