The Sierra Nevada Granite Ascent Trifecta is a premier alpine challenge combining the John Muir Trail (JMT), High Sierra Trail (HST), and a Half Dome summit detour—three of the range’s most iconic adventures.
The JMT spans 223 miles from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mount Whitney, gaining over 40,000 feet of elevation as it crosses legendary passes like Donahue, Muir, and Forester. It is widely regarded as the crown jewel of Sierra Nevada thru-hikes.
The HST is a 71-mile trans-Sierra route, beginning at Mount Whitney’s summit and ending at Crescent Meadow in Sequoia National Park, with 13,303 feet of elevation gain. First promoted in the 1930s as a grand wilderness adventure, it traverses deep canyons, alpine basins, and the Great Western Divide.
The Half Dome detour is a 7-mile out-and-back from the JMT’s junction with the Half Dome Trail near Happy Isles, climbing roughly 4,800 feet via the famed cable route to the 8,839-foot summit—one of the most iconic views in North American wilderness.
This route forms a continuous and non-overlapping traverse:
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The JMT and HST meet only at the summit of Mount Whitney, forming a natural transition point.
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The Half Dome detour is completed during the early miles of the JMT.
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There is no exit to Whitney Portal, maintaining an uninterrupted high route across the Sierra crest.
In total, the Granite Ascent Trifecta covers approximately 290 miles with ~58,000 feet of elevation gain. It delivers a balanced, demanding, and deeply scenic journey—historic and rugged with the HST, extended and alpine on the JMT, and technical and iconic on Half Dome—perfectly capturing the granite heart of the Sierra Nevada.
