Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Mt. Whitney and So Cal hikes

Hello fellow hikers!

My name's Jean-Nicolas and I will be traveling from Québec, Canada for a two week trip to Cali and Nevada starting next Monday (Dec 7th). I do a lot of winter hiking here and in the Whites (NH). I am used to Mt. Washingtons' bad weather and also hiked the Smokies (6 day hike). I am well equiped but have no experience above 7000ft elevation.

I am looking for suggestions about 1-3 day hikes I could do in SoCal and Nevada. So far I have on my list:

-Mt Baldy
-San Jacinto
-Telescope Peak
-San Gorgonio
-Grand Cayon
-Mt Whitney

Obviously I won't do Whitney first and plan a few rest days during the two weeks there.

I'm open to suggestions! Also, how are the snow conditions on Whitney portal road? If there is only little snow I might not bring my snowshoes. However my crampons will be with me at all times.

Thanks in advance!

No better advice than Doug, copied here from his post at
Winter conditions Whitney

OK so now the hard stuff I had dinner with two young men the other night they had just traveled cross country from Death Valley and ask what I thought about the summit section? My answer was in the positive with a few thoughts about gear weather and conditions , we had just had a storm and another was due to be a cold front with summit temps below zero with high winds . They said they had limited gear and no experience with higher elevation travel. I said you should be fine to the Portal and maybe to Outpost Camp but beyond that the world takes on a new meaning. No trail markings, high winds and very cold with only a few hours of day light and very little chance of help from others.

Many people experience say 10,000' or travel to Mammoth and reach 12,000' on a lift but the world again changes from the 12,000' to the 14,500' now you are tired cold and have many miles to go before you sleep and the luxury of just sitting under a tree and taking a break is gone during the winter .Every thing you do has to be planned and with a back up plan to protect yourself from the elements. This plan can not fail.Many people gain this experience over years of winter travel and can enjoy the conditions and spend many days out in the weather .You need the experience in a safe zone until the skills are honed and the gear is tested.

These young men were strong enough to do the distance but lacking in the experience for the Mountain and made the choice of coming back when the weather was warm and the trail was dry.

Thanks Harvey.

Mt Whitney would be nice to summit but I do not care if it's next week or next year. I would really like to make it to Outpost camp, spend the night there and see how the weather is the next day and how I feel. Unless everything is perfect, I will not attempt the summit.

Welcome, Noxx, I hope you have a great trip coming to the US. Doing Grand Canyon along with some winter ascents would make a really memorable trip. Just be sure you take all the safety precautions.

I usually bring this topic to the top each winter, and I may still. Be sure to read it. It was written by a formerly active Whitney expert mountaineer, Bob R, who also was part of the CLMRG (China Lake Mountain Rescue Group) that has made many searches and rescues (and recoveries) on Mt Whitney.

So, you want to climb the Mountaineer's Route in winter?

Your best bang for the buck would be to tackle all three SoCal mtns. They're all beautiful but I have a bias for the big routes on San Jacinto. San Gorgonio requires a permit though, and you'll have a much better chance securing one for a weekday versus weekend.

You won't need snowshoes for these three. They are very dry right now. I was just on San Jacinto yesterday and you won't even need crampons.