Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums Active Threads

You should be fine for July. The only way you'd need to concern yourself with ice/snow is if you see an unprecedented amount of storms hit the region almost daily throughout May (which isn't in the extended forecast as of right now). There's a little system that's going to add a few inches on May 4th but immediately followed by a warming trend.

I went up last year on July 4th, I don't recall stepping on a single piece of snow for the entire hike. Given that this year's accumulation is below last year, July should be excellent.

Attached is an image at the cables which was the closest we came to any snow.

Appreciate the reply Jim. That's helpful feedback. Thank you.

TomR,

ComradeBear makes an excellent suggestion in his post a couple of days: Check out Trip Reports for the first week of July in previous years. For example, from last year check out my TR posted on July 5: "NAP, Crabtree Pass, Sand Hill, Mt Whitney July 3-4." I descended from the Mt Whitney Summit via the Main Trail on July 4. In my TR, I note the observed Main Trail conditions loud and clear.

It will remain light for a long time in early July, which enhances the enjoyment/safety of the hike.

Jim

Morning hope everyone is well. Looking forward to the upcoming season. Is the Witney road still going to open on time with all the new snow? What about to Horseshoe meadow? We have a Langley trip planned May 26-27 camping at high lake or Long Lake if we can make it. Also have a day hike on Witney Planed for May 29th. I don't think it would be possible or advisable to do Horseshoe Meadow to Witney portal? Any thoughts would be super welcomed. Thanks in advance for any info. Have a great day.

Uncle Rico,

My understanding, is that THUS FAR the snow season on Mt Whitney has been fairly similar to that for the previous winter.

I, too, have a permit for mid June, 2025, but unfortunately no crystal ball. My plan is to be prepared to launch on permit day, but to monitor things closely over the next six weeks. Much can be learned by studying the weather behavior and formulating plans for various scenarios. I will bail if there are too many Red Flags.

Refer to the 24 page thread for 2024. Specifically, look at two Trip Reports I posted for mid June day hikes via the Main Trail (June 13 and June 22). The reports were posted on June 14 and June 23 on page 16 of the thread. These reflect how mid June played out last year.

As we wait for mid June to arrive with permits in hand, it can't hurt to work on conditioning, acclimatize, check condition of gear, improve skill set,...

Hope to see you in June on the Big Mountain.

Jim

Hi everyone, first time posting here. I was wondering if anyone has updated conditions regarding snow in the Whitney Zone? I am hopping to rock climb Fishhook Arête this coming weekend. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all,
Do any of you know if the Lone Pine lake is still frozen? Is the trail from the portal to the lake still with snow? We are camping this coming weekend at Long Pine Campground and I was wondering, how are the conditions to get to the lake. Thank you in advance.

Will have to see how quickly, and how high temp rises in the coming months. This will impact snow melt speed. Keep checking the forum for updates and watch the weather in the region. Storms can add to the stack.

You can also dig back and find posts from years prior to see what they've said about their experiences from previous July's.

By mid-July a lot of snow has melted away and anything remaining on the mountain isn't too troublesome. That being said, we are always at the mercy of the mountain, so keep checking in to read about hikers' experiences this season between now and July. Happy prepping!

That's totally dependent on the storm coming through this weekend. As well as if there are any other later storms that come through in May (not typical, but not impossible) and then how warm the weather is in May/June. It was a very slightly below average snow year - so in early July, I'd def expect snow on the trail still.

Hi folks

I pulled a permit for July 5 of this year

When I picked my date, we hadn't had much rain and there wasn't much snow in the mountains

March dropped a lot of precipitation and I'm nervous about needing an ice axe and crampons for the hike

What do some of you experienced hikers forecast for trail conditions for July 5 this year?


Thanks!

Hi bobby hill,

Here are a few thoughts:

(1) Many of the truly motivated members of the group that would like to join you for a day hike on June 27 will likely be able to secure a permit during the next two months.

(2) You note, "some company would give me some peace of mind undoubtedly." Maybe. Be careful who you team up with. Is the group really going to work together as a team?

(3) Assuming the conditions on the mountain are OK, you will always be encountering other folks on the trail the entire day (as well as a few rangers, possibly).

(4) Whether in a group or not, do your homework: Train, acclimatize, do a thorough study of the Trail and the Mountain.

(5) Just before you start, do not hesitate to drop in at the Whitney Portal Store at the Trailhead and ask questions. Also, in the parking lot talk to hikers coming off the Mountain.

Do not hesitate to post a conditions update here after your outing. Others can learn from your observations/experience.

Best,

Jim

Hi everyone! I have never posted on a forum before so hopefully I am doing everything right.

Anyways, I am going to attempt this hike for the first time. I had a group that wanted to join but I was the only one to secure a permit. My permit is for June 27th day use. Ideally, I would like to try and join a group if anyone knows anyone please reach out. I am fairly confident in my hiking abilities, but some company would give me some peace of mind undoubtedly. Happy trails y'all!

The lower gate is closed and locked Sign posted on the gate says open April 31 ,

The road crew is working on the road .

Hello everyone,
Looking for 3 permits around August 12th, 2025. I know its still early and we are watching for cancellations but Recreation.gov doesn't show anything yet.
Thank you,
-Nesse

Hello tfriedman, I would be interested in 3 permits in August.

What kind of hiking experience do you have?

Hi Everybody- my better half wanted to climb Whitney for her 60th so I applied for a day use permit this year via lottery and got skunked. Then I logged on yesterday morning to hopefully grab an unclaimed permit for sometime in August or September and failed at that as well. I did, however, secure a day use permit for mid-June, presumably because it isn't as optimal a time to go so less folks were angling for that date.

Anyway, that date is much earlier than I would have preferred and I'm concerned about trail conditions in mid-June. In an average/slightly below average snow year such as this, is it reasonable to suppose that the switchbacks will still be holding a fair amount of snow throughout June? We're not particularly prepared for serious snow travel so will just bail beforehand if those are going to be the expected conditions. Or maybe we'll just go to Consultation for the day instead and stop there.

Thanks for any info you can provide.

~Rico

Thanks Doug for the info.

After driving the detour a couple weeks ago, I wasn't about to drive it again.

Any word on the lower gate opening date? I'll probably wait to drive up to Lone Pine until Horseshoe Meadows is open, at least to the last gate.

paul

Road opened today to lower gate you don't need to use detour

Hi, we secured permits in the unclaimed lottery today for October 25th. Wondering if this time of year is drastically different than early May time frame (so right around now).

We went for the summit last May 5th and the conditions were bluebird day, cold weather, snow for 80% of the hike, crampons, and cold weather gear. Wondering if the weather is similar in late October?

We had issues like frozen camelback tubes and filters but were able to get through that and ultimately ran into one person with altitude sickness at the base of the Switchbacks/the chute.

Wondering if we are in for a similar experience?

Thank you to anyone who has details on this!

Hi, we secured permits in the unclaimed lottery today for October 25th. Wondering if this time of year is drastically different than early May time frame (so right around now).

We went for the summit last May 5th and the conditions were bluebird day, cold weather, snow for 80% of the hike, crampons, and cold weather gear. Wondering if the weather is similar in late October?

We had issues like frozen camelback tubes and filters but were able to get through that and ultimately ran into one person with altitude sickness at the base of the Switchbacks/the chute.

Wondering if we are in for a similar experience?

Thank you to anyone who has details on this!

Thank you for the update, Doug Sr.

Hopefully know more Tuesday!

If anyone manages to get a glimpse of the final 400 of the mountaineer's route, please share your findings!

Doug went up and checked the Culvert area and the paving is ongoing and looks like most of the equipment used for the project has moved out ,so we could be getting close to THAT section opening. The area above the lower parking lot /first closure was still in place several days ago and active road work above and the Hard closure was in place . Expect that to be the case for the next few days.

We may start working on opening of the store and campground next week , will know more Tuesday.

For the Early May permit hikers plan on snow travel above 10,000' snow is clearing as normal and we should see the ( "'500') a week melt as always the south facing areas will clear very quickly shaded areas very slow to clear and above 12,000 trailcamp the trail is on the side of a north facing slope and will hold snow longer also this area will have a different melt cycle as the snow changes from "state to state" , look it up ! a good read and helps explain mountain weather.

Don't forget jackets and snacks !!

There kinda is, but yes, online only... If you miss the initial lottery in Feb, there is a 'secondary' lottery where they release the permits that weren't confirmed/paid for. Check the rec.gov site for Whitney permits you will see a tab that says 'important dates'. So next week April 22 is when that happens. You will need to be cued up & ready to pull the trigger right at 0700 PST they will be gone in 10 mins... If you miss that lottery then you will have to check online every day, or around the time you want to go, during permit season to see what might be available. The problem with that is usually whatever they post is the next day or at best only a few days out. I've been pretty lucky getting permits this way...

The Quota System doesn't start until May 1...

No - there is no more daily lottery. All Whitney permits are managed online now - so they likely just got some that had been given up recently.