Whipple Mountains

California, United States, North America

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Whipple Mountains

Page Type:	Area/Range
Lat/Lon:	34.30540°N / 114.3316°W
Elevation:	4131 ft / 1259 m
	Sign the Climber's Log!

Overview

The Whipples are a small desert mountain range in southeastern California that rise to the west of the Colorado River and Lake Havasu. On its way south, the Colorado River runs into the Whipple Mountains and is forced to turn east bypassing the mountains before returning to its original course. The mountains cover an area roughly 21 miles east-west by 14 miles north-south and rise to a maximum height of 4131 ft.

The eastern half of the Whipple Mountains are lower in elevation but give rise to jagged peaks that are dark red to black in color. In contrast, the western peaks are higher but drab desert brown. A large canyon that drains southwest to northeast, bisects the mountains.

The mountains receive around 5.6 inches of rain per year. Summers are hot with an average high temperature of 104 degrees F and winters are mild with an average low temperature of 45 degrees F. Typical vegetation consists of creosote bushes, cholla and barrel cacti as well as Ironwood, palo verde and smoke trees.

77000 acres of the central and western parts of the mountains are preserved as Whipple Mountains Wilderness. As of this writing, there are no official trails in the mountains. Beaten paths might be found on the way to the more known peaks such as Cupcake Mountain or Muffin Peak.

The mountains were named after Lieutenant Amiel Weeks Whipple. In 1853 congress authorized a series of expeditions to the American west to find the best path for a transcontinental railway. One of the expeditions was led by Whipple who surveyed a possible path from Fort Smith Arkansas to Los Angeles (where I-40 runs today).

Access:

Areas around the Gene Wash and Copper Basin Reservoirs in the eastern parts of the mountains are fenced off and not accessible to the public.

The wilderness obviously has no roads.

Most people access the Whipple Mountains via a paved road that starts just south of Parker Dam and goes to Black Meadow Landing on Lake Havasu. A dirt branch of this road goes to Havasu Palms. A much rougher branch follows the powerlines deeper into the mountains.

Copper Basin Open OHV Area off of Parker Dam Road can also provide access to the southeastern corner of the mountains. Other longer rough roads can take you to the southern and western parts of the Whipple Mountains.

Random Pictures of the Mountains

Summit of Peak 2833 ft and it big wall	Peak 2833 ft	Summit of Peak 1896 ft
Peaks to the north	Cupcake Mountain, Whipple Mountains High Point far right	False summit of Peak 2056 ft
Monument Peak	Monument peak	The plain of Gene Wash Reservoir

The Whipples from the east shores of Lake Havasu in Arizona

From the top of the big sand dune, Peaks 2056 & 1990 ft	The big sand dune and Lake Havasu plus Peak 2037 ft	The big sand dune plus Peaks 2056 & 1990 ft
Lake Havasu & Whipple Mtns High Point	Steamboat Cove at Lake Havasu, Peaks 2037 & 1990 ft (L)	Lake Havasu, Muffin Peak & Whipple Mtns High Pt

Cactus Forests

Peak 2056 ft and Lake Havasu	Summit of Peak 2833 ft	Below the summit of Peak 2833 ft
Below the false summit	Monument Peak	Cholla forest below the false summit

Lake Havasu from the Whipple Mountains

Subpeak and Lake Havasu	Three Dunes and Black Meadow Landing zoomed view	Black Meadow Landing
Lake Havasu	Peak 1540 ft from the summit of Peak 2822 ft	Lake Havasu and Lake Havasu City