Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Data for the 97 Switchbacks

For sometime I have been posting a hand-drawn map of the 97 switchbacks, which you can see HERE.


In the past, I have posted the map data I used for making the map on personal websites. But, for the few of you who like numbers and may be interested, I am posting the data in this thread. Serious GPS users can input the GPS data into their GPS units, and anyone with an altimeter--adjusted to known elevations, such as 12,000 feet for Trail Camp, or 13,600 feet for Trail Crest--can determine which switchback they are on by merely looking at their altimeter. Of course, GPS devices and altimeters are not necessary for the hike, but it makes it more fun for GPS and altimeter users.

To get the data, I stopped at each switchback and recorded the elevation with an altimeter and the latitude and longitude with a Garmin GPS unit.

The 97 switchbacks total 11,279 feet in length, which is 2.1 miles. The elevation gain going up from Trail Camp to Trail Crest is over 1,500 feet, which is an average grade of 13.6%, or 7.7 degrees.

The following table numbers each switchback, going up or down. The elevation for each switchback is shown in feet (El-Ft) and in meters (El-M). The length of the trail (Lngth) between each switchback is given in feet, and how much each segment rises (Rise) is shown in feet. The latitude for each switchback is shown in degrees (LATD) and minutes (LATM), and the same is shown for the longitude (LOND and LONM), using WGS 84 Datum. There are some comments, plus mileages from the Whitney Portal.

The lengths of each switchback segment were calculated by trigonometry. So, if anyone wants to run a measuring wheel up the switchbacks, I would be happy to change the measurements accordingly.

Here is the table:

Data for Each of Mt. Whitney's 97 Switchbacks

Between Trail Camp and Trail Crest

Elevations (Feet & Meters), Switchback Lengths and Rises (in Feet), GPS Data and Portal Miles

Compiled by Wayne Pyle

Up	Down	El-Ft	El-M	Lngth	Rise	LATD	LATM	LOND	LONM	Comments	Miles
1	97	12062	3677	0	0	36	33.757	118	16.865		6.4
2	96	12066	3678	27	4	36	33.761	118	16.865		6.4
3	95	12075	3681	64	9	36	33.754	118	16.874		6.4
4	94	12082	3683	53	7	36	33.762	118	16.876		6.4
5	93	12099	3688	127	17	36	33.745	118	16.890		6.4
6	92	12108	3691	64	9	36	33.755	118	16.890		6.4
7	91	12115	3693	47	6	36	33.749	118	16.895		6.4
8	90	12124	3696	70	10	36	33.760	118	16.894		6.4
9	89	12166	3709	303	42	36	33.720	118	16.930	Fifth longest switchback	6.5
10	88	12173	3711	51	7	36	33.723	118	16.939		6.5
11	87	12179	3713	46	6	36	33.716	118	16.939		6.5
12	86	12187	3715	55	8	36	33.719	118	16.949		6.5
13	85	12195	3718	59	8	36	33.710	118	16.947		6.5
14	84	12199	3719	30	4	36	33.713	118	16.951		6.6
15	83	12209	3722	71	10	36	33.702	118	16.949		6.6
16	82	12224	3726	110	15	36	33.712	118	16.967		6.6
17	81	12240	3731	119	16	36	33.695	118	16.956	Spring past SB 17	6.6
18	80	12254	3736	98	14	36	33.704	118	16.972	Spring before SB 19	6.6
19	79	12269	3740	106	15	36	33.689	118	16.962	Spring past SB 19	6.6
20	78	12283	3745	105	14	36	33.696	118	16.981	Spring in between 20-21	6.7
21	77	12302	3750	137	19	36	33.680	118	16.962	Spring in between 21-22	6.7
22	76	12326	3758	175	24	36	33.692	118	16.994	Spring in between 22-23	6.7
23	75	12346	3764	140	19	36	33.674	118	16.977	Spring past 23	6.8
24	74	12376	3773	223	31	36	33.689	118	17.018		6.8
25	73	12389	3777	92	13	36	33.678	118	17.006		6.8
26	72	12406	3782	125	17	36	33.686	118	17.029		6.8
27	71	12417	3785	75	10	36	33.678	118	17.018		6.9
28	70	12449	3795	234	32	36	33.687	118	17.064		6.9
29	69	12469	3801	148	20	36	33.668	118	17.046		6.9
30	68	12496	3810	195	27	36	33.684	118	17.080		7.0
31	67	12518	3816	160	22	36	33.659	118	17.072		7.0
32	66	12539	3823	153	21	36	33.677	118	17.093		7.0
33	65	12554	3827	108	15	36	33.661	118	17.085		7.0
34	64	12563	3830	61	8	36	33.666	118	17.095		7.1
35	63	12576	3834	94	13	36	33.651	118	17.096		7.1
36	62	12582	3836	46	6	36	33.658	118	17.096		7.1
37	61	12588	3837	44	6	36	33.652	118	17.100		7.1
38	60	12597	3840	64	9	36	33.662	118	17.101		7.1
39	59	12605	3843	60	8	36	33.653	118	17.104		7.1
40	58	12612	3845	53	7	36	33.661	118	17.106		7.1
41	57	12619	3847	52	7	36	33.653	118	17.106	7-mile marker about 12,625	7.1
42	56	12639	3853	144	20	36	33.666	118	17.130		7.2
43	55	12650	3856	76	11	36	33.660	118	17.117		7.2
44	54	12666	3861	117	16	36	33.663	118	17.140		7.2
45	53	12676	3864	71	10	36	33.659	118	17.127	Cables between 45 & 46	7.2
46	52	12734	3882	420	58	36	33.653	118	17.212	Fourth longest switchback	7.3
47	51	12742	3884	63	9	36	33.651	118	17.200		7.3
48	50	12747	3886	39	5	36	33.649	118	17.207		7.3
49	49	12766	3892	135	19	36	33.648	118	17.181	Middle switchback	7.3
50	48	12771	3893	32	4	36	33.648	118	17.187		7.3
51	47	12783	3897	87	12	36	33.643	118	17.171		7.4
52	46	12794	3900	81	11	36	33.642	118	17.187		7.4
53	45	12819	3908	180	25	36	33.638	118	17.151		7.4
54	44	12823	3909	30	4	36	33.636	118	17.156		7.4
55	43	12829	3911	42	6	36	33.636	118	17.148		7.4
56	42	12838	3914	71	10	36	33.636	118	17.162		7.4
57	41	12842	3915	26	4	36	33.633	118	17.159		7.4
58	40	12849	3917	52	7	36	33.633	118	17.169		7.4
59	39	12854	3919	38	5	36	33.632	118	17.162		7.5
60	38	12858	3920	23	3	36	33.632	118	17.166		7.5
61	37	12860	3920	15	2	36	33.630	118	17.166		7.5
62	36	12865	3922	39	5	36	33.632	118	17.173		7.5
63	35	12867	3923	15	2	36	33.631	118	17.171		7.5
64	34	12872	3924	38	5	36	33.632	118	17.178		7.5
65	33	12877	3926	37	5	36	33.628	118	17.173		7.5
66	32	12885	3928	57	8	36	33.629	118	17.184		7.5
67	31	12890	3929	33	5	36	33.628	118	17.178		7.5
68	30	12897	3932	52	7	36	33.629	118	17.188		7.5
69	29	12902	3933	37	5	36	33.625	118	17.183		7.5
70	28	12906	3934	28	4	36	33.624	118	17.188		7.5
71	27	12908	3935	11	1	36	33.623	118	17.187		7.5
72	26	12912	3936	30	4	36	33.625	118	17.192		7.5
73	25	12913	3937	11	1	36	33.624	118	17.191		7.5
74	24	12917	3938	28	4	36	33.625	118	17.196		7.5
75	23	12925	3940	60	8	36	33.617	118	17.190		7.6
76	22	12945	3946	144	20	36	33.625	118	17.217		7.6
77	21	12979	3957	244	34	36	33.607	118	17.173		7.6
78	20	13012	3967	238	33	36	33.610	118	17.221		7.7
79	19	13035	3974	167	23	36	33.605	118	17.188		7.7
80	18	13040	3975	37	5	36	33.601	118	17.193		7.7
81	17	13044	3976	29	4	36	33.597	118	17.191		7.7
82	16	13057	3980	96	13	36	33.602	118	17.209		7.7
83	15	13064	3983	53	7	36	33.597	118	17.201		7.7
84	14	13075	3986	76	11	36	33.597	118	17.216		7.8
85	13	13086	3989	83	11	36	33.594	118	17.200		7.8
86	12	13099	3993	91	13	36	33.594	118	17.218		7.8
87	11	13111	3997	90	12	36	33.590	118	17.201		7.8
88	10	13115	3998	27	4	36	33.590	118	17.206		7.8
89	9	13133	4004	134	18	36	33.574	118	17.188		7.8
90	8	13226	4032	675	93	36	33.602	118	17.321	Second longest switchback	8.0
91	7	13259	4042	236	32	36	33.580	118	17.282		8.0
92	6	13278	4048	136	19	36	33.583	118	17.309		8.0
93	5	13302	4055	175	24	36	33.571	118	17.277		8.1
94	4	13322	4061	150	21	36	33.570	118	17.307	8-mile marker about 13,350	8.1
95	3	13388	4081	478	66	36	33.531	118	17.238	Third longest switchback	8.2
96	2	13412	4089	170	23	36	33.526	118	17.270		8.2
97	1	13434	4095	162	22	36	33.512	118	17.240		8.2
TC	TC	13600	4146	1323	182	36	33.559	118	17.493	Trail Crest & longest SB	8.5