Sierra Nevada, California · April 2021 · Solo
Mount Whitney
33.5 KM · 2 DAYS · 1,980 M
Whitney Portal to the highest point in the lower 48 in 2 days.
Watch the film 15:41 · 282K viewsAt a glance
- Where
- Sierra Nevada, California
- Distance
- 33.5 km (20.8 miles)
- Days
- 2: 7.3 miles on Day 1, 13.6 on Day 2
- Climbing
- About 6,500 ft (1,980 m) up and 6,510 ft (1,985 m) down
- Difficulty
- A long, steady climb on a good trail, then thin air, the 99 switchbacks and a rocky ridge. Snow and ice turn it into a mountaineering route
- Start and end
- Whitney Portal
- When I went
- April 2021
Elevation, start to finish: highest 14,480 ft (4,414 m), lowest 8,270 ft (2,520 m).
My GPS recording on a relief map. The numbers are where each day starts. The GPX files come with the guide.
Everything I made about it
The film
Photos
My tent at Trail Camp under the needles, Day 1, 2:25 p.m. 
The first sun on the needles above Trail Camp, Day 2, 6:09 a.m.
The guide · 41-page PDF + GPX files · 2027 season edition
Do it yourself
Whitney Portal to the highest point in the lower 48 in 2 days.
- Where things stand
- Both days
- My GPX files
- Permits and the rules
- Getting there
Free sample
Try Day 1 free
The whole Day 1, Whitney Portal to Trail Camp page from the guide as a PDF, plus my camping packing list: the 42 things I carry, with a note on each. Both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.
What I'd take now
My current kit
The Americas and New Zealand bundle
This guide is in The Americas and New Zealand Hiking Guide Pack: 36 guides for $39. Or all 62 guides for $59.
Short answers
- 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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