Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trail Ranch. Reach a second junction within less than a mile with trails that head
northwest to Florence Lake or southwest toward the Muir Trail Ranch.
If you are packing out at Florence Lake, turn right to hike the 4.5 miles to the
ferry landing (7,350 feet). The trail to Florence Lake can be a bit confusing, as nu-
merous pack trails intersect it. Continue heading downhill through lodgepole forests
and meadows, with the San Joaquin River on your left (albeit not always visible) and
success will certainly come. There is a rough gravel jeep road used by the Muir Trail
Ranch that carries supplies from the ferry to the ranch that frequently intersects the
trail.
From late May until late September, the ferry runs every day, weather permit-
ting. From the trail, there are scheduled departures to the Florence Lake Store at 9
and 11 a.m. and 1, 3, and 5 p.m. Unless you have a very large group of people (30 or
more), reservations are not necessary. Use the radiotelephone at the landing to call
the store, and they will send a boat at the next scheduled time. You can purchase
your ticket (one-way adults, $10; children ages 12 and under, $5) when you arrive.
For Muir Trail Ranch (MTR), continue straight and stay right at the Y intersec-
tion to pick up food caches or spend the night in a cabin (reservations required). Des-
cend past the junction and enter through the gate next to the horse corral. Turn right
through a second metal gate and ring the hiker's tin can bell for assistance. While
certainly helpful, the MTR does not afford nearly the warm reception of Vermilion
Valley Resort. They will happily store your food caches (a whopping $45 to send it
here), but they aren't too interested in hikers in any other capacity. You can't eat
here, their hot springs are for guests only, and there's no camping. That being said,
they have a great storage house of food that other hikers have abandoned, and they
will gladly let you forage for extra trail mix. They are open to receiving hikers dur-
ing daylight hours. (See
more information on sending food
.
)
Established in the 1800s, the ranch was here well before the John Muir Trail
was completed in 1947, and it occupies close to 200 acres straddling the river. For
the most part, MTR caters to its own clientele of weeklong stays, where guests eat at
the ranch and take day excursions to nearby lakes and valleys on horseback. Re-
cently, they have launched a “shorter stay” program that allows hikers to stay
overnight for one night and use all their amenities. It's worth contacting them well in
advance if you'd like to take advantage of this and join the ranks of Clark Gable and
Carole Lombard, who slumbered here in the 1940s. Normally they have more avail-
ability for one-night stays in the shoulder season. See
Directions
following for con-
tact information.
To camp nearby, return to the last junction and follow signs to Blayney Hot
Springs. It can be crowded here, and the hot springs aren't incredibly self-evident.
