John Muir Trail

The biggest practical issue this trip is daylight. Sunset at 4:56 PM means you're looking at roughly 10.5 usable hours, and at JMT elevations in early November that window compresses further once you're in canyon shade or on north-facing terrain. Plan your daily mileage conservatively and aim to be in camp by 3:30 PM. If you're doing big elevation days, start at first light — 6:22 AM — not 7 or 8.

Temperatures are cold but manageable: highs topping out at 44–45°F with overnight lows hitting 21–24°F through the trip. The real story is wind. Tuesday stands out — 30 to 40 mph SW winds on an otherwise sunny day. At JMT elevations above 10,000 ft, that's going to drive significant wind chill and could make exposed ridge travel genuinely uncomfortable. Plan to be off exposed terrain or in a sheltered camp by midday Tuesday. The rest of the forecast is cleaner: Monday and Wednesday look excellent, with lighter winds and sun.

The stream flow gauges in the data are not on JMT drainages — Llagas Creek near Gilroy and Alameda Creek at Sunol are coastal Santa Cruz Mountains watersheds, not Sierra Nevada. Don't use them to assess crossing conditions on this route. With 0 inches of snow on the ground and no precipitation in the forecast, early-November flows on typical JMT crossings (Lyell Fork, Evolution Creek, etc.) should be low and well within normal range for this time of year. That said, scout every crossing before you commit — late-season flows vary and cold overnight temps (21°F) followed by warm afternoon sun can drive a small daily melt pulse, peaking flows around 2–4 PM.

No active fires within 50 miles and zero snow depth at all SNOTEL stations. The snowpack situation is a positive for travel — no postholing, no route-finding on snow — but also means no margin if a surprise storm rolls in. The forecast shows no precipitation, so you're likely fine, but carry layers for the 21–24°F overnights and have a plan for the Tuesday wind event.