Mt Whitney Day Hike Guide

October 31, 2022 The Virtual Sherpa Comments 4 comments

Mount Whitney is the highest peak in California and the lower 48 of the United States. This extremely popular mountain is typically done in multiple days but can easily be done in one day for the right hiker. There are two main routes up this 14er: The standard or “Soft and Succulent” route which is much longer and the mountaineer’s route. For this guide, I cover both trails as my trek took me up Mountaineer’s and down the standard Mt Whitney trail.

Mt Whitney Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Mt Whitney Day Hike

Mt Whitney Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)

Distance: 22 Miles RT (Standard Route) 12 Miles RT (Mountaineers Route)

Elevation Start: 8,337ft

High Point: 14,505ft

Total Elevation Gain: 6,400ft

Estimated Time to Complete: 10-16 Hours (One Day) / Multiple Days

Difficulty: Difficult to Strenuous What does this mean?

Class: Class 3/4 Mountaineer’s Route/ Class 1 Standard Route – What does this mean?

Season: June – October (Expect Snow Outside of These Months)

Check the Weather Forecast

Directions to Mt Whitney

Trailhead: Mt Whitney Portal

Getting Here: Mt Whitney has one road in and one road out to the trailhead so getting there is pretty easy. Take Mt Whitney portal road for 12 miles from the town of Lone Pine, California. The road is paved the entire time but does close down during winter months due to snow.

Parking: There are PLENTY of spaces to park at the TH. Bathrooms and a small campground store that serves burgers and sandwiches.

Fee: $15 through the reservation system – visit this page for more information.

Reservations: Mt Whitney utilizes a permit and reservation system for both day and overnight hikes. May 1st – November 1st – permits are limited to 100 per day. November 1st – April 30th permits are still required but reservations are UNCAPPED. AKA – no limit to the number of visitors. A lottery is launched at the start of the year for the upcoming season but throughout the year, spots do become available as people drop out, change their plans etc. If you DO NOT get a spot through the lottery, do not give up. I was able to snag a reservation without much problem about a week before I wanted to hike. I do recommend refreshing the system frequently as the inventory changes quite frequently. Read more about the entire process here.

Summary

Dogs: Dogs are not allowed on Mt Whitney.

Camping: You can read this page for more information about camping on and near Mt Whitney. There are several areas you can camp but permits and reservations are required. Please, please, please pick up after yourself and follow all practices of Leave No Trace. The hiking areas on this trail were really disgusting unfortunately.

Hike Xfactor(s): Snow Level

Depending on your route, the snow on the slopes of Mt Whitney can have a big effect on your day. Typically snow will be on the mountain from November – early July depending on the winter’s snowfall.

Traveling on snow can make things much more direct but also slow you down significantly. Snow, even on the standard route, requires additional gear and much more time.
If your plan is to take the Mountaineer’s route up Mt Whitney, I would HIGHLY recommend traveling this when there is still snow. The gully and final slope of this trail without snow is just not super fun and much more dangerous. Having the snow or ice to dig your crampons and mountain ax into would be a much more enjoyable and likely faster day.

Hike Tip(s): If you plan on taking the Mountaineer’s route up Mt Whitney, especially if traveling for a day trip, I would highly recommend a GPS. There were several sections, even with daylight, that caused me to reference my track and I am very glad that I had it. When exiting the gully just before the summit – you will likely hear a lot about the final 400ft. There are plenty of options to go up here, some above Class 3, even into low Class 5. My advice here: pick a line that suits your conditions and ability. Without snow, there is a lot of loose rock and rockfall here and in the gully below, can be very dangerous. WEAR A HELMET and call out all falling rocks to parties below.

If heading up the standard trail be sure to bring a reliable source of light and start early. I have seen reports of this trail taking some 20-24 hours which seems a bit insane to me but has obviously happened. I feel that a hiker in good shape should be on the mountain no longer than 13-15 hours at the most but everyone is different so tailor your start time accordingly.

For both routes, there are fairly reliable water sources so having something to filter your water would be helpful as well.

Best Views: I have very little experience (when this guide was posted) in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Perhaps, the novelty of a new range boosted the memories for me, but I found the hike up Mt Whitney to be incredibly beautiful. The granite towers, beautiful high alpine lakes and views from the summit rival any single day hike I have done in the US. In some ways, I actually enjoyed the views on the Mt Whitney trail more than the Mountaineer’s route but both were beautiful.

Mt Whitney Hike Route

Starts with the Mountaineer’s route and ends on the standard Mt Whitney trail.

Download GPX File

Gear Needed

14er Day Hike Packing List
Men’s Trail Runners
Women’s Trail Runners
La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Women’s)
Backpack (Winter)
Backpack (Summer)
Food & Water
Helmet
Hiking Poles – 120CM
Headlamp
Optional: Garmin inReach
Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
Optional: Microspikes
Optional: Crampons
Optional: Mountain Axe
Optional: Rope and Protection – really should not be necessary unless you are looking to rap down from the summit.
Optional: Water Filter
Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod, GoPro 360
Optional: Drone
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Mt Whitney Trail Summary: October 2022

My first time hiking California actually began a few days prior on Boundary Peak (LINK) where I tagged Mt Montgomery, my first summit in California. After a LONG day of driving and suboptimal sleep, I woke up at 3AM feeling excited and ready to go. I made the 40 minute drive to the Mt Whitney Portal and after some minor contact issues started hiking just after 4:30AM. I had absolutely no idea how long this hike would take me but I left plenty of time just in case.

The trail started from the parking lot just next to the gift shop and cafe. At first, the elevation gain was slow until the split for the Mountaineer’s route where it got quite a bit more steep. This split was not labeled for the Mountaineer’s route per say, but it will be signed and easy to find. From here, the trail continued along a creek and eventually on to some boulder outcroppings where the first Class 3 moves started. This was the first spot of the day where social trails started and it could be easy to get off trail. Follow my GPX file or find a reliable one on your own.

The hiking continued to Lower Boy Scout Lake into a rockfield and then onto some slabby granite parts before reaching Upper Boy Scout Lake. Do NOT make the mistake I made by hiking close to Upper Boy Scout Lake, it’s not necessary. Instead, bear left to continue your elevation gain on a loose dirt trail. This section continues to gain elevation until the final steep slope before Iceberg Lake. Just before Iceberg Lake the trail is very loose but should not exceed Class 1/ Class 2 difficulty.

After reaching Iceberg Lake, the path was somewhat obvious for me (straight up the gully). However, I did see some parties far too left and onto some much more exposed and dangerous Class 4+ terrain. This is absolutely not necessary. I followed the gully/dry couloir straight up and tended to hike on the left which had a bit less loose stuff and more stable rock. It was not ideal by any means, but much better than the middle which was just a loose mess.

When I gained the top of the gully, I was a bit relieved but also knew that my most challenging portion of climbing was ahead of me. The final 400ft to the summit involve a lot of route finding and exposed Class 3 or 4 moves depending on your line. Be sure to pick a good line here as there are lots of ways to increase the challenge with loads of loose rock. I did know that there was also a catwalk that skips all of these climbs by just walking across an exposed section but it’s not necessary at all.

When I finally did arrive at the summit, I was a bit emotional and proud of myself. This was not the hardest climb I had done by any means, but it just meant a lot to be on top of the lower 48 and in a spot I didn’t expect to be even weeks before. I enjoyed the summit for a bit, soaking in the clear beautiful views in all directions. There were loads of people up there but since the summit was so big, I was able to find a spot by myself to enjoy it.

On the hike down, I took the standard Mt Whitney trail which was extremely easy to follow and very straightforward. There was one trail junction, but it was well signed. The hike down involved a lot of switchbacks, minor sections of climbing and lots of elevation loss. It was fun to run several sections and have the trail completely to myself for the majority of the hike down. When I reached Trail Camp – the spot most people who camp spend the night – I was disgusted by the amount of trash. Wag bags, abandoned tents and waste was all over the place. I did my best to pick-up as much as I could but it was really disheartening to see.

I did not make the small side trip to Lone Pine Lake but instead jogged out the rest of the switchbacks and rejoined the small section of trail I had hiked earlier that morning. When I reached the parking lot, my watch clocked just under 10 hours but did have to push a bit to get that mark. Overall, I loved my day on Mt Whitney and while I don’t think I would summit this mountain again, I am eager to explore more of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains.