Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Mt. Langley Trail Report

My friend Ed and I just returned from a 3-day trip to Langley (1. Long Lake, 2. Langley and back to Long Lake, 3. TH and home). I made the summit, Ed came close.

It may have been reported on this forum before; if so I didn't see it, but you now need a special permit for the Langley trail and there is a daily quota. Ed and I got the last 2 permits for Sunday. I don't know what, if any, reservation system there is or what the daily quota is. But if you don't have a reservation and show up at the Lone Pine Visitor Center hoping for a permit it would be good to have a plan B.

This was my first summit of Langley so I can't do a before and after comparison, but there is now a clear route to the top. At the bottom it is a trail and above a certain point it is indicated by giant cairns.

The route is Class 1 (walking on a trail or route with no cross country skills required) for all but about 30 vertical feet. That little stretch requires finding hand and foot holds so I think that makes it Class 3. If the rule is that a whole route is defined by its hardest stretch then the Langley route is Class 3. I think that's too strict, though. I believe the trail builders could have swung further west and avoided the little Class 3 stretch but it would have added considerable distance.

I think the cairns are great. They really are creative. It looks like the builders had a contest to see who could make the best likeness of Jabba the Hutt out of stone. Above the sandy trail the cairns are placed so that from one you can always see the next one in the series. That doesn't seem to be true lower down where there are both cairns and clear trail. I wonder if the lower cairns are there to show us what to look for, or to be visible if snow covers the trail.

B.

Hey Burt,

Congratulations! Thanks for the info on the trail and new permit requirement. Is this for overnight only, or day use also?

Thanks,

John

I'm pretty sure the permit is for access to the Langley trail. You could still go over Army or New Army right past Langley but if you don't turn up the Langley trail you don't need this permit.

If you're thinking about hiking Langley you should call the Interagency Visitors Center for the official lowdown. My friend Ed got our backcountry camping permit and this separate Langley permit. I was browsing the shop so I didn't hear the conversation with the USFS staffer.

Actually the permit is for trail quota for overnight or JMT only, the website says dayhikes no permit needed. And yes the cairn system is great, I wrote about it in June under Mt Langley conditions thread. I hiked to the summit with a forest service employee, she was there to change out the register box, and she said that the class 3 section was the easiest and shortest maneuver they could find. Really a great hike now with the markers.

After a very confusing phone conversation about permits with a woman at the Interagency Visitors Center I have been waiting in vain all afternoon for a clarifying call-back from a ranger.

The USDA website only says that a permit is needed for overnight trips, which has been true for years, that 60 people per day can get entry permits using the Cottonwood Lakes trail (and onto Army or New Army passes) and that the maximum group size is 15 people in general but only 8 people for the Miter Basin / Mt. Langley area.

I had assumed that when Ed was told that he and I got "the last 2 permits for Langley" they were special permits for the mountain. I guess what the IVC person meant was that we got the last 2 of the daily quota of 60 and despite what he said, the fact that we were going to Langley wasn't relevant.

Yay! Last year, the megacairns took us all over the backside ... A nasty steep sand slog...It was ridiculous. I complained on WZ and to the NPS. I know that class 3 chute -- it's definitely the way to go. Sounds like sanity prevailed.

On July 29 I hiked from the Cottonwood Lakes TH to a tarn just below Crabtree Pass, ascending Mt Langley along the way. Taking Old Army Pass, I followed the giant cairns which begin shortly after the turnoff which descends to Upper Soldier Lake. The cairns were exceedingly easy to follow and helpful. Thanks to those who put in all the work to build them!

For formal information on these structures and their intent, the following link on the SEKI website is suggested:

www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/upload/SEKI_MtLangleyUseTrails_20150611_Final.pdf

When I picked up my overnight permit for entering Cottonwood Lakes TH and exiting the Main Mt Whitney Trail there was no indication I needed any special permit to go up Mt Langley. Out on the trail I chatted with numerous people doing Mt Langley as a day hike, and none mentioned needing a permit to do so.

Jim