Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Pre/post day hikes around Whitney

I know there are many. I am just looking for peoples favorites in the area. We will be doing the day hike on a saturday. Any suggestions for a 3 or 4 hour hike the day before and/or day after would be welcome.

thanks in advance

the hike to Meysan Lake and back would fit the bill

Are you planning a day hike to the summit? If so, you may want to hike up to Lone Pine Lake and back to get good views of the lower trail. I did that before I did my first day hike and my trip down from the summit was so much easier (as I counted the switchbacks in the dark).

Go over to Horseshoe Meadow - a great day hike is to go up to Cottonwood Pass and Chicken Springs Lake. 12,000+ ft. provides great acclamation. The trail seems to have been designed for old fart dayhikers - shallow grade with a frustratingly large number of switchbacks, but ever-improving views. 5-6 hours allows time at the top.

Although longer than 3-4 hours (more like 6-8), if you need a hike to help you acclimatize, I like the White Mountain Peak Hike. It's a drive to the trailhead, but relatively easy as 14'er's go and makes for a nice warmup for Whitney plus you get some cool views of the Sierras from the East.

Last year I did a hike from the Lone Pine Campground to the Whitney Portal on the Mt. Whitney Recreational trail. It was nice, I didn't see many people, Great views of Lone Pine Peak's north face and the burger at the portal made for a nice casual outing.

Rafael...