Weather forecast for the John Muir Trail in March

In March, the John Muir Trail has mostly cold weather with changing conditions as you move through different areas.

At lower areas and earlier in the month, you’ll often see sunny days with temperatures from the mid-30s to low 20s (°F). Sometimes, you might get light to moderate snowfall and cloudy skies.

As you go higher and further, it gets colder, especially at night. Daytime temperatures may stay in the low to mid-30s, while nighttime temperatures can drop into the teens. You might see more moderate to heavy snow, especially near mountain passes like Donahue Pass and Garnet Lake, where snow is common.

Toward the end of the trail, temperatures get a bit warmer, with highs in the 40s as you near Whitney Portal. Still, you might get freezing rain and snow, even though sunny and partly cloudy days become more frequent. Precipitation changes along the trail but is higher where snow showers happen more often.

Overall, the trail has a mix of sunny and unpredictable weather, with big changes in temperature and precipitation depending on the elevation and rough terrain.