Mt. Whitney Trailhead - Hiking area in Lone Pine - Whitney Portal Rd, USA

Had a blast on this trail! But it is definitely not for the faint of heart. I’ve never been cold camping or snow shoeing until this trip. I was hoping I could still summit with the snow but, once I had reached trail camp I knew that wasn’t going to happen within my time limit. From travelers camp onwards I couldn’t make out the trail at all underneath the snow. The path is still pretty doable up to mirror lake, after that I had to don the snow shoes and reaching trail camp was a workout.

Views of Mt Whitney from the drive up the portal were jaw-dropping! It was beautiful especially with a bit of snow in the early season. A little too cold for me to want to hike much, but I certainly plan to return in a warmer month to do some hiking. The views of the Owens Valley from Whitney Portal were incredible as well as we could see all the way down to Owens Lake and Lone Pine from the top.

This is the Trailhead if you are hiking Mt Whitney through My Whitney Trail in the Inyo National Forest. The trail is pretty neatly maintained and done. There are rangers at the start of the trail to help you with general information. There is plenty of parking for day use and overnight for backpackers if you arrive early. There is also an Overflow parking spot few feet from the regular parking in case the lot gets full. There is a gift shop at the entrance as well. Be sure to have your Permit printed and signed if you are hiking all the way up to the Summit. Even without a permit it is a pretty hike to the Lone pine lake or the Consultation lake. Bear Canister(backpacking) and Wag bags are a must. Please be respectful of the Nature and pack out your waste. Leave no traces on the trail. DO NOT feed wildlife. Enjoy the Magnificent views all through out the hike. We had this problem on our way to the trailhead, Leaving our experience here as it might help others. We wish we knew this before our trip. We stayed at Lone pine and on our drive to the Trail head the Whitney portal road was closed and we have encountered a detour sign and as we took that the Google maps told a right on “Magazine road” and after a few windings on the road it took us to Wash road where our Car got stuck and we ended up calling 911 to send us a tow truck costing us 230$. Please DONOT follow google maps at this location and stay on the road until you see a another detour to the Whitney portal Trailhead.

Beautiful trailhead and picnic area quite a ways up Mt. Whitney in CA. Great waterfall and views of the mountains on both sides.

Beautiful place to drive up to. We did not home up the mountain, however we did stay by the waterfall and little pond for plenty of hours.

Absolutely beautiful. Went here in October, and even though I didn't climb Mt. Whitney, just being there was amazing.

The highest point in the Continental US, and it lives up to its name. Climbed as a day hike in July 2021 via the Mount Whitney Trail. 11 miles up that are not particularly difficult and are only extremely steep in a few places, but the distance is enough to tire you out (and the 99 switchbacks get old very quickly). Well worth the reward at the summit. Came on a day when not a cloud was in the sky, and had amazing views in all directions. A nice hut at the summit helps you get out of the sun. Only complaint was my 4 AM alpine start did not give me the hint to put sunscreen on, and I ended up taking my "redneck" label to a whole new level that day. Finished in 13:20 round trip (being somewhat out of shape at the time) and enjoyed a huge burger at the portal store when I returned. Highly recommended (just bring sunscreen AND make sure you plan ahead and select a few possible days when entering the permit lottery).

First time visiting, and was astonished to see the torrent of water from the melting snow violently rushing down through the woods. And then later seeing this same water having accumulated, and formed a massive body of water across the desert. And this is the end of July when every place is usually "bone dry". It's very rare & temporary, but will likely to be viewed for at least another month. So definitely something to check out while you can.