John Muir Journals (discovery layer)

These journals were written by John Muir between 1867 and 1913. They include his 1867-1868 "thousand mile walk," his early years in Yosemite, extensive travels in Alaska, his 1903 world tour, and his 1911-1912 voyage to South America and Africa. The journals offer a unique perspective on Muir's life and experiences in his own words and drawings.

Some of the journals are filled with miscellaneous notes and jotted writings, while others feature diary-like narratives. Similarly, some journals contain only text while others, especially those from his Alaska trips, are full of drawings that reflect the places Muir visited.

Many, but not all, of the digitized John Muir journals are transcribed. Portions of the journals can be difficult to read because of faded writing, but the zoom feature enables users to magnify pages and improve their legibility. Join our Muir Journal Transcription Project to help.

The "titles" assigned to each journal are taken from the published Guide and Index to the Microform Edition of the John Muir Papers, 1858-1957. These titles convey the general content of each journal, but many of the journals contain a wealth of information beyond the subject indicated in the title. It may be helpful to consult the John Muir chronology for more information on where Muir was during the periods when he was writing various journals.

The unpublished works of John Muir are under copyright by the Muir-Hanna Trust. To purchase copies and/or obtain permission to publish or exhibit items from the John Muir Papers, visit our fees and forms page.

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Circa 1896 [Journal 55]: Washington Notes and Sketches, and a Few of California Sierra (Journal Fragments)

John Muir

Washington notes & sketches & few of Cal [California] Sierra [sketch]
January-Mary 1896 [Journal 51]: Ranch Life (Martinez, California)

John Muir
June-July 1896 [Journal 52]: Travels with the Forest Commission

John Muir
January-July 1895 [Journal 49]: Ranch Life (Martinez, California)

John Muir
July-September 1895; Summer 1900 [Journal 50]: Trip Down Tuolumne Canyon; Trip from Tahoe to Yosemite

John Muir
August 1893 [Journal 48]: Trip to Europe

John Muir
May-June 1891 [Journal 47]: Trip to Kings River

John Muir
August 1890 [Journal 46]: From Front of Glacier to Point of Tree Mountains

John Muir
July 1890 [Journal 43]: Alaskan Sled Trip

John Muir
July 1890 [Journal 44]: Glacier Sled Trip Sketches and Notes

John Muir
July 1890 [Journal 45]: Alaskan Sled Trip (Journal Fragments)

John Muir

3 The clvage [cleavage] plums of this [ ] are well devloped & have given way to the strain of the ice leaving the surface exceedingly rough & angular for a freshly glaciated rock. It is cut well down in 2 [places] giving rise to 3 main divisions. Containing 2 lakelets and many smaller pools. Rained about bedtime slightly & again in the night. Loomis got the rain from a large boulder under wh [which] he lay. [sketch: Muir; Loomis] A [ ] quarry place. Height of Island about 900 ft. ab sea. July 12th Lay warm & suffered little from rain. See small notebook No. 1 for continuation of trip. 11th day July 21. Spent the afternoon studying the fossil forest on the W side of inlet. The trees are in ruins the stumps number those exposed by washing , hundreds perhaps 1000’s as
June-July 1890 [Journal 42]: Sketches of Glaciers Made Around Muir Glacier, Alaska

John Muir
June-July 1890; June-August 1893 [Journal 41]: Trip to Alaska; Trip to Norway

John Muir
June 1889 [Journal 40]: Yosemite Trip (Journal Fragment)

John Muir

[V.G.] L [lake] Tenaya June 4 1889 Snow gone from shores & most of road from Yo.[Yosemite] Clark [crow] common this morning [Whats] violas v ab [very abundant] & small potentilla grass 6 in h [inch high] [ ] & gophers ab [abundant] Lovely pale gold spiritual sunset seen on rocks aout E [East] side as [canon] down trail. This light brought out Cath [Cathedral] peak as if filled with light all luminous from the heart as Nat [nature] were holding services [inside] MT Hoff [Hoffman] [on] [W] conspicuous buttercups, Rumex in flr [ flower] Flrs [Flowers] of magnifica [amaryllis] & contorta ripe [ground] [strewn] with red cone [of] mag [ ]. Shining of wet rocks glare of polished vast quarry [ Mammoth] sun [ ]rumex gone to seed. dwarf pholx [Good] passing beneath the cool [shadows] arches of the live-oaks & maples on the trail to Gl [Glacier] Pt-[Point] particularly fine view of lower end of val [valley] & also of upper towards head of trail nice views of Half D. [Dome.] [Penstemon] blue & red & pink-[Douglassi] [draperia]. Snow plants in all their glory on clds [clouds] Rest trail June 6. some already gone to [seed] Azelea, Rose wild strawberries ripe mints white & blue violas birds singing already on summits. Very little snow at 9,500 ft [feet] in Cath [Cathedral] Val [Valley] [or] [divide] lol [between] Tuol [Tuolmne River] & Merced [Merced River] In making round trip to Gl [Glacier] Pt [Point] Lit Yo [Little Yosemite] Nevada [Nevada Falls] & Vernal [Vernal Falls] go early by Gl [Glacier] Pt [Point] the trail being in shadow in the morning the trail down from Nevada [Nevada Falls] in shade in the evening.
August 1888 [Journal 39]: Excursion to Rainier and Notes of Puget Sound

John Muir

33 Perfect Drawing Tablet
June-September 1888 [Journal 38]: Trip with Parry to Lake Tahoe

John Muir
August 1885 [Journal 37]: Yellowstone Park, Columbia Park, etc.

John Muir

Yellowstone Park Columbia River, etc.
June-October 1881 [Journal 36]: Cruise of the Corwin, Part II

John Muir
May 1881 [Journal 34]: Cruise of the Corwin, Part I

John Muir
May-September 1881 [Journal 35]: Cruise of the Corwin Sketches and Notes

John Muir
August 1880 [Journal 32]: From Wrangell Up Coast, Sum Dum, Takou, etc.

John Muir
August-September 1880 [Journal 33]: Second Expedition of 1880

John Muir
August 1879 [Journal 30]: From Wrangell Up Stickeen, Second Trip to Cassiar Mines

John Muir
July-August 1879 [Journal 29]: Alaska Trip

John Muir
June-September 1879 [Journal 28]: Expedition to Alaska

John Muir

No. 22 Ex. To Alaska 1879