Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Horseshoe meadows to Mt Whitney in late June

Hello, I am new to the forum. I am planning a trip to take 3 first timers (including myself) up Mt Whitney in late June. I have been searching the forums for a few days now and reading trip reports but haven't found answers to all of my questions. We will be leaving from the Horseshoe meadows area on June 27th with the goal of summiting Whitney on June 30 and then exiting via the main trail on July 1st.

My first question is whether New Army Pass will be open at this time. We will have crampons and if reccomended we will have ice axes however none of us are very experienced with them so I would not want to attempt this pass (or the hike in general) if it will be very technical at that time of year. If new army pass will have too much snow at that time of year we will take cottonwood pass instead. We would just prefer new army pass as it looks to be more scenic. Any comments about this would be appreciated.

We plan on heading up over Guyot pass the second day and camping at or around guyot flat that night. From what I have read most people don't do this and I'm wondering if anyone who has been there can comment on the kind of conditions in that area and whether it would be better to camp at the bottom of the pass and then climb it in the morning of day 3 instead. The reason I was looking to stay at Guyot flat was just to make the next day a little shorter and cut some climbing. My primary concern with staying there is whether there will be a water source around or if we will need to carry all of our water up there.

Day 3 will take us to guitar lake and then the plan is to get a very early start on day 4 (that would be June 30) to head up to the summit. I have read quite a bit about typical conditions on the main trail at this time but have not found anything about what to expect heading up the west side of the mountain at this time. I'm wondering if anyone has done this route around the time I will be there and could comment on what to expect.

Any info would be appreciated. I just want to make sure I know what we are getting into so we can make a safe attempt at this.

Thanks.

Right now the Cottonwood Lakes snow sensor is reporting 141% of normal April 1 snowpack, and the Crabtree Meadow sensor is reporting 88%. If we have even half of the normal snowfall for the remainder of the season, it will be well above average for the year. Late June/early July will mean plenty of snow still in the high country, so you will need to be prepared for it.

In 2007 I took a scout troop from Horseshoe Meadows to Whitney, via Cottonwood Pass. First day was to just below Soldier Lake. Second day was over Guyot Pass to Crabtree Meadow (lower). Third day was to the tarn above Guitar Lake (easy day). From there we summited on the fourth day, and stopped at Outpost Camp. Fifth day was a quick run down to Portal for the pancake breakfast.

If your group consists of experienced hikers, you should be able to do that type of itinerary without any difficulty; I found it to be an enjoyable pace.

I've done Horseshoe to Crabtree numerous times - over both passes. I think you will encounter serious snow over NAP in late June. Cottonwood usually has a passable snow cornice near the top. If you can, make it at least to Guyot Creek before camping. The thought of the long morning trudge up to Guyot Pass from Lower Rock Creek is depressing. No water along the trail between Guyot Cr. and Crabtree. However, past the creek and before the switchbacks you will barely see a meadow to the west. There will be water there.

Oh yes - one more thing - in late June you will almost certainly be sharing the trail with a gazillion mosquitos who will consider you their new best friend and want to get real close.

Be sure to bring your ice axes. They'll be useful for the larger mosquitoes.

I too did this route with a Scout Troop a couple of years ago. A great way to go, with a lot less foot traffic than the Main Trail up the East.
We went at the end of June, and didn't see a soul until we hit Crabtree Meadows. We didn't go NAP, but instead went just West, up Cottonwood Pass and down into Rock Creek basin, then Guyot Pass to Crabtree and then summit.
It was a beautiful way to go. We didn't hit much snow, but every year is different. This year there is a LOT of snowpack early, but no telling what the next 3 months will bring.

I took a Scout troop last August on this route. We acclimated one night at Horsehoe Meadows. Day one we camped on the PCT just beyond the trail to Soldier Lake. Day two we pushed all the way to Lower Crabtree so that Day three would be a rest/easy day to Guitar Lake. Having the entire afternoon to laze around at Guitar Lake made the tough day two worth it. Day four we summitted and packed camp going back to lower Crabtree. Day five we camped at the same campsite as night one and Day six we exited in time for noon lunch at the Pizza Factory. This was a strenous schedule, but on our way in there was a troop on the way out that made it to Guitar Lake in two days. The campsite for night one and five was dry but we carried water from Chicken Spring Lake and Rock Creek and both mornings after that campsite we hiked to breakfast.

I was initially upset that we couldn't get an exit permit for the Portal, but I'm glad that we didn't have to pack camp on summit day and carry packs to Trail Crest. I was surprised at how many people we saw between Upper Crabtree and Guitar Lake, many JMT finishers in August, but the parties betwen the trailhead and Crabtree were just right in terms of meeting great interesting people in the backcountry. The Scouts really enjoyed meeting other troops especially since half of our group had been to Philmont and other troops also had Philmont veterens.

I am an Eagle Scout and an Assistant Scoutmaster. I don't like some of the actions of Scouts at times as if not supervised, they can be disruptive to others. This is the reason that I stick to High Adventure outings only with a limit of 12 per outing which to my liking is too big for the wilderness. I find that by only going on outings with Scouts over age 14, I can challenge them with high miles which ensures that they fall asleep when it gets dark.

The highlight of the trip besides all members reaching the summit was that we had Thunder Snow for an hour the first day.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I hadn't counted on the mosquitoes so I'll definitely have to come prepared for that.

One of the big mysteries that remains is what to expect when climbing to trail crest around that time of year. I have been searching through the forums and haven't found any info on it. Can anyone shed any light on this? Does the western face tend to hold snow at all or is it generally fairly clear by that time.


Thanks again.

If you go to postholer.com, you can read the journals of the Pacific Crest Trail folks. They're back there around then, and most of them seem to summit on the way by.

with the wind the way it can be in april and may you will have quite a bit of ice left over, you may get lucky and slide down on the way home.
Thats unless you weigh under 215 , because if you do the mosies will be carrying you and singing at the same time