Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Trail Conditions - Onion Valley to Whitney

Hi all - I've a long out and back planned for 9/10-9/19 Onion Valley to Whitney and back. Given the heat and relatively low amount of snow this year, I wanted to to ask about water. I did Horseshoe Meadows to Whitney and out Shepherd's Pass in 2015 and water was a real issue in some areas. Also, I'm assuming that there is little/no snow and ice left on Forrester Pass and the JMT going up to Whitney from the west. Any insights on current trail conditions for this section would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Great loop! The trail will be completely snow/ice free. Useful sources of current water information are the JMT and "Sierra Nevada Current Conditions - Trails Passes and Peaks" Facebook pages. If you are hiking relatively fast, the entire stretch from OV to Guitar lake should not be problematic. Otherwise, be cautious about the North side of Forester, Bighorn plateau and the area between Wallace creek and Crabtree ranger station.

Awesome - thanks much!