Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Current Mt Whitney Trial Conditions

Hi, 12 SEP 2023

I was looking for any update on the trail conditions from Lone Pine Lake to Trail Camp any from Trail Camp to summit. Snow/Ice? Traction needed?

Thanks for any info.

Recent storms and cold nights (freezing) at the upper elevation causing black ice conditions for several hours ,once the sun is up conditions back to wet trail

Always a condition this time and into the winter proper,fresh light snow from the last storms,again very normal after the third week of August,snow melt quickly in the sun exposed areas but may linger on the north facing slopes.
Traction devices could help but the problem with black ice at night it is hard to tell from wet rocks so caution is the first defence.I suggest leaving later and reaching the upper elevations during day light.
Temps at 12,000 forecasts are still in the low 30's so expect freezing conditions and most storms will bring snow to the upper elevations.

A word in support of Doug's comment about black ice. I left Trail Camp yesterday ~7 am and encountered some of that insidious stuff on the first part of the switchbacks. After slipping a couple of times, I tried to avoid wet-looking rocks.

The only patch of snow on the trail was on the last switchback before Trail Crest. The snow was softening when I crossed it, and there was a boot track through the ~20 yards. But I wouldn't want to cross that snow without traction if it had been still frozen: a fall at that point could be disastrous. Some people were putting on microspikes.

The summit snowfield is easily avoided by leaving the trail at a duck fairly soon (sorry to be so vague) after the last needle. I missed it on the way up and had a bit of a scramble; descent to the duck was much more straightforward.

The biggest difference I noticed from previous trips was how much water flows over the trail countless times until Trail Crest. The log and rock bridges are in place, but I was very happy to have waterproof boots.