A slice of heaven on earth

The Muir Trail Ranch is a 200-acre inholding within the John Muir Wilderness in the Sierra National Forest. This location has always been a stopping point for people to gather, refresh and recharge, with its serene meadows, old Jeffrey and Lodgepole pine forests, broad expanse of San Joaquin river and scattering of fabulous mineral-laden natural hot springs. The native peoples from both sides of the Sierra used this area to gather and trade in the summertime, and shepherds and cattlemen used the lush grasslands to graze their herds. 

In the 1870s the Shipp family first homesteaded the property and built cabins in the ranch’s current location. The Shipps were livestock herders and utilized the property for grazing until its sale to Jack Ducey in 1940. The Shipps leased a portion of the ranch to a Mr. Berryhill, who started a pack station out of the property in 1929. 

When Jack Ducey purchased the ranch in 1940, he named it the Diamond D Ranch, and was the first owner of the land to use it as a dude ranch. He built more structures, including our current dining room and reading lounge, and he had tent cabins along the creek. Ducey branded the riding and pack stock with his “diamond capital D” brand, which we still use to this day. 

In 1952 Karl and Adeline Smith acquired the ranch, and their three generations of descendants continue to take care of the land and welcome guests from all over the world every year. They renamed it the Muir Trail Ranch in 1964, to reflect its unique location along the increasingly popular John Muir Trail. 

The ranch started to see a steady increase in hiking traffic in the 1970s along the John Muir Trail. Most hikers would prefer not to carry all of the food and other supplies that are needed to travel for 220 miles, over the course of a few weeks’ time. Since the property happens to be at approximately the halfway point, we have become a popular location for people to send themselves a resupply package.