Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Whitney/Williamson

Hi there, new here.

I just got back from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and was looking to climb both Whitney and Williamson next spring. Is there a "best path" kind of thing which covers both peaks?

Here's the catch. I'll be solo (I'm used to it, in the Appalachian Mountains) so basically I can't leave a car in one spot and park in another spot! I need either a loop or a tailed-loop...so I can park in one spot and do the loop. What's a tailed-loop, you might be asking... (click here). Assume time/difficulty is not an issue (within reason on difficulty, not trying to die solo) and don't worry about the altitude, I'll take ample time to acclimitize. Camping expert, backpacking strongman, etc. I'm very interested in summiting both and getting this done in Mid-April of next year. Also don't worry about the weather...I can handle mother nature. I have microspikes, crampons and an ice axe if need be, though I'd like to avoid using the actual crampons (microspikes are whatever)?

Any thoughts?

Spring will be full winter mountaineering conditions requiring ice ax, crampons, helmet, as well as the knowledge of how to use them (this year it was full winter conditions on Whitney Main trail well into June/July due to the heavy snow year). Williamson and Tyndall are usually the two that are linked up fyi. I found a thread from 2022 in this forum about a possible off trail route and other options that might give you more info: http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthreads.php/topics/59495/williamson-to-whitney-high-country-route

Thanks for the thread and response. I'm not against using crampons and ice axe but, alas I was hoping for a little less of a challenge as this is part of a larger trip for me, involving ten peaks over 13600' in colorado...

Any more advice, input or information or from anyone?