The 211-mile John Muir Trail begins near the base of the iconic Half Dome mountain in Yosemite National Park, shown here with a background of star streaks, photographed using a slow shutter speed. The trail also passes through Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks on its way to its southern terminus atop Mount Whitney.

Read more in “Star Trek: Yosemite to the Moon” from the July/August 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler.