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The middle of nowhere.

More specifically, the Muir Trail Ranch is located in eastern Fresno County in California, and is an inholding surrounded by the John Muir Wilderness in the Sierra National Forest.

No. You will leave your car in the Forest Service parking lot at Florence Lake.

If you book early, you can find Airbnb type cabins in Shaver Lake or Huntington Lake, 2 hours and 1.5 hours away from Florence Lake. There are large hotels in Fresno, about 3.5 hours from Florence Lake.

This answer will vary from person to person depending on their hiking experience and physical fitness level. Most people take about 2 hours. There is a 500-foot elevation gain over the course of the trail. Please make sure you carry drinking water, a snack and bug spray. Earlier in the season there can be creek crossings where it is impossible to avoid wet feet, so dress accordingly.

Your luggage will take a 3-hour, 7 mile tortuous off-road 4x4 journey to get from the ferry landing at Florence Lake to MTR. For this reason we ask that you please limit the gear you bring, and pack all fragile items such as wine, fishing rods, camera equipment, etc. really well. Dry bags are the preferred luggage, and please make sure you have a tag or tape on your gear that has your name on it. If we are unable to use a 4x4, we will pack your gear in with mules.

Since we are designated as a “camp” rather than a hotel, we do not provide full linen service. Your bed will have a mattress pad and bottom sheet, pillows with cases and a pretty quilt.

The ranch is not only hard to get to on foot, it is also a logistical challenge to haul your gear and our own supplies in. We have a couple of vintage 4x4 vehicles that traverse a 7-mile, 3 hour route. If they are out of service we must pack your gear in on horseback. This leads us to cap your personal gear at 35 lbs per person.

We love dogs but please leave yours at home.

No, our corrals and grazing areas are not set up for outside horses.

Our insurance requires that kids are 6 and up to ride on the trails. We can give younger kids some one-on-one horse time with a wrangler in our corral.

We don’t have enough bandwidth to support everyone’s personal device. If you need to check email we keep a laptop set up for guest use.

We do not have on-staff hiking guides, but we can recommend many wonderful on and off-trail places to go.

We do not have an on-staff fishing guide. Our crew generally knows where to go to look for fish, and we will either give you good or bad advice.

Yes, even if you limit your fishing adventure to our private property, you will need a license. You can obtain a fishing license at most sporting goods stores before you come to the ranch.

Our electricity comes from our vintage 1918 Pelton hydroelectric plant. When it is running at its normal capacity we have 24-hour clean green energy. If the creek that powers it is running low, or if it needs maintenance, we switch over to a generator that runs from 5am to 10pm.

Because bears are opportunistic.

When you book the ranch for a week and hire your own foodservice provider, you will work with them on the content and special menu restrictions.

Your cabin faucet and the hoses around the property are fed by a creek, and the water is untreated. There are a couple of faucets that have potable water that you can use to fill your water bottles.

Due to its wilderness location, it is not easy to get here even for the most able-bodied guests. If you have medical concerns, this may not be the vacation for you. We sometimes have guests who helicopter in, and we can get you in touch with our preferred helicopter company.