We were hoping to hike Mt. Whitney June 3-4 with just trekking poles and microspikes. Based on the recent trip reports and the storm that is happening right now, I have been thinking about some alternates to Mt. Whitney. Here are a few ideas, including the plan for Whitney itself.

June 1st
Arrive @ Mammoth Mountain Inn (elevation 9,000 ft), spend night
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June 2-4 (Option 1, Mt. Whitney)
June 2
Family can hike or stay at Mammoth
AM – hike option 1
Little Lakes Valley

AM- hike option 2
Devil’s Postpile
Rainbow Falls

PM
6 PM – Drive to Mono Lake, watch sunset
Spend night @ Mammoth

June 3
1 PM – Guys Dropped Off at Whitney Trail
PM – Family stays in Lone Pine
June 4

12-2 PM – Guys picked up @ trailhead
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June 2-4 (Option 2, Mt. Dana & White Mountain Peak)
June 2
AM
Family stays at Mammoth
Mount Dana Hike

PM
6 PM – Drive to Mono Lake (40 mins), watch sunset
Spend night @ Mammoth

June 3
4 PM – Guys drop off family in Bishop, drive to Barcroft Gate (or Grandview Campground)
PM – Family stays in Bishop, guys car camp @ Barcroft Gate (or Grandview Campground)

June 4
White Mountain Peak Hike
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June 2-4 (Option 3, Mt. Langley)
June 2
Family can hike or stay at Mammoth
AM – hike option 1
Little Lakes Valley

AM- hike option 2
Devil’s Postpile
Rainbow Falls

PM
6 PM – Drive to Mono Lake, watch sunset
Spend night @ Mammoth

June 3
1 PM – Guys Dropped Off at Cottonwood Lakes trailhead, hike in 7-8 miles, setup camp for the night.
PM – Family stays in Lone Pine

June 4
Early AM - Mt. Langley summit attempt
12-2 PM – Guys picked up @ trailhead
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I have a few questions:

1. Are LLV or Rainbow Falls appropriate acclimation hikes?
2. If hiking White Mtn Peak, would you camp at Grandview Campground or Barcroft Gate?
3. If you were hiking Langley via New Army Pass, where would you set up camp?
4. When nearing the summit of Langely, what route would you recommend? On the maps I've looked at, there's one that heads straight towards the peak and another that loops around to the east.

If there are any concerns with my plans or things I haven't considered, please let me know.

I've made a few call to ranger stations and have found out the following:
Devil's Postpile:
  • Devils Postpile National Monument and the Reds Meadow Road will be open Friday 5/23/14 at 3:00 PM.
  • The shuttle will be running for Saturday, Sunday and Monday for the holiday and will resume for the season on 6/14/2014. Until the 14th, you will be able to enter the monument by personal vehicle. Most of the monument is clear of snow at this time.

White Mtn Peak:
  • Called them last week and was told the road would *definitely* be clear/open by June 3. They were planning on sending someone up on May 16th to get an exact date. I left a message for them today to see what the status is.