JMT Wilderness Conservancy

The John Muir Trail is a 213-mile trail through the high-elevation central Sierra Nevada that traverses the Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks, as well as the Inyo and Sierra National Forests. It is the oldest recreational hiking trail in American history and offers a unique and internationally-renown access to high elevation terrain in the Sierra Nevada. Along its path, the JMT also traverses the John Muir Wilderness and the Ansel Adams Wilderness, which are designated under the 1964 Wilderness Act. As federally-protected public lands, the protection and conservation of the wilderness of the JMT region fall under the purview of the National Park Service (NPS) and the United States Forest Service (USFS).

The JMT Wilderness Conservancy fundraises to support critical and long-deferred federal and state efforts to restore and manage the impacts of high recreational use across the JMT region. In particular, the organization underwrites programs designed to restore impacted wilderness, support endangered species and to mitigate the consequences of climate change. Additionally, JMT Wilderness Conservancy partners with Stanford University and the University of California, Merced, to offer summer internships for academic credit to engage qualified students in conservation work. Through these various projects, JMT Wilderness Conservancy fulfills its mission to care for the wilderness, wildlife and waters of the JMT region and looks to the future to address and mitigate the effects of climate change.