Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board 2016 Main Trail Conditions

Horshoe Meadows is accessible from a road that splits off from the Whitney portal road. It's a drive up a bunch of stunning switchbacks, but rockfall can be an issue in shoulder season, so you have to confirm it's open. At HM, you can sleep at 10,000 feet, which is better for acclimatization than the Portal (8,000'). It's about a 40 minute drive from HM back down the switchbacks and then up to the portal (though I would detour to town to get breakfast at the Alabama Hills Café).

2+2 =8 ? So as the winter conditions start to move in think about what you may need , more layers, more food ,same amount of water and since the sun will only be out for 6-7 hours you will get cold sooner and be in the cold period much longer. If you have a 2000 calorie intake normal , the hike will take another 2000, to keep warm that may demand 2000 more and to be safe another 2000 if you need to spend the night fighting the beast, the beast is that shaking and cold chill you will have after hiking and being tired.

Your motor skills will drop off as it gets colder and making simple decisions may be slow down. I have had times when I felt just walking was a test . Now add that a strong wind will hit you from all directions this also adds to the loss of heat and extra energy to maintain your balance. The final blow may include a few inches or feet of fresh snow and cover the trail.

Well that's why as the winter moves into the mountains your area may still see 90 degree days and none of this makes sense to you and you may read reports of clear warm days, no wind and "I" made it to the summit easy! The next day might not be so kind.

My theory is you got wind-induced vertigo because you didn't wear a hat.

looking forward to summer and my new job

Oops - we forgot to get our picture taken on the summit, just wearing shorts.

Some simple thoughts on the trail , we seem to have a problem with people missing the trail out of trail camp , you can take the left area onto the slabs and this will take you about 1/2 mile before the vertical drop off to Mirror Lake or if you travel right and down a narrow canyon onto another set of slabs this will again take you to another vertical drop off this time into Outpost camp area. Now if you by chance find the trail out of Trail Camp and make it past Trail Side Meadow but fail to make the 90 degree right turn about 500' past the Trail Side Meadow sign this again will lead you over the edge.


At night until you reach the area after Mirror Lake the Trail can be very hard to follow . Many tracks are around trail camp and many tracks below are made by people just plain clueless where they are going. When snow starts to cover the trail it just makes it harder to follow the trail. Now add to this you are tired, cold and just want to get down. You may have a light but after hours on the trail it may be dim or go out.

We always suggest that you reach Outpost or below before dark from there down the trail is very wide. You will start to see the Portal and lights on the road. Also the warm air may be coming up the Valley , but you should be out of the wind most days.


Take away from all this
1. If you think you are off trail go back till you find it .

2. Do Not follow someone that Thinks they know the Trail.

3. Get Down to Lone Pine Lake by dark. Make sure you do not follow the Trial to Lone Pine Lake .If you get near the Lake GO BACK TO THE MAIN TRAIL. (another drop off area on the easterly end of the Lake.)

4.When it is cold you will tend to make bad decisions as you become chilled.

5.The trail is never on Slabs that you don't see some cuts in the slab. Or rocks on the edges of the Trail. (This area is above Mirror Lake and before Trail side Meadow and a very short section on the west side about mile 9 1/2).

6. Above 12,000' it is cold any water will freeze on the trail and in your bottle or water storage system.

7. As the Mountaineers Route we see a pattern of where accidents happen, the steps above may help make one aware of these locations.

These are not new concepts we post the same information every year over and over again. Thanks

Hi All, thank you very much for all the inputs and advise. I will take all of them with me.

Doug Sr, thanks for the detailed thoughts. It's better to know all of this on hand before we hit the summit. I know that I could think clearly and my judgement are still ok at 10k ft but beyond that, going to Mt Whitney's elevation is beyond my comfort zone and with all the info I got from here, it makes it more doable.

i will send you guys the report once we got back. Thanks again.!

Going up the Main Trail this morning (Fri 10/21) it was dark until the Switchbacks were reached. From the creek crossing at the Mirror Lake outlet until Trail Camp, I used both a headlamp and a flashlight. The combo seems to help me navigate this area more safely. Turns, sketchy areas, bid drop offs/ Big Air in the distance seem to be better and more readily defined, as well as the area a few yards ahead. I never see any other hiker using a flashlight, so maybe I am just wasting batteries and adding weight. (Also, if one fails or is lost, I still have the other to use.)

Of course, it is probably best to avoid hiking in the dark on much of the trail. Unfortunately, I am too slow to start and finish in daylight this time of year. Seems best to do the night part first when fresh, rather than at the end when tired.