Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Hiking up Whitney Creek from Kern to Crabtree?

Hello everybody -

I'm gonna hike up Kern Canyon (after Labor Day) and come out thru Trail Crest. My question is how's the hike up Whitney Creek from Kern Canyon to Crabtree Meadow? Is it doable, is there a trail? Looks like we could save at least 6 miles by taking this shortcut. Anybody here done it?

Thanks!

I'm pretty sure theres no trail up Whitney Creek, I was there last September and saw no sign but the it would be a shame to miss the normal route which is a good trail and very beautiful with good views back down Kern Canyon

Never heard of anyone doing that route.

Of course, the general rule is that "shortcuts" double the time, if you are lucky!

There is a post from 1 or 2 years ago by ranger gdurkee about going up Whitney Creek and some other drainage. The general consensus is that it is very rugged. I thought about it last year when passing through and decided aginst it.
The HST that goes up to Wallace creek (upper) is hot and dry but has excellent views.

I couldn't find anything from ranger Durkee, but Paul from Oakland posted this several years ago:
Re: Kern Hot Spring

Paul is currently active here, so maybe he can clarify what the "****" words are.

Is it folklore? Is it a sad joke like the old Ducthman’s mine (the name is spelled correctly)?

To this date, I don't know; however, I periodically hear stories about rangers taking that route to save time. The idea of being able to, theoretically, slice a day off the trip to the Kern Hot springs is intriguing to say the least.

In my original posting, the information given WAS from someone who posted on this board, posted, I might add around 10 years ago.

I am wondering if some of the old time rangers, like Dario (not sure on spelling) would know. Maybe Ken from this board might have some contact at the ranger station.

I love the folklore surrounding this topic; its fun to think about and contemplate.

Paul

I was able to get ahold of George Durkee, redoubtable NPS ranger, who knows the route, and will post something when he has the opportunity. Does George put the "Service" in National Park Service, or what????

Ken, my heart is pounding. I can't wait to hear what George says about the route!!!! I have never been so excited.

Thanks

paul

I got confused. He posted it on a different forum.

http://www.highsierratopix.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1797

Thanks, Jeff! Glad you found the message.

Paul, was that "******s" word "rangers"?

Hey thanks a lot for checking!

Sounds doable - we'll play it by ear once we get there... one of they guys I'm going with is more pressed for time that the rest of us so he's keen on saving time... I dunno - some of my best/worst backpacking moments have involved shortcuts - I might just wanna stay on trail

Steve.......I am having a senior moment. Hey, it was back in 2005, but to be perfectly honest (and nothing less), I can't image why I would asterisk out a word like "rangers" unless I misspelled it and the system thought it was another word.

A little more info on the route..... I had originally heard that climbing up is quite arduous with 8 hours traveling time versus climbing down at around 4; hopefully the ranger that Ken refers to will give the gory details.

This has been a fun thread.

Paul

Campers:

Sorry I'm late checking in on this, but the route up Whitney Creek from the Kern (or down) isn't too bad. Going down, go left (south) and out of the drainage just where it drops steeply down -- you can see a cliffy section below you on the right (?? I think, it's been a few years -- the famed "green wall", epidote, a mineral). You go over a small ridge, then look for a fairly obvious gully that'll drop down to the Kern. Coming up, look up before you cross Whitney Creek and thrash up through the brush into that gully. There's absolutely nothing technical about the route -- if you're exposed, you're in the wrong place. Go back... .

Good luck,

George

George, thanks for dropping in and providing the valuable information.

Just for fun, I used Google Earth to view the topography of Whitney Creek looking east. Click on the image below to see the full-size picture.

In the picture, the arrow is in the Whitney Creek drainage. Google Earth shows a trail (red) extending westward down the creek from the main PCT/JMT trail. Mount Whitney and the Crabtree Ranger Station are in the upper left area.

As I was sitting here reading Steve and George's note, George seemed to confirm another peice of information that I was told...... once you cross over Whitney creek at the packers camp, precede south (traverse). Don't go down the first canyon (gully) you encounter..... continue to what George describes as a second, but more obvious gully.

Paul

Been awhile since I was checking this site -- sorry. Saw this thread. Steve, that's a great photo & view. The arrow is just about right. The main thing to remember is not to descend the creek itself when it starts to drop steeply and, going up, to just start up the brush before the creek, stay to the south. Again, nothing technical so if it's bad, go back and try something else.

When you top out, continue up the creek until you get to a small meadow, then ascend left of the creek (north). You'll come out in Lower Crabtree meadow.

That said, I'm not sure it saves you that much with all the brush, the heat and the thrashing. If you're in solid shape, it's OK, but if you're struggling, stick to the trail.

George