Hike Mount Whitney via Whitney Portal

This is the story of two babes summiting Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48 states. Located on the east side of the Great Western Divide, the challenging 22 mile hike climbs 6,100 feet to an elevation of 14,505. We backpacked to the summit, spending 1 night on the mountain.

In preparation, we took on the Six Pack of Peaks Challenge, a series of hikes designed by Jeff Hester of SocalHiker.net, featuring a progression of six peaks in Southern California. Nearly three years post-back surgery, I felt strong enough to polka up Whitney in the footsteps of my ancestors. Here is some footage of my grandfather and Uncle Frank on Whitney:

 

We arrived in Lone Pine on Friday afternoon and picked up our permits, wag bags and a bear canister from the Eastern Sierra Inter-agency Visitor Center. (More on bear cans and wag bags at the end of this post.)

From there, we drove to the Whitney Portal trailhead and found a vacant site at the backpacker’s campground, which accepts walk-ins only for a maximum 1-night stay. At 8,365’, the trailhead is an ideal place to begin adjusting to the altitude. It is also an ideal place for bears to scavenge, so secure all food and toiletries in the bear lockers provided. No joke, we had close encounters with two bears in one night!

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Lone Pine
Dinner Prep
Dinner Prep

Most day hikers begin between 2-5AM. We had two days to complete the hike, so we treated ourselves to a good night’s rest and began at 8AM.

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Whitney Portal Trailhead

The first section of the trail is a steady climb through the forest. Once you reach Lone Pine Lake, you cannot continue without a permit.

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Stream Crossing
Waterfall Sighting
Waterfall Sighting
Birdseye View of Lone Pine Lake
Birdseye View of Lone Pine Lake

After entering the Whitney Zone, we hiked up some more switchbacks and through a meadow. About 3.5 miles from the start, we reached Outpost Camp, and stopped for lunch beside a beautiful 50-foot waterfall.

The Whitney Zone
The Whitney Zone
Outpost Camp Waterfall
Outpost Camp Waterfall

From Outpost Camp, we passed Mirror Lake, the last lake below the tree line. We continued to hike up the rocky switchbacks and baked in the afternoon sun as we trekked along Trailside Meadows, a lush green section of the trail where a waterfall flows down the broken rocks.

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Mirror Lake (Can you see why?)
Stairway to Heaven
Stairway to Heaven
Trailside Meadows
Trailside Meadows
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Trailside Meadows

From the trail, we caught a glimpse of Consultation Lake. After 6.3 miles, we arrived at Trail Camp with heavy legs and napped on a boulder before dinner. The campground was crawling with fuzzy marmots, large squirrels-like scavengers. We devoured some dehydrated lasagna, locked our food and trash in the bear can and ducked into our tent before dark.

Trail Camp
Trail Camp
Trail Camp Break
Trail Camp Break
Day 2 Preview
Day 2 Preview

The sunrise and footsteps of day hikers woke us around 4:45AM. We filtered 3-4 liters of water each from the lake beside camp, since the rest of the trail is mostly dry. Leaving behind our tent, sleeping bags and some extra weight, we began to climb the infamous 99 switchbacks.

Moonrise
Super Moon
Sunday Sunrise
Sunrise

At 7AM, the sun beat directly on the switchbacks, as I struggled for every breath. Rachel waited patiently each time I demanded a “mini,” similar to a power-nap-on-foot. Often a short 60-second break provided the extra boost I needed to keep going.

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We got 99 Switchbacks and we still ain’t done.

We crossed the section of the trail known as the cables, named for the cables that prevent hikers from falling off the steep face when the trail is covered in snow and ice.

The Cables
The Cables
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View from the Switchbacks of Trail Camp (center) and Consultation Lake (right)
Beautiful Purple Wildflowers
Purple Sky Pilots (What a name!)

After an eternity, we made it to Trail Crest at the top of the switchbacks, a small area with a view of Lone Pine to one side and Sequoia to the other. We continued our hike along the backside of the ridge toward the summit and crossed the junction with the southern terminus of the John Muir Trail.

Trail Crest
Rachel at Trail Crest
Beginning of the Ridge
Beginning of the Ridge (1.9-mi to the summit)

Even though the steep, rocky trail demanded most of our attention, we stopped to admire the spectacular views toward Long Pine through the Windows, unique breaks in the ridge to our right.

Whitney Windows
Window View toward Lone Pine

Toward the Sequoias on our left, we could see Hitchcock Lake and Guitar Lake. Guitar Lake actually looks like a guitar!

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Hitchcock Lake
Guitar Lake
Guitar Lake
The Backside
The Ridge

The final stretch was a mental challenge for both of us, as the summit cabin bobbed in and out of sight.

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Last View of the Summit from the Ridge
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Summit Cabin in Sight
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So close!

At last, after climbing 11 miles and over 6,100 vertical feet, we arrived at the summit. I imagined my grandfather and Uncle Frank standing beside me as I stepped up to the edge of the peak for the full view. To my surprise, a climber popped up over the edge. Apparently, you can climb to the summit via the mountaineers route, as if walking is not challenging enough!

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Summit At Last!
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Summit Selfie
Rachel
Rachel Meditation
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Rock climbers reaching the summit via mountaineers route
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Rachel admiring the view
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And what a view it was!

After fully admiring the view, we signed the trail registry at the summit cabin and began the long journey down the mountain. We descended the 99 switchbacks, re-loaded our packs at Trail Camp, breezed by Trailside Meadows, rested at Outpost Camp and booked it down the final 3.5 miles, completing our journey around 8:30PM on Sunday evening. We celebrated our victory with food truck quesadillas and energy shots at a gas station in Lone Pine before our 4 hour drive home.

We did it!
Tired, hungry and happy as heck!

The weight of our accomplishment settled in over the next few days. I’ve heard women sometimes forget the pains of labor after giving birth to a precious little bundle of joy. Well, Rachel and I agree Whitney was like that. The feeling of standing on top of the world will remain long after the soreness in our muscles has gone.

Mount Whitney Trail:

  • About this Hike: 22-mi RT; 6100-ft climb, 14,505 summit elevation
  • Time: 1-3 days; June to November
  • Fitness Level: Very strenuous
  • Permits: Wilderness permits are required for day and overnight hikes. You must enter the permit lottery in February at Recreation.gov. Winners will be notified in April. Visit the Inyo National Forest website for more information on the process.
  • Trailhead DirectionsFrom U.S. Highway 395 in California, travel to the town of Lone Pine. The campground is 13 miles west of Lone Pine on Whitney Portal Road.
  • What to Know: Altitude training is essential to prevent altitude sickness, which can lead to death in severe cases. While some may not feel the effects of altitude at all, others can be very sensitive (like me). Educate yourself on the symptoms before you go. When in doubt, go down.
  • What to Bring: Do not underestimate being prepared for this hike, whether you are doing it in 1 or 3 days. Mountain weather conditions can be especially unpredictable. Bring the 10 essentials. You should be able to carry 3-4 liters of water and a filter to re-fill from the lakes and streams.
  • Pack-in, pack-out: Not everyone will tell you this, so here it is. You must pack-out all solid human waste. The ranger station will give you a “wag bag” when you pick up your permit and explain how to use it properly. Bring an extra plastic bag to tie the wag bag on to the outside of your pack in case you must use it. Avoid standing downwind of anyone with a plastic bag swinging on the back of their pack. You’ve been warned.
  • Bear Cans: All food, trash and toiletries must be secured in a bear canister, available for rental at the ranger station. Bears are common at the trailhead and marmots on the trail. When you park at the trailhead, all food and ice chests must be secured in a bear locker while you hike.
  • Photo Equipment: I wanted to bring my DSLR and tripod, but I decided against carrying the extra weight, since my pack was already 38lbs. with 4L of water. I’m pretty happy with the photos I took with my smaller Sony RX100III. This was not an easy decision!
  • Sources:

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8 replies on “Hike Mount Whitney via Whitney Portal”
  1. says: Phil Rockstroh

    Alyx, Thanks for taking us on your hike with Rachel. It is exciting reading about it and you certainly have some wonderful photos. I’m enjoying your journeys!

    1. says: Alyx

      Phil, thank you for your kind words! I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Rachel, and I’m proud to share our journey with you here 🙂

    1. says: Alyx

      Thank you, Josh! Your photo guide made it very easy to identify the landmarks along the way. I just want you to know I appreciate you carrying all that photo equipment up to the top, especially now that I’ve experienced the difficult journey for myself!

  2. says: jo chanin

    I have wonderful memories of my hikes on Mt Whitney.Challenging and beautiful.Great pics and info. Thanks for trip down memory lane.

  3. says: Brian

    I’ve just discovered your site. I love reading/seeing trail reports for this hike. Always great going down memory lane. Love your site. =D

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