All Trails

Mount Whitney — Main Trail

Whitney Portal, CA · 36.579, -118.292

Highest peak in the contiguous US. 22 miles round trip with 6,100 ft gain. 97 switchbacks. Altitude sickness common above 12,000 ft. Permit required.

StrenuousWest14,505 ftSummitAlpineSummit views

Mount Whitney — Main Trail

☀️ Clear sky

Reconsider
22°
Feels 13°FSummit · 14,505 ft
7:04 AM6:11 PM
EXTREME COLD

Wind

7mph

Precip

0%

Humid

40%

Elev Δ

+6100ft

12-Hour Temp Trend

19°31°

Hourly Forecast

8 AM

☀️

19°

9mph

9 AM

☀️

23°

10mph

10 AM

☀️

26°

15mph

11 AM

⛅

28°

17mph

12 PM

⛅

29°

21mph

1 PM

⛅

30°

20mph

2 PM

⛅

31°

19mph

3 PM

⛅

30°

18mph

4 PM

⛅

28°

16mph

5 PM

⛅

25°

18mph

6 PM

☀️

22°

14mph

7 PM

☀️

19°

13mph

Summit Conditions

55°F→−33°→22°F

Dry lapse rate: 5.4°F/1,000ft · 6,145 ft gain

◎L1
Heavyweight merino wool base

250g+ merino top and bottom — your foundation against the cold

◉L2
Insulated grid fleece

Heavy fleece or light synthetic puffy for active insulation

◈L3
Down or synthetic puffy jacketPACK

Pack this — put it on at summit stops and exposed ridgelines

◆L4
Waterproof hardshell jacketPACK

3L waterproof/windproof for summit protection against wind and snow

Summit Pack List

↟Insulated puffy↟Hardshell jacket↟Insulated gloves↟Warm beanie↟Neck gaiter / balaclava↟Hand warmers

Start Cold Tip

Start in your base + fleece. You'll warm up on the switchbacks. Pack your puffy for the summit — standing still in wind at 20°F drops your core temp fast.

Trail Guide

Updated 7:17:18 AM · America/Los_Angeles

Updated Oct 19, 7:17 AM UTC

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