RT Mount Whitney

Tallest mountain in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada, with an elevation of 14,505 feet

General Information

Length:

22 miles roundtrip

Elevation Gain:

6100 feet

Pet Policy:

Pets NOT allowed on trails

Seasons:

Trail is usually free of snow and ice from July to late September

Location:

Mount Whitney, Sequoia National Park, CA

Website:

fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/recarea/?recid=20388

How to Get There

Overview

Mount Whitney is the tallest peak in the contiguous United States at 14,505 feet, in the Sierra Nevada, on the boundary of Inyo and Tulare counties, and the southern end of the John Muir Trail. The most popular route is the 22-mile round-trip Mount Whitney Trail from Whitney Portal near Lone Pine, done as a very long day hike or as an overnight trip, and requires a permit through a lottery. Altitude sickness and weather are serious concerns, and it is best in July through September. The mountain sits about 85 miles from Death Valley’s Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mount Whitney", and "Whitney Portal, California", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0