pct · resupply · julian
Julian Plant Based Food Guide for PCT Hikers
Eat in Julian and shop light. Apple Alley Bakery sells vegan pie across from Mom's, whose free hiker pie isn't vegan, and hikers report vegan cheese for pizza at Julian Beer Co. Kali's Garden, the all-vegan cafe, is now listed closed. 2 Foot Adventures is the best vegan resupply in town but is closed until March 3, 2027, and the small grocery is basic. Town is 12 miles off trail from Scissors Crossing.
The short version
Julian is a hitch of about 12 miles west from Scissors Crossing, PCT mile 77.3. It’s a better place to eat than to shop. Apple Alley Bakery has vegan pie, Julian Beer Co. has done pizza with vegan cheese, and Purple Owl Cafe has vegan sweets. The famous free hiker pie at Mom’s is not vegan, so get your free drink there and walk across the street for a slice at Apple Alley.
For trail food, 2 Foot Adventures is the hiker outfitter, and in 2023 a vegan hiker called it a great place to do most of a resupply because of its vegan backpacking meals and bars. It closes for the off season. As of October 6, 2026 its site says the Julian shop reopens March 3, 2027. When it’s closed you’re left with a small grocery on Main Street, so carry enough from Mount Laguna or home to reach Warner Springs, about 32 trail miles on.
Kali’s Garden, the all-vegan cafe hikers loved in 2023 and 2024, was open in spring 2025 but now shows as closed on its Yelp listing. Don’t plan a meal around it without checking.
Stores and restaurants
| Business | What a vegan can get | Status, with evidence date |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Alley Bakery | Vegan pie. Hikers named the traditional apple and the strawberry rhubarb as vegan in March 2024 ($5.50 a slice then), and a November 2024 hiker said it had great vegan pie. A 2022 hiker found no pie that was both vegan and gluten free | Hiker comments 2022 to November 2024. Listed in the Visit Julian dining directory (2026) at 2122 Main Street |
| Julian Beer Co. | Pizza with vegan cheese. A 2023 vegan hiker also reported vegan chorizo. Ask for the vegan cheese when you order | Hiker comments April 2023 and April 2024. Listed in the Visit Julian directory (2026) at 2315 Main Street; Tripadvisor showed current hours and July 2026 reviews in October 2026 |
| Purple Owl Cafe | Vegan sweets in 2025. A 2024 hiker praised the many vegetarian options, so ask which savory dishes are vegan | Hiker comments May 2024 and April 2025. Listed in the Visit Julian directory (2026) at 2907 Washington Street |
| Mom’s Pie House | The free hiker pie is not vegan. Hikers still got the free drink. One 2024 hiker said Mom’s has dairy-free pies; dairy free doesn’t always mean vegan, so ask | Four hiker comments from 2023 and 2024 say no vegan pie. An October 2025 note gives hours of 8 am to 5 pm daily. In the Visit Julian directory (2026) |
| Kali’s Garden | All-vegan cafe at 1921 Main Street: breakfast burritos, jackfruit dishes, coffee and pastries, per hikers in 2023 and 2024 | Open spring 2025 (mmm-yoso review, April 2025, then Friday to Tuesday). Yelp marks it closed (listing updated March 2026) and it is missing from the 2026 Visit Julian directory. Treat it as closed unless you confirm otherwise |
| 2 Foot Adventures | Hiker outfitter with vegan backpacking meals and plenty of vegan bars (2023 hiker). I bought ProBar Meals and vegan jerky here in 2021 | Closed for the season. Its site says the Julian shop reopens March 3, 2027 (checked October 6, 2026) |
| Julian Market & Deli | The small grocery on Main Street. Basic stock; vegan specifics unknown | Halfmile town notes, November 2023. At 2202 Main Street |
| Rongbranch | Vegan burgers, per one hiker | Hiker comment March 2024. Current status not confirmed |
| Stagecoach Trails RV | Hot food with veggie and vegan options in 2023, plus a small store | Hiker comment May 2023. A May 2026 note gives summer store hours of Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 5 pm |
What I ate here
I was in Julian on day 5, May 4, 2021, after coming down to Scissors Crossing. My only receipt from town is from 2 Foot Adventures: new Altra Lone Peak 5s and a fuel canister, plus two ProBar Meals (Blueberry Muffin and Superfruit Slam), Primal Strips vegan jerky in Mesquite Lime and Texas BBQ, and two Nature’s Bakery fig bars. The shoes were the big buy. I was getting heel problems, so I ditched my first pair here, and there weren’t many options in town.
I also ate with the crew at a brewery in town, where some of them got beers. I’m pretty sure it was Julian Beer Co. I ordered food, but I can’t remember what it was, and I didn’t keep a receipt.
Getting to town from the trail
The PCT crosses Highway 78 at Scissors Crossing, and Julian is about 12 miles west up the highway. We hitched in from under the Scissors Crossing bridge. In 2021 a couple of local people were giving hikers rides between town and the trail, and it was normal to throw the driver some gas money.
Mail drops
You can buy your way through Julian when 2 Foot Adventures is open. If you arrive while it’s closed, or you want specialty vegan food, send a box General Delivery to the Julian post office, ZIP 92036 (hiker note, February 2025). Don’t send one to the Julian Hotel unless you’re staying there (April 2026 note), and hikers report Stagecoach Trails RV has limits on packages.
Related pages
The full trail-order table is in the vegan PCT resupply guide. The leg that ends here is Mount Laguna to Julian, the next one is Julian to Idyllwild, and the rest of the section is on the Southern California desert page.
Checked October 6, 2026: FarOut hiker comments through September 2026, the 2 Foot Adventures site, the Visit Julian 2026 dining directory, Yelp, Tripadvisor, mmm-yoso and East County Magazine listings, Halfmile’s 2023 town notes, and my own 2021 receipt and photos.
From my 2021 stop
