Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Night Hike Question - Main Trail

I would like a little advise from some of you Whitney pros.

I'm thinking about hiking at night to hit either Trail Crest or the summit for sunrise (mid-August). My past attempt I got most of the way to Trail Camp before sunrise (left about 2:30). I feel pretty comfortable in the dark up the switchbacks but haven't been farther (didn't acclimate). How smart is it to be hiking between Trail Crest and the summit with a headlamp?

Unfortunatly, I don't get a full moon on this trip. Trail Camp is beautiful at 2:00 a.m. with a super bright full moon.

I can't speak to the advisibilty of hiking in the dark between Trail Camp and Summit (although from Trail Camp it's really neat to watch all the little "pixie lights" of the headlamps on the Switchers)...

But for timing... if you go to this page Sunrise/set times you can enter locational information and dates and get civil twilight, sunrise, sunset, moon rise and moon set information...

I say go for it. By August the trail will likely be snow free and easy to follow. If you can make it from mirror lake to trail camp in the dark, you can certainly make it from trail crest to the summit in the dark.

I did the hike last year, leaving the portal at 8 but we had nearly a full moon from about 1am. As mentioned, if you can find your way past Mirror Lake then the crest won't be a problem.

I have done it twice by headlamp from Guitar. No worries, in August the trail is easy to follow.

Thanks for the input. I really prefer hiking at night. It is so peaceful and while you miss out on some scenery it is a totally different world at night. I also find it easier to pace myself at night for some reason, maybe it's because my body is wanting me to sleep instead.

-Study the map and view pictures of the trail to build up a mental image of the route for the night hike to minimize confusion.

-clear goggles to shield your eyes from cold & dry down slope night winds.

-Extra set of batteries for the headlamp and a keychain led light
to aid changing batteries if needed (sometimes you can get a bad battery right out of a new package that will go dead in an hour or so)

Good luck!

Left Guitar Lake once at 1 AM under a full moon and never turned on a headlamp. Watched moonset and sunrise from the summit. Great experience.