1 Day Summiting Mount Whitney - A Simple Guide to the Top
My buddy Bryan and I had been talking about doing this hike for ages.
Finally, the stars aligned.
Summiting Mount Whitney in one day is doable assuming you follow the basic steps to ensuring your success.
Acclimate at elevation
Start early
Go slow and take breaks
Hydrate and get nutrition
Enjoy the climb and be smart
The Spot
Mount Whitney (and yes it is not Mt.) is the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States and is also know as Tumanguya.
It is located in California in both Inyo National Forest and Sequoia National Park.
The mountain is about 14,505 feet (4,421 m) and when you begin to climb, you will feel the impact elevation has on the body.
Many many people attempt to summit and fail.
The Mount Whitney Trail is approximately 22.5 miles and 6,556’ in elevation gain.
Most people will take around 15-20 hours to complete this hike (we finished in less than 13.5 hours).
Although, a few elite trail runners have completed the route in less than 3 hours which is just completely absurd that a human can do that. Our hats go off to you!
First Things First
You should train for this hike if you actually want to make it to the top.
Go on multiple long hikes (+10 miles) with a heavy pack and see how you feel. Ideally, you can do these training hikes at higher elevation than sea level.
Running or other cardio will also help your lungs when you are at higher elevation.
This is a very busy hike during the summer months (best time due to weather), so you will need to plan far in advance or be very flexible in your timing.
We went mid October and were able to get the hiking permit a few days before our campsite reservation. You need to check every morning and see if / when new permits come up. They typically will pop up a few days in advance, especially when it is later in the season.
Get a permit here to do this hike and a campsite at Whitney Portal.
Make sure you get these reserved before going. There are many people from around the world who plan to do this hike and we all need to do our best to make sure everyone has a great and safe time on this hike!
Also, make sure you have a wag bag to take out your poop. Pack it in and pack it out!
Guide to the Top
If you follow these basic rules, your opportunity to succeed will be much greater. If you only have a weekend available, here is your general outline:
Acclimate at elevation
Getting a campsite at Whitney Portal is better than staying in town at Lone Pine. Why? Because you will be almost 5,000’ higher staying at Whitney Portal (8,374’) compared to Lone Pine (3,727′).
Arrive on Friday as early as you can
Do a several mile hike to get your legs warmed up
Eat good meals and go to bed very early, like 6-7PM early
Start early
The early bird gets the worm… and in this case, that is Mount Whitney! If you start early, it will give you plenty of time to take breaks, go at a slower pace, and make it more likely you will not get altitude sickness.
Start between 2-4AM
We started at 3AM and used our headlamps for the first few hours.
Time seemed to go by relatively quick during these cold dark hours.
Make sure to pack a good quality headlamp
Go slow and take Breaks
The biggest reason why people fail summiting Mount Whitney is due to elevation sickness.
Going slow and taking breaks will help your body adjust to the elevation in a progressive timeline. Whereas if you are charging full steam ahead, you may be gaining too quickly for your body to adapt and you will fail.
Hydrate and get nutrition
It’s crucial you bring enough water and food. You will be gone hiking pretty much all day and there are no fast food stops along the way.
Some good things to pack:
2-3 Liters of water and water filtration systems such as a LifeStraw or tablets
There are several places you can refill and filter your water, but it’s better to be prepared with more water and filtration systems
Bring Pedialyte packages to add to your water for efficient rehydration
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The coffee version makes for a nice early morning burst
Trail mix and extra nuts
Tuna packets - there are lots of various flavors to spice up your day
Enjoy the climb and be smart
Be aware not only of your surroundings and take everything in, but be aware of what your body is telling you.
Focusing on what your body is telling you can help prevent a myriad of issues from altitude sickness to rolling an ankle.
If you follow all the above guidelines, you should have an excellent chance of making your first attempt a successful summit of Mount Whitney.
Don’t forget to be present in the moment, breathe, and enjoy!
Getting There
The main town in the area is quaint little Lone Pine. You can find all the supplies you need here, but always come prepared.
Hopefully you will find a campsite at Whitney Portal, which is about 2o minutes away from town.
If you do not use AllTrails, you should! You can save maps offline so you know where you are at all times. Although, you should not have many issues with this hike since it is very well established.
Here is the AllTrails of the Mount Whitney Trail.
Things We Wish We Knew Beforehand
Bring Pedialyte packages to add to your water and have a big bottle of Pedialyte for your recovery drink
The Mount Whitney Mountaineer’s Route is much shorter (8.8 miles), albeit more dangerous and difficult.
We plan on coming back to do this trail!
The Whitney Portal Store is a restaurant / safety center / genearl store at the beginning of the Whitney trail
Support them by getting an excellent dinner after your hard earned hiking!
We suggest the bacon cheeseburger
Alabama Hills is right nearby and is an epic iconic area
Find time to go off-roading here and do the Mobius Arch Loop Trailhead
Kirk + Martina have been adventure travelling essentially their whole lives. Martina has been to over 60 countries, speaks 3 languages, and is a badass. Kirk enjoys pushing limits to their extreme, hence the love for action sports and anything dangerous / adrenaline filled fun.
We realized the adventures we go on and the knowledge we learn could be useful for others.
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