At 14,505 feet, its the highest point in the lower 48. The only obstacle between the above two points is the cables section shown in the photo to the right during early season. Hiking the high sierra trail guitar lake to mt whitney. Mt whitney trail hiking and backpacking timberline trails. Jul 05, 2015 mt whitney has been on my bucket list for 2 years now, ever since i got really into trail running. There are other routes besides whitney portal that lead to mt. The camp is intended for those who are setting out into the wilderness the following day. Beyond the physical superlatives, hiking the mount whitney trail is a beautiful experience in and of itself, and its very doable for southern californians. The high sierra trail has two great ascents the first one over kaweah gap and the great western divide, and the second over the eastern sierra and trail crest at mt. You can day hike it or backpack it, but you will need a permit lottery.
The detailed elevation profile of the trail and comprehensive campsite listing will help you create an itinerary that best suits your preferences. We wanted to run as much as possible so we decided to take the main mt whitney trail, instead of the steeper mountaineer route or east face routes. It is a strenuous hike with lots of elevation gain and loss, through lowland forests and valleys and into high alpine and subalpine areas. This popular climb involves 1,500 of steep snow climbing and 500 of class 3 rock climbing to gain the 14,505 summit. Benton mackaye trail elevation profile the benton mackaye trail or bmt is a footpath nearly 300 miles in length in the appalachian mountains in the southeastern united states and is blazed by a 5x7 white diamond. Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous united states. Dec 02, 2019 this trail is about 21 miles round trip and 6,000 feet of elevation, so it is no joke. Whitney is a 22 miles round trip hike, has an elevation climb of over 6000 feet, and is one of the most famous extreme day hikes. Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous united states, it is one of the best and most popular thru. My personal view is that the mt whitney community should stick together and help each other out within reasonable limits. This is a moderate difficult out and back trail to mount whitney in sequoia national park. The trail averages 550 of elevation gain per mile and features two. Sep 24, 2006 slow and steady, one by one, we knocked them. Mount whitney trail lone pine 2020 all you need to.
The hike is about 22 mi 35 km round trip, with an elevation gain of over. The big day, which for us turned out to be even longer than the nine to 10 hours of trail time we expected. Sep 27, 2016 hiking the high sierra trail guitar lake to mt whitney and outpost camp september 27, 2016 by greg glass 2 comments day seven on the high sierra trail we decided to get up at 4. Congratulations on getting the display setup in the visitor center. But then theres the gift store thats down to its last 14,497foot whitney tshirts. Kennedy meadows campground via pacific crest trail. Named after state geologist of california, josiah whitney. The 71mile high sierra trail traverses the sierra nevada from crescent meadow in sequoia national park to mt. The high sierra trail a guide to the famous sierra nevada. Mount whitney via mount whitney trail hiking trail, lone pine. The hike to get there on the main whitney trail is 22 miles with 6,000 feet of elevation gain. The mount whitney mountaineers route is a steep, straight shot from whitney portal to the mountains summit.
Whitney and whitney portal, along with a trail elevation profile. Mt whitney the chute hiking trail, lone pine, california. This is a long and strenuous outandback trek that summits mt. At trail crest, most of the elevation gain is behind you, and the summit of mt whitney is not that far away, but the going is not easy due to the high altitude, but keep at it, for you will soon be on top of the highest peak in the continental united states. The mount whitney trail, starting at the whitney portal, is the most popular route to the summit, and travels for 10. Whitney trailhead campgrounds 25 walkin campsites are within walking distance of the main trails. Its a 3day itinerary to climb the 6,000 total elevation and provide time to. But what they will not appreciate is me getting significantly injured in doing so. To better organize the photos, the photos in this section are for whitney portal to trail camp. Apart from distance 22 miles and elevation gain 6,400 ft, a major challenge at mt whitney is adaptation to high altitude when oxygen gets low, our brains swell and our. At an elevation of 11,200 feet, cottonwood pass serves as a gateway to the golden trout wilderness and sequoia national park.
Whitney trail starts high at 8,600 feet and ascends gently over the course of its 6,000 vertical feet gain in elevation. The john muir trail is 211 miles long and runs mostly in conjunction with the pct from yosemite valley to mt whitney, in california. The journey begins amidst giant redwoods in sequoia national park and ends at mt. But not everyone has that luxury, so do them the best you can. Whitney below for more details and links to forest service information. Starting from the trail crest, glissade the obvious snowfield, trying to trend right as best you can. From the northern terminus at happy isles in yosemite valley and the southern terminus located on the summit of mount whitney, the trails length is 2. This famous hike crosses some of the most rugged country in the sierra, following the middle fork of the kaweah river to its headwaters at kaweah gap and then dropping into the kern river canyon before swinging east again toward mt. After picking up your wilderness permit at the interagency visitor center in lone pine 3,700, drive up the whitney portal road miles to the trailhead of the hike 8,365. This hike was created by the national park service and was completed. In miles, you will reach whitney portal at an elevation of 8,365 feet.
Whitney trailhead campground is located at whitney portal, miles west of the town of lone pine. Whitney weather links white mountain barcroft station elev 12,410 upper tyndall creek elev 11,441 crabtree meadows elev 10,700 lone pine elev. Trail guides typically reference the nine stages described below. The 24 campsites in the walkin campground have a one night stay limit. Since the entire climb is a class 1 trail, it is fully detailed in the route description section. You could spend a lot of time just camping here and taking in the sites without even going on the mt.
Starting in yosemite national park and ending at mt. From lone pine, ca you drive up whitney portal road for about 11. The start of the hike, the mt whitney portal has everything from campsites and waterfalls to a restaurant and fishing lake. Starting from the trail crest, glissade the obvious snowfield. The wonderland trail mount rainier national park u. With a summit of 14505 feet 4421 meters its highest summit in the contiguous united states and the sierra nevada. It is an extremely popular trail, and its access is restricted by quotas from may to october. I hope you found the 14,505 or 14,508 mt whitney elevation. The trail to lone pine lake uses the same trailhead as the mt whitney trail.
Gps data description file name and type size gps waypoints and tracks for the mt. Climbing mount whitneys mountaineers route calitrails. The most difficult hiking is over as the trail gradually reaches the highest point in the lower 48. Hiking the high sierra trail guitar lake to mt whitney and. This thread is designed to hold posts displaying pictures and describing the current conditions of the main mount whitney trail mmwt. It is the perfect place to take that well deserved break after having negotiating all those switchbacks that lie between trail camp and trail crest. Whitney s elevation is 4421 meters or 4418 meters or 14, 505 ft. The most popular place to camp is trail camp 12000 feet, 6 miles up the trail.
You can also camp at consultation lake near trail camp, outpost camp 3. The mount whitney trail contains two official campsites. Just drive to whitney portal, miles west of lone pine, ca. The trail averages 550 of elevation gain per mile and features two designated campsites along the way, the generally uncrowded outpost camp 10,360, which is situated in a nicely sheltered meadow beside some running streams, and the much more popular trail camp 12,039, an exposed, rocky field at the base of the infamous 97 switchbacks.
It averages about 550 feet elevation gain per mile, an easy slope. The 72mile high sierra trail hst has all the memorymaking potential of a much longer hike, packaged into a jobfriendly, oneweek vacation. My family down at 50 elevation will understand even applaud if i return late or did not reach a goal because i helped another hiker. At an elevation of 14,501 feet, mount whitney is the tallest mountain in california and the tallest peak in the lower 48. This trail goes by bighorn park, outpost camp, mirror lake, trail camp, discovery pinnacle, aiguille du paquoir, aiguille extra, crooks peak, keeler needle, aiguille junior, and whitney portal trailhead. Ice axes and crampons are needed in spring and early summer, but technical climbing equipment is not usually necessary between midjuly and early october. Its curious on the sentimental clinging to the old elevations. Sep 17, 2016 the high sierra trail has two great ascents the first one over kaweah gap and the great western divide, and the second over the eastern sierra and trail crest at mt. There was so much to see and experience, and that id like to share here on my blog, that im writing a total of 4 posts. They begin at less heavilyused trailheads, but require a much longer hike to reach the summit.
I would rate mt whitney as the third easiest of the fifteen california peaks that soar above fourteen thousand feet behind. Our original plan was to walk to the whitney trailhead from the campground. From the northern terminus at happy isles in yosemite valley and the southern terminus located on the summit of mount whitney, the trail s length is 2. Hiking the high sierra trail guitar lake to mt whitney and outpost camp september 27, 2016 by greg glass 2 comments day seven on the high sierra trail we decided to get up at 4. At the john muirmount whitney trail junction there are several large tent platforms that can serve as campsites, but bring plenty of water because these campsites are dry. From the grandeur of hamilton lakes basin and precipice lake, to the awe inspiring big arroyo and kern river valley, the high sierra trail is some of the best that. The trail begins at 8,360 ft, and ends at the 14,508 ft summit of mt whitney. Take us395 to lone pine and then turn west on whitney portal road. Summiting mt whitney is on every hikers bucket list. In terms of difficulty, mt whitney day hike was clearly a notch above half dome and grand canyon day hikes, both of which are 16 miles and 4800 ft total elevation gain. Mount whitney trail lone pine 2020 all you need to know.
The ultimate guide to backpacking from onion valley to whitney portal imagine yourself the evening of your second to last day backpacking in the high sierra nevada mountains, 34 miles in, sitting in your tent to avoid the snow and wind, wearing all the clothes you brought with you because you hadnt anticipated it being this cold. The trail averages 550 of elevation gain per mile and features two designated campsites along the way, the generally uncrowded outpost camp 10,360, which is situated in a nicely sheltered meadow beside some running streams, and the much more popular trail camp 12,039. Well, thats about it for trail crest on mt whitney. I recently had the incredible experience of hiking the mt whitney trail from whitney portal to the summit of mt whitney and back in one day. If youre planning an extended trip or having difficulty acclimatizing to the high altitude, you may choose to stay at the outpost camp at 3.
In 2019, 84,000 hikers wanted to hike or backpack to the summit from whitney portal between may and november. Aug 16, 2010 in terms of difficulty, mt whitney day hike was clearly a notch above half dome and grand canyon day hikes, both of which are 16 miles and 4800 ft total elevation gain. Please feel free to post pictures of your own or from any source please. This is the trailhead for both the mount whitney trail and the mountaineers route as well as many other mountaineering and climbing routes on mount whitney, mount russell, and mount carillon. Whitney trail climbs over 6,000 feet in elevation over 11 miles. From the grandeur of hamilton lakes basin and precipice lake, to the awe inspiring big arroyo and kern river valley, the high sierra trail is some of the best that sequoia national park has to offer. There is perhaps no better way to laterally cross the immense sierra nevada mountain range on foot.
Perhaps the biggest aspect in planning to hike the wonderland trail is you knowing your hiking skills, abilities and habits. I propose the following song sung to that famous classic 99 bottles of beer on the wall for this section of the trail, 99 switchbacks on mt. The high sierra trail a guide to the famous sierra. Mt whitney trail crest is arguably the most spectacular vantage point of the entire mt whitney trail.
The 72mile high sierra trail traverses the sierra nevada from west to east, visiting the highest point in the contiguous 48 statesmt whitney. When you run out of enough slope to slide near the bottom, make your way. The wealth of facts and figures is topped off by the entertaining and motivating account of the authors own 5day journey. Map of the high sierra trail from wallace creek to mt. The hike is about 22 mi 35 km round trip, with an elevation gain of over 6,100 feet 1,860 m. Hike whitney, 22 miles, 6200 feet of elevation gain. The mt whitney trail is a well maintained 11 mile foot path to the summit of mt whitney.
At whitney portal, find the trailhead for the mount whitney trail located below. It was pioneered by john muir who referred to the traditional main trail as for soft, succulent people. The high sierra trail leaves from giant forest on the west side of sequoia national park, and is about 60 miles 100 km oneway. The ultimate guide to backpacking from onion valley to. Right from the beginning the trail loses no time in gaining elevation and soon you wind around large boulders through some pristine examples of great basin vegetation, including cactus, pinyon and junipers. There are a few shallow stream crossings with a couple of slippery logs and rocks. Only 100 dayhikers and 60 backpackers are allowed on the mt whitney trail from whitney portal per day, from may 1st to november 1st. This schedule presumes an ascent of a bit longer than 10 hours and an average speed of 1 mph. Whitney trailhead, whitney portal rd, lone pine, ca 93545.
Ive incorporated a conservative projected schedule. About the jmt the john muir trail is a 210mile trail through the sierra nevada in california, through some of the most scenic and spectacular mountain scenery in the us and the world. Be sure to check the red tape section on the main mount whitney page. This trail is about 21 miles round trip and 6,000 feet of elevation, so it is no joke. The wonderland trail wt is 93 miles 150kms long and encircles mount rainier. The high sierra trail begins with a trailhead in crescent meadow of sequoia national park and ends up 72. From there its a relatively level but highelevation 2 mile hike to the summit.
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