Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion July or August for Whitney/JMT?

Hello experts,

I plan on hiking the JMT northbound this summer. I could either hike from 7/16-8/7 or 7/28-8/21, are either of these dates good or should I plan a later start? Which dates would you choose? I've read that mosquitos and snow can be an issue in July.

Again, thank you for your input.

Later dates are more likely to encounter smoke from forest fires. August is usually the most rainy in the Sierra, too.

Good point about the smoke and fires, thanks for the answer.

I did the JMT NOBO in late August last year - 2020 (Aug 24 - Sep 2) and I had literally no issues with mosquitos at all. Actually, it was kind of odd. I brought a spray can of OFF - Deep Woods Dry spray and I never used it once. I actually gave it to a south-bound hiker. I think it all depends if we get a heavy snow and wet rain season - mosquitos will be a problem. Last year was extremely dry - no mosquito problem.

As for the forest fires, I started at Horseshoe meadows and the Sequoia complex fire blew smoke northwards and it was really bad. Whitney was awful, and crabtree meadows was a snow storm of ash. As I passed Forester Pass, the smoke was never a problem for the remainder of the hike. I finished just as the Creek Fire started - got lucky.

Forest fires will be an issue this year if we get another dry weather pattern - hopefully more snow will arrive in the sierras!

Good Luck! I too am doing the JMT again this summer and NOBO is for sure a great way to go.

There is a reason why runners and speed hikers usually choose the last week of August/first week of September for the JMT - best trail conditions and best chances of good weather.