Is Mount Whitney open?

Yes, in October 2026: the Inyo National Forest listed no trail closure and Whitney Portal Road was open all the way up. The road is gated below the trailhead in winter, and outside about late June to mid-October there's snow and ice above Trail Camp.

How long is the Mount Whitney hike?

Officially 10.7 miles each way from Whitney Portal, 21.4 round trip, with over 6,000 ft of climbing. My GPS recorded 20.8 miles over two days: 7.3 to Trail Camp, then 13.6 to the summit and back down to the Portal.

Do you need a permit to hike Mount Whitney?

Yes, for day hikes and overnight trips, all year. From May 1 to November 1 permits go by a lottery on recreation.gov (apply February 1 to March 1; leftover dates from April 22). From November 2 to April 30 there's no quota and you book two weeks ahead. $15 per person plus a $6 reservation fee.

Do you need crampons for Mount Whitney?

It depends on the month. From about late June to mid-October you usually need neither crampons nor an ice axe. In spring, early summer and late autumn the Forest Service and the national park say ice axe and crampons; I wore microspikes in late April 2021 in a light snow year.

Can you hike Mount Whitney in one day?

Yes: most permits are day permits. It's about 21 to 22 miles round trip with over 6,000 ft up and down, and day hikers take about 12 to 16 hours. Spend a night or two at around 8,000 ft first for the altitude.

How much does it cost to hike Mount Whitney?

The permit is $15 per person plus $6. Waste kits are free, a bear can rents for about $5 a day in Lone Pine, and Whitney Portal Campground is $34 a night. A three-night trip from Las Vegas by car comes to roughly $550 to $950 for one person before food, flights not included.

Sierra Nevada · 2 days · 20.8 miles

Mount Whitney Hiking Guide

Whitney Portal to the highest point in the lower 48 in 2 days.

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Look inside

Real pages from the guide. Tap one to see it big.

A day page
A day map and elevation profile
At a glance
Permits and the rules

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The route

My GPS recording of 2 days on a relief map. The numbers are where each day starts; the red dot is the finish. The full GPX files and the day maps come with the guide.

Relief map of the Mount Whitney route: 2 days drawn in red with numbered day starts, labelled Whitney Portal, Mount Whitney and Trail Camp. — Map data: Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (USGS 3DEP, SRTM) on AWS · Rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors

At a glance

Days: 2 days
Distance: 20.8 miles
Climbing: About 6,500 ft (1,980 m) up
Nights: Trail Camp, about 12,000 ft (3,660 m), about 6 miles up
Permit: Required all year
Start and end: Whitney Portal

What's inside

Where things stand. Mount Whitney in October 2026: the trail and Whitney Portal Road, the winter gate, the snow season and the Whitney Zone order, checked on the official pages.
Both days. Stats, the time I took, my notes, the trail, where to turn back, maps with elevation profiles, and links to that day in my film.
My GPX files. My own recordings of both days, with waypoints for the Portal, Lone Pine Lake, the Whitney Zone, Outpost Camp, Mirror Lake, Trail Camp, Trail Crest and the summit, ready for AllTrails, Gaia GPS, Garmin or Organic Maps.
Permits and the rules. The February lottery, leftover dates, off-season permits, printing, fees, waste kits, bear cans, and the rules on fires, drones and dogs.
Getting there. Driving from Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Reno, the bus to Lone Pine, the visitor center, and where to sleep high first.
Weather, altitude and safety. The summit's weather month by month, snow and ice and when you need crampons, altitude, lightning and what to carry.
Before you go and a trip sheet. One page of checks and a printable one-page summary of the route.

About this trip

In April 2021 I hiked Mount Whitney, 14,505 ft, the highest point in the lower 48 states: up from Whitney Portal to Trail Camp for the night, then the 99 switchbacks, Trail Crest and the ridge to the summit, and all the way back down to my car the same day. It's the trip from my film Summiting Mt Whitney in California. This guide has my GPX files, maps and notes for both days, the permit lottery and the off-season permits in 2026, the rules, getting to Whitney Portal, snow and gear by month, altitude, and a trip sheet.

Watch the film on YouTube (282K views).

The Day 1, Whitney Portal to Trail Camp page from the Mount Whitney Hiking Guide

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Try Day 1 free, plus my packing list

Whitney Portal to Trail Camp

The whole day page from the guide as a PDF, plus my camping packing list: the 42 things I carry, with a note on each. The PDF opens right away and both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.

The details

Format: A 41-page PDF sized for a phone (A5, prints fine too) and a folder of GPX files, in one zip download.
Edition: 2027 season edition, updated October 2026.
Delivery: Instant. After you pay you get a private download link. Bookmark it to download again on any device.
Payment: Secure checkout through Stripe, in your own currency. Tax is included in the price, except in the US and Canada, where any sales tax is added at checkout.
Refunds: Not useful? Email me within 30 days for a refund: kraig@kraigadams.com.
Questions: Email kraig@kraigadams.com.

Questions

Is Mount Whitney open?: Yes, in October 2026: the Inyo National Forest listed no trail closure and Whitney Portal Road was open all the way up. The road is gated below the trailhead in winter, and outside about late June to mid-October there's snow and ice above Trail Camp.
How long is the Mount Whitney hike?: Officially 10.7 miles each way from Whitney Portal, 21.4 round trip, with over 6,000 ft of climbing. My GPS recorded 20.8 miles over two days: 7.3 to Trail Camp, then 13.6 to the summit and back down to the Portal.
Do you need a permit to hike Mount Whitney?: Yes, for day hikes and overnight trips, all year. From May 1 to November 1 permits go by a lottery on recreation.gov (apply February 1 to March 1; leftover dates from April 22). From November 2 to April 30 there's no quota and you book two weeks ahead. $15 per person plus a $6 reservation fee.
Do you need crampons for Mount Whitney?: It depends on the month. From about late June to mid-October you usually need neither crampons nor an ice axe. In spring, early summer and late autumn the Forest Service and the national park say ice axe and crampons; I wore microspikes in late April 2021 in a light snow year.
Can you hike Mount Whitney in one day?: Yes: most permits are day permits. It's about 21 to 22 miles round trip with over 6,000 ft up and down, and day hikers take about 12 to 16 hours. Spend a night or two at around 8,000 ft first for the altitude.
How much does it cost to hike Mount Whitney?: The permit is $15 per person plus $6. Waste kits are free, a bear can rents for about $5 a day in Lone Pine, and Whitney Portal Campground is $34 a night. A three-night trip from Las Vegas by car comes to roughly $550 to $950 for one person before food, flights not included.

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