Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board 2024

Did you see that OV Rd is now open?

The thing that bothers me about the weekend forecast is the high winds...

The Road Crews don't seem to work on HM Rd on the weekends, so I was planning another trip up with no traffic...

Im heading there this weekend to hopefully summit on Tuesday. Whitney Portal camp is open and plan to stay Sunday and Sunday night and head to Trail Camp on Monday. Hopefully most of the wind/ snow will have died down by there.

If anyone has VERIFIBLE FIRST HAND ACCOUNTS of the current trail conditions, Id love to hear about it.

Especially the water levels of the crossings? Do I need to bring floaties LOL )

Thank you, Richard! Speculation is all we have until someone provides firsthand experience. However, since you recently posted conditions of the main trail, I trust your judgement!

I will most likely wait a bit more time until UBSL starts to thaw for decent water access. Although I love to camp at Iceberg, it's troublesome when its still frozen over. Need to find that sweet spot of time where there's good water access, but still decent snow level in the couloir!

Check out Richard's pictures of the main trail on page 9.

Full flamingo inner tube is probably the move

What should we expect if we have permits for Sunday? Looks like weather is supposed to clear around 5 am and we'll be 4.5 hours into the hike by then.

There will most likely be a dusting on the current trails but some rain near the base but any major concerns?

Since you're hanging at the Portal, check out the Old Trail that heads up from the "top" of the road loop...saves you 2 stream (sometimes 3) crossings.

BTW, if you have access to Gaiagps, the Old Trail is shown as a faint, dotted line trail and labeled Old Whitney Trail...

I recall that you are doing a day-hike on the Main Trail...
It's less than a few hours until you get to the Whitney Zone and it is going to be difficult to follow the myriad of tracks leading up to Bighorn Park...and then there's the terrain above Outpost Camp that is a CF in my opinion...that's 3-4 hours in at a conservative pace...if you don't get side-tracked...I wouldn't want to be there in the dark...

BTW, not trying to come across as a know-it-all...just don't want you to have an experience that's not fun...and, I can tell you lots of stories about having to sit around waiting for daylight...in a harsh, cold, wind...(lots of expletives deleted would have to be used...)

Trying to read between the lines here but are you recommending not going or rather making sure we have a GPS of the route handy to stay on course?

Having the GPS track can help...I've found even the Google Maps version to be pretty good for general directions.

No, I'm not suggesting not going...
I don't know you're background...
You can read my controversial comment above about a day-climb (and it is a climb, not a hike) being possible for a fit, acclimatized, person who has good snow skills...

Not making the summit doesn't bother me in the least...Whitney isn't a bucket list item I need to tic off...I like being in the mountains...

If not making the summit is going to ruin you're trip, I'd consider trying some other time...

Unless it's very early and extra cold, you'll have access to water flowing from the blocks below Iceberg. A short walk if you're camped near the edge. (Can confirm, as the webcam doesn't speculate.)

I was up there solo on Sunday/Monday this past week (4/28 & 29) and summited Monday morning via the Mountaineer's Route.

Trail was snow free until a few hundred yards past the North Fork/Whitney Trail split. I ended up putting on my crampons after the first stream crossing about a quarter mile up this trail. Snow covers the majority of the trail from this point onward on the south side of the creek.

I descended the E Ledges, and they were snow free, but there were some pockets of snow above and below the ledges area.

Honestly both routes from the beginning of the North Fork trail to LBSL were the least fun part of the trip. There's enough snow to take a bad slip and postholing is inevitable. It's just slow moving on that section.

Water level wasn't anywhere near too high to cross any of the streams. But in a week or so, a few of those snow bridges are going to collapse.

I was able to get to some running water on the flat section just above UBSL, on the way to Iceberg Lake.

The most difficult section of the snow climb was a 40-60ft section just before getting to Iceberg Lake. That was the steepest section of snow I was on for the whole trip. Still a Class 3 snow climb, but I found it interesting that section was the steepest of the day.

The couloir on the MR was in great shape. Really fun climb. Would be really fun to ski right now.

The final 400 past the notch was in really good condition as well. Only one Class 3 rock band to cross about 50-75 feet up, and solid snow until the summit. If you break right at the top of the climb toward the summit, beware of some solid alpine ice. It was much easier to break left to a couple Class 3 moves to top out.

I descended via the traverse. It's a traverse, and the path is very clear. Very easy descent route.

Awesome! Thank you Jarod & Jeff for the information!! And congrats on the summit!

I won't be getting in there until next week at earliest, so hopefully all the messy snow bridge nonsense will clear out by then.

Store opens today 9 AM first day of year 37 or is it groundhog day!
Detours in place to avoid the closed lower section of the Portal road, 3 in fact 2 paved 1 dirt The e ride is Tuttle Creek Rd narrow and room for 2 cars , narrow and not good for RV or trailers, Lubken Canyon Rd (3 miles south of Lone Pine on 395) , short section narrow one lane ( about 1 mile) better option for faint of heart , Third choice is Hogback Rd 5 miles north of town ( not goog for trailers or long RV if going to thr Portal (tight turn at the intersection of Hogback and portal rd.

OK so the detour signs can be confusing , don't rely on cell coverage /map app to work when you get to the turns . Study the route you plan to take before you leave home or print out a simple map.

Now many are thinking the road to the arch is closed , it is closed just after the turn to the main Alabama Hills area . This is Movie Rd and will go thru the Hills to Hogback .

Food service will start on Friday May 10 .

Campground is open , Rec .gov may or maynot have it opened so I don't know how you get a site , walkins are open at the trailhead and Ravine.

Snow clearing on the trail but still holding on the upper elevations , back side reports from PCT hikers reaching the summit , some snow but not bad. ( I would think a few drifts in the windows areas)

Richard P has posted great reports and photos of the main trail to above trailcamp area , also watch the webcam , Mt Thor is our area of photo reports , this last week about 1/2 the snow has cleared , rocks showing , this says warm day and nights at the upper elevation . Note storm may move in over the weekend very cold upper elevations 10-12 degrees high winds)

Ski season on the North Fork is over , snow bridges , wet slides normal early season conditions , Sad time of the season most often we will have a few mishaps , slips and falls so stay focused .

Hi Richard! Thanks for your speculation on those pictures, they are a lot more useful than just either of them by themselves.

Secondly, I have a BIG question to ask:

*Do I need to try to find a self-arrest/ice axe training course?*


I'm still trying to figure out how to use this forum interface, so I apologize if this ought to be elsewhere.

I have a permit set up for May 18th overnight to May 19th day hike. I'll be going it alone, and packing for a cold camp with adequately rated sleeping bag and a tent that I've set up twice before in the dark. It's a 3-season freestanding dome tent.


For context of this question: I've used on two trips up Mt. Baldy this spring. I never found myself in a hard-ice slide situation where an ice axe was the meainingful difference (like the emergency situation where you have a second or less to get your ice axe out and assume the self-arrest position) but it helped to stabilize me and to keep multiple points of contact when I was going up and down steep switchbacks.

I've never used a rope harness for climbing either.

I'm a SoCal hiker, and I don't fancy the idea of driving 5 hours north to Mammoth Lake area to take the one-day self-arrest courses on the day before/day of starting my hike.

Is it strictly necessary to take a self-arrest class? I have an emergency beacon, packing extra food, batteries and backup battery packs, I have a map, compass, can use them together, and I have a pair of snow pants, a quality jacket, proper base and mid layers. I understand this is not directly related to my ability to use an ice axe, but I want to stress that I'm not going into this unprepared... except maybe for having not taken a self-arrest course.

Thank you and I appreciate that you all have this forum to ask questions and get updates!!

Great first day ,warm . morning turned cooler about 2 pm had that cold air shift so something is moving in very lite wind in the Portal but may pick-up tonight .

First rescue by noon lost the trail
hikers had meet the person and a group was helping the person down rescue cancelled.Person back at the trailhead around 4 pm .

Thanks for all the information. Hoping to make it to the top in late August. Could you please provide your understanding on the use and approval of Ursacks in the Whitney Zone. Thanks in advance.

Off topic but are Ursacks okay in the Whitney Zone. We called a ranger station last year and they said that Ursacks with odor proof inner bag were allowed but not recommended because there were no trees to hang them on. But a ranger on the trail at Outpost said that they were not okay but he didn't "write us up" as he had heard that others were told that Ursacks were allowed. Ursacks are much lighter than Bear Vaults. We have both Ursacks and Bear Vaults.

AFM This is a FS rule question , opinions or hear say doesn't answer the question. Contact the Inyo National directly. Thanks

UPDATE FOR 05.03.2024
=====================
-Amazing amount of melt at both the switchbacks up to Bighorn Park...you can now follow the trail...some on top of snow drifts...you still will have to do some off-trail on the upper portion...
-Amazing amount of melt on the switchbacks above Outpost Camp...same situation with loads of walking on top of snow for parts...
-There were lots of tracks from the West Side JMT...
-The Backside (West) is easier than it was last summer...with the exception of it still being mostly snow, rather than a mix of snow and dirt last summer...
-Snow conditions are deteriorating fast...seeing lots of leg deep holes in the snow...maybe this cold front will extend the quality snow for a few more days...

First Hand MR Report...met a climber who was doing The Loop...he confirmed what Jarod said...lower canyon so bad it sucks...he felt The Couloir snow is getting too soft once the sun is up...final 400' took some care to ascend safely...I gave him so pointers for a safe, fast, descent of the Main Trail...

Oh, BTW, we has cloud cover and snow flurries...wind blew for a while, but I was up top in a Sun Shirt only...descending The Chute on what was trying to become firm snow, but balling up on crampons was frustrating...took a screamer about 2/3 down when I failed to whack the crampon to clear it...(Really) it was more fun than scary...arrested in about 75'...thought about glissading the rest of the way...but I hate glissading...give me a pair of skis if I'm going to slide down a snow slope...

2 people were climbing Wotans Throne...I tried to get Pink Jacket's attention to get him to traverse over to where I was, but he didn't respond...I spent a good bit of time talking to the other as we descended the mountain...he had lost his way at Mirror Lake and got back to the route via the left gully on Wotans...

Here are some photos:


This is the view you want to see to get over to the snowfield leading up to Consultation Lake / Trail Camp.



More of the view of the alternate route.



The Switchbacks come into view. This is on the Contour to The Chute.



Trail Crest.



JMT Junction.



West Side.



Climb to the summit.



Summit Hut is a welcome sight.



Long range view from the summit snowfield.



The Switchbacks.