John Muir Trail Photo Gallery -- National Geographic Traveler

Half Dome Mountain
Photograph by Dmitri Alexander
The 211-mile John Muir Trail begins near the base of the iconic Half Dome mountain in Yosemite National Park, shown here with a background of star streaks, photographed using a slow shutter speed. The trail also passes through Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks on its way to its southern terminus atop Mount Whitney.
Read more in “Star Trek: Yosemite to the Moon” from the July/August 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler.
Evolution Basin
Photograph by Dmitri Alexander
For "Star Trek: Yosemite to the Moon," a feature story in the July/August issue of Traveler, photographer Dmitri Alexander hiked the length of California's fabled John Muir Trail after dark. In this shot, he traverses Evolution Basin during an all-night hike when "I was behind schedule and trying to make up the miles."
Tuolumne Meadows Lodge
Photograph by Dmitri Alexander
Along the way, a campfire—and prime rib—highlight a visit to the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge in Yosemite National Park.
Read more in “Star Trek: Yosemite to the Moon” from the July/August 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler.
Pitching a Tent
Photograph by Dmitri Alexander
During their night hike of the John Muir Trail, author James Vlahos and a hiking companion pitched tents after dark, “when finding flat ground is tricky,” Vlahos says. “You have to do it by braille.”
Read more in “Star Trek: Yosemite to the Moon” from the July/August 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler.
Red’s Meadow General Store
Photograph by Dmitri Alexander
Author James Vlahos, at left, and friend Tom Colligan, who hiked with Vlahos for the first ten days of the journey, enjoy well-earned ice-cold brews. They’re resting at the Red’s Meadow General Store, a resupply stop popular with John Muir Trail hikers.
Read more in “Star Trek: Yosemite to the Moon” from the July/August 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler.
Bear Creek
Photograph by Dmitri Alexander
As he approaches Bear Creek in the John Muir Wilderness at night, author James Vlahos hears “the lively sound of water, banishing loneliness.”
Read more in “Star Trek: Yosemite to the Moon” from the July/August 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler.
Hiker Erik Stromberg
Photograph by Dmitri Alexander
Hiker Erik Stromberg reaches a key junction, where a left turn will bring him to the final 1.9-mile-stretch of the John Muir Trail leading to the summit of Mount Whitney at 14,494 feet. "It was a cold, dark night," photographer Dmitri Alexander says, "and we were itching to get to the top."
Read more in “Star Trek: Yosemite to the Moon” from the July/August 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler.
Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Valley
Photograph by Dmitri Alexander
Ahwahnee Hotel, opened in 1927 and now a National Historic Landmark, glows on the floor of Yosemite Valley at dusk.
Read more in “Star Trek: Yosemite to the Moon” from the July/August 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler.