Overview

The 11-mile Mount Whitney Trail (class 1) is the easiest and most popular route to the summit and is often done as a strenuous 22-mile day hike. During the summer and autumn months, only sneakers are necessary to ascend this summit from the Whitney Portal trailhead at 8,365 feet, however, earlier in the season, an ice axe and crampons may be required. Many people will appreciate taking two days to do this hike, spending a night at Outpost Camp or Trail Camp. An interesting time to visit is the month of April, before the quota season starts, when the snowpack is firmer and Trail Camp becomes a base camp for groups hanging out in the winter alpine scenery using their 2-way radios to talk to those above Trail Crest.

While there are many other routes on Whitney, the most popular ones after the main trail include: the Mountaineer's Route, East Face, East Buttress, and North Slope. The first three of these start from Iceberg Lake while the last one is often climbed as a traverse from Mount Russell. Winter makes the Mountaineer's Route a popular objective. The East Buttress is the classic technical climb on the peak.

For a discussion on winter climbing, see the "When To Climb, Ski, etc." section below.

Routes Overview Route Name Difficulty FA FA Party Cardiovascular Seizure III 5.10 1973 Vern Clevenger & Keith Bell East Buttress III 5.8 1937 Bob Brinton, Glen Dawson, Richard Jones, Howard Koster, & Muir Dawson East Face III 5.6 1931 Robert Underhill, Glen Dawson, Jules Eichorn, & Norman Clyde Direct Crack Variation 5.8 1953 John Medenhall McKusky Variation 5.6 1996 Patrick McKusky, Tony Padilla, & Jeremy Georgelos Shaky-Leg Crack Variation 5.7 1936 Morgan Harris, James N. Smith, & Neil Ruge Ortenburger Variation ? ? ? Direct East Face V 5.9 A3 or 5.10d 1959 Denis Rutovitz & Andrzel Ehrenfeucht Great Book, The IV 5.9 1974 Gary Colliver & Chris Vandiver Hairline V 5.10 C2F or A2 1987 Bruce Bindner & Alex Schmauss Left Wing Extremist V 5.11a 1991 Galen Rowell & David Wilson Mountaineer's Route Class 3 1873 John Muir North Slope Class 2-3 ? ? Northeast Ridge III 5.10 1982 Galen Rowell, Glaude Fiddler, & Vern Clevenger Northwest Rib 5.7 1988 Galen Rowell Peewee's Big Adventure III 5.9 1986 Joel Richnak & Mark Carville Rotten Chimney, The III 5.8 1973 Vern Clevenger, Mark Moore, & Julie X Southeast Face III Class 5 1941 John Mendenhall & Ruth Mendenhall West Slope Class 2 1873 Charles Begole, Albert Johnson, & John Lucas Whitney-Keeler Couloir Class 5 A? 1964 Jim Servais & John Mendenhall Whitney Trail, The Class 1 ? ?

Map Name Publisher Scale Interval Plastic Lat/Long UTM Mount Whitney USGS 1:24,000 ? N ? ? Mt. Whitney High Country Trail Map Tom Harrison Maps 1:63,000 80 ft Y Y Y Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Recreation Map Tom Harrison Maps 1:125,000 200 ft Y Y Y Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park Trails Illustrated 1:111,850 ? Y Y ?

Getting There

ONION VALLEY: This is primarily a backpacking approach using the Onion Valley traihead reaching Trail Crest in 36.1 miles. The first 7.4 miles cross Kearsarge Pass on the Sierra Crest and bring you to the John Muir Trail (JMT) / Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) where you head south crossing Forester Pass (13180') en route to Mount Whitney via the JMT. You can also bypass Trail Crest on your ascent climbing Mount Whitney's western slopes with a possible camp at Arctic Lake. From norbertc: "Advantages: no crowds, gorgeous scenery along the John Muir trail; no problem getting a last-minute trail permit at Whitney Portal; this is a circuit loop, so when you descend Whitney on the west face you are on that trail for the first time" if you bypass Trail Crest on the ascent. To reach Onion Valley, turn west on US-395 at Independence, north of Lone Pine.

OTHER APPROACHS: In addition to Onion Valley, there are numerous other approaches including Horseshow Meadows typically used for Mount Langley (Ref: gordonye). While these other approaches are interesting for backpackers, climbers will usually be interested in a more direct approach. While one may be tempted to bypass the trail quota when using a trailhead other than Whitney Portal, the Whitney Zone covers a large amount of land to the west of Mount Whitney as well, so although this area may not be patrolled by rangers as rigorously, a permit is still required.

Red Tape

MOUNT WHITNEY TRAIL: Between May 1 and November 1, there is a quota of 60 overnight hikers and 100 day hikers in effect. 100% of these permits are made available via advanced reservations made during February of the same year (reservations accepted by mail or fax), however permit processing does not begin until February 15. These get taken quickly for weekends and overnights, however, weekday quotas often are not filled. For open slots, permit requests can be made after May 1 (reservations accepted by mail, fax, or phone). Reservations cost $15/person, however, walk-in permits, if any are available, are free. There is now also an explicit "Trail Crest" Exit permit/quota for people who just use the Whitney Trail as a descent route, say for the Mountaineers Route. Luckily for those of us who don't want to bother with quotas, travel between November 2 and April 30 requires only a self-issued wilderness permit. Let's hope it stays that way.

OTHER MOUNT WHITNEY ZONE TRAILS (INCL. MOUNTAINEER'S ROUTE): All other trails in the Mount Whitney Zone are also subject to overnight and day quotas between May 1 and November 1, however, only 60% are available via advanced registration with 40% reserved for walk-ins. For the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek (aka Mountaineer's Route), only 10 permits per day are currently available, 6 reservable, and 4 for walk-ins). Use self-issued permits at other times.

When To Climb, Ski, etc.

WINTER CONSIDERATIONS

While winters in the Sierra are relatively mild, compared to say New Hampshire's Mount Washington and Presidential Range, there are some things to consider:

• Climbing Gear: Generally snowshoes, crampons, and an mountaineering axe are required. Expect to use snowshoes on the lower portions of the trail through March/April as you may encounter several feet of fresh snow along the trail, however they may no longer be necessary by late April to May. On the Whitney Trail expect to change over to crampons and axe by the time you hit Trail Crest and above though windpacked snow should begin just above Bighorn Park (outside of the trees). On the Mountaineers Route, you will need an axe and crampons above the notch. Often times rope is used on the last section of the Mountaineers Route to gain the Whitney Plateau.
• Sleeping Gear (Mostly Ref: Gonekuku): Given the Sierra's generally mild weather, you should be fine preparing for a -20°F night though some people go as light as 0°F. Night temps at 12,000' can range from 5°F to -10°F. It's useful to use the "aviation rule" for temperatures: "You lose about 3.6°F per 1,000 feet gained. If it's 40°F low at Lone Pine, it's about 36°F colder on the summit of Whitney that night. (about 7°F at trail camp)." Day temps at Outpost Camp have been reported in the 8-9°F range.
• Approach: During heavy snow, the Whitney Portal Road is closed at either at the Lone Pine Campground (5,900') or the base of the mountain (6,600'). There is no plowing beyond 6,600' and people often park on the north side of the road here. If you take a 4WD vehicle past the plowed area, be aware that your vehicle can get stuck in snow storms or rock slides. During the winter, many groups make their first camp at Whitney Portal (8,365').
• Avalanche Conditions: While the Whitney Trail does not have any recent history of avalanche danger, you should still check the CSAC Avalanche Bulletin (under Mountain Conditions section).

Camping

NORTH FORK OF LONE PINE CREEK: The popular campgrounds along this route are: Lower Boy Scout Lake (10,300'), Upper Boy Scout Lake (11,350'), and Iceberg Lake (12,600'). Many parties climbing the Mountaineer's Route and other East Face routes in 2+ days will try to reach Iceberg Lake on the first day. All camping should be at least 100 feet from the lakes. Human waste should be buried 6-8 inches deep and at least 200 feet (70 paces) from any campsite and water source. Toilet paper should be packed out. According to the Inyo NF, "Improper disposal of human waste at Iceberg Lake is a serious problem." Proper water treatment is probably a good idea here!

Mountain Conditions

www.395.com - High Sierra Weather Report incl. satellite photo.
Weather Underground - Lonepine, CA Weather Forecast
Whitney Portal Store Message Board
Mt-Whitney.info message board
CSAC Eastern Sierra Avalanche Bulletin

MOUNT WHITNEY RANGER STATION

(across street from McDonalds on I-395)
P.O. Box 8
Lone Pine, CA 93545
(760) 876-6200
(760) 876-6201 TDD

Open spring through fall

Highway 395 at the south end of Lone Pine

Miscellaneous Info

USDA FS Inyo National Forest official web site
Whitney Portal Store: Provides weekly trail report from June to October among many other useful things.

Badwater Ultramarathon: Although this 135 mile race officially ends at Whitney Portal due to the permit quota, runners have continued to extend this to the Mount Whitney Summit for a "true finish."
Al Arnold, 1977, First Ever Badwater to Mt. Whitney (Summit) Finisher: Marathoner Magazine (predecessor to Runners World), premier issue, Spring 1978.

ADDITIONAL BOOKS (not available from Amazon.com):

"Climbing Mt. Whitney: The Complete Guide for Hiking and Backpacking" by Walt Wheelock and Wynne Benti; Published: Dec 1998; ISBN: 1893343006. Available from BarnesAndNoble.com. (Submitted by: danthauvette)

DMP (Dump Me Please) House Cleaning Effort

External Links

• Romain Wacziarg's Mount Whitney page
  Photos of the Mountaineer's Route, Auguest 2000
  
• Romain Wacziarg's Mount Whitney page
  May 2000 attempt on the East Buttress
  
• C.E.Brennen's account of climbing Mount Whitney
  
  
• Information about the Mountaineers Route
  Permits, camping, and details about the Mountaineers Route.
  
• Late April on the Mountaineer's Route
  
  
• Dale Stuart's Mount Whitney trip
  documented by a woman mountaineer.
  
• June 2002 Mt. Whitney hike
  
  
• America's Roof climbs Whitney
  
  
• Helen Smith's Trip Report
  
  
• Margie Witt's Trip Report
  
  
• Kelly & Craig Perkins' Trip Report
  
  
• Google Search for "Mt. Whitney Hike"
  Leads to many interesting pages
  
• Whitney Day Hike Page
  
  
• Mt. Whitney Photo Hike
  
  
• Tom Shjarback's Whitney Photos
  Hike photos from a professional photographer.
  
• SierraWeb Whitney Report
  
  
• Whitney Portal Store
  Lots of useful info, photos and maps.
  
• Mount Whitney USGS Topographic Map
  Commercial dealer offers standard quad for $6.95.
  
• Trailhead Information and Hiking Advice
  Practical advice, intended as a supplement to Summitpost.
  
• Fun, but bloody long, day-hike on the Whitney Trail
  
  
• Mount Whitney, August 2002
  
  
• Mt.Whitney East Face in winter of 1983
  Miguel carmona on Fresh Air Traverse, East Face in winter of 1983.
  
• Mount Whitney, Mountaineers Route, May 2002
  
  
• Mt. Whitney, July 9, 2003 Pictures
  I did Mt. Whitney as a dayhike with my son on July 9, 2003. We started and ended at Whitney Portal, took 6:45 to go up (including breakfast stop and others) and about 5:0 to go down (also including stops.)
  
• 215 miles to the summit
  
  
• Google image search for "Whitney Hike"
  Dozens of great photos.
  
• Mt. Whitney, The Sierra Nevada & Beyond...
  Discussion of Mt. Whitney and the rest of the Sierra Nevada.
  
• Mount Whitney Trip Report
  
  
• Whitney/Muir/Wotan's Throne (08/30/2005)
  
  
• Mount Whitney in November 05 by Main Trail (Text in German)
  
  

Images

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