Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Onion Valley to Mt Whitney

Friends, this July I would like to backpack Mt Whitney from Onion Valley with my husband. We are average speed hikers. We are considering spending four days:

Day 1: Shuttle from W.P. to Onion T.R. Camp at Vidette
Day 2: Camp at Tyndall Creek
Day 3: Camp at Guitar Lake
Day 4: Summit + exit via normal route.

We tried to find some sites that look apparent for other hikes to use (bear boxes) as we are not used to travelling in bear country, so a little bit of company at times may be nice for the feeling of security :-)

Is the above itinerary ambitious? it's about ~10 miles days but of course there is some significant elevation gain, passing two passes and summiting Whitney. Does anyone else have better itineraries for a normal couple of hikers? Any other itinerary suggestion that would let us stay at more exiting campsites?

We are currently finalizing planning. We will probably start out from Onion Valley on July 10th plus minus one day (we come from Denmark, and plane tickets and Yosemite campsites reservations pretty much fixes departure day).

Thanks,

Camilla
Copenhagen, Denmark

Welcome to the Whitney board, Camilla.

Your itinerary looks pretty good, though your first day may be long unless you get an early shuttle.

I did that trip a few years ago. Our itinerary was:
night 1: Onion valley trailhead.
night 2: Center Basin junction (north of Forester Pass)
(Lost some snacks to a bear here -- forgot to put the snacks into the bear box along with all the other food.)
night 3: Wallace creek
night 4: Whitney summit.
The first and second days were long. Third and fourth were much easier. I had altitude issues (loss of appetite) nights 2 and 3.

Pictures are here.

When I planned this trip, I, like Steve, had the Center Basin Jct. area as the first night's campsite. Also, I'd plan on camping at the tarns above Guitar Lake, its less crowded.

If you are looking for more exciting campsites look for areas away from the bear boxes, http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/bear_box.htm

We had it planned as a 4 day/3 night trip, like you.

Hi Camilla,
I did that hike in 1996 when my son was 14. We are from Virginia- flatland like your Denmark.

Are you going to have any days and nights at significant altitude before you start hiking? That will make a tremendous difference to most people. Our schedule was several days and nights elsewhere at 7,000-10,000 feet first before starting.

first night Kearsarge Lakes

second night treeline before Forester Pass

third night Wright Creek

fourth night tarns above Guitar Lake

fifth night (after summitting) was Trailcamp on east side.
(otherwise you have a very long summit day from Guitar to summit to Whitney Portal).

Hope this helps, Harvey

Camilla,
Why aren't you going to the Grand Canyon???? I seem to recall that you're pretty well known there . . .
My son and I did this identical hike, but we were not in great shape and took an extra day then you're proposing. Forrester Pass and south is really spectacular. Going over F.P. was tougher than Whitney for us.
As I recall, we had one long day from the small lake just north Forrester to Guitar Lake. Have a great time. One thing that is great about the Sierras is the availability of ice- cold water, but then there are the pesky bears. Rent a bear vault in Yosemite and mail it back.

These trails are easier than the most of those in the G.C.; smoother and less taxing. Prepare for lots of company as you exit from the summit to Whitney Portal Lastly, as you drive from Whitney to Lone Pine enjoy the setting, hundreds of films were made here.
David Stockbridge

Camilla,
This is a beautiful route! My son (9 then) and I did it 3 years ago. We did it in six days. Started at noon and camped at Kearsarge lakes (bear boxes), second night was at the junction for Center Basin on Bubbs Creek, (bear boxes) & (LOTS OF MOSQUITOES). Third, easy day camped at 12,400' lake south of Forrester Pass (climbed Caltech Peak, cause I worked for Caltech at the time), fourth day camped along Wallace Creek, There were bears here, but they left us alone and we had three rather challenging creek crossings, two of which we did bare foot (ouch). Fifth day we camped at Guitar Lake (watch out for those marmmots! Sixth day we summited and cruised out.

It doesn't sound as if four days are completely foolish, so I think we will stick to that. I am considering adding a fifth day, but that is one day for something else in Yosemite or Sequoias west side. We're coming all the way from Denmark, and I try to plan so that we make the most of the time in the Sierras. So if four days is reasonable for two average hikers, we'll probably stick to that.

To start with I was even looking into coming over from Baxter Pass. I would love to spend a night at Rae Lakes. I talked myself out of that, assuming that would be too much for five days. And the extra day now is scheduled for Alta Peak as a dayhike from the west side of Sequoia. And six days seem too long, with the extra weight of bear cannisters etc. I am hoping Kearsarge Lakes are as pretty as Rae Lakes, so I won't bother - is it so?

SteveC - thanks for sharing your absolutely stunning pictures! We're really looking forward to the trip now! It looks hot on the pictures. I don't hope we'll get too fried in July, but we probably will! Currently we target to begin around July 10. I'm trying to find a shuttle, and with a bit of luck, we'll do that fairly early and be at the trail no later than 9-10 AM.

h_lankford - The trip is part of a three week trip around the Sierras. Before the backpack we have spent a week in Yosemite including some days up in the high country (if we can get walk-in permits at Tuolumne, that is!) so we should be ready to start gain some elevation.

David - Yes, I have backpacked quite a bit in GC, and I recognize your name too from the Yahoo GC group. However, this time I am bringing my husband, and he is a teacher and it is difficult for him to take vacation outside July - August. So this time we chose California.

One more question:

Anyone knows about bear boxes between Vidette and Tyndall (I can't deciefer the NPS page on that)? That would probably make sense if I get "weak" in my faith in my own abilities and try and break up the second day of hiking in my current itinerary. 12 miles + Forester Pass seems to make the second day the hardest day?

Thanks again!

Camilla

I don't know what you consider average. Most do this route in 6 to 7 days. A lot depends on you conditioning, packweight, weather and familiarity with hiking above 3,300 M. You sound to be an above average hiker to me based on your posts.

Try this link for bear box locations http://climber.org/data/BearBoxes.html

wbtravis5152 - thanks! That has exactly the maps that I can figure out how to use.

I think you will make those 12 miles ok. Not sure, but I think the last box is at Center Basin junction, then Tyndall Creek. It is pretty barren between Forester Pass and Tyndall creek, and doubt there would be any bears. But you will be carrying bear cannisters, won't you? If so, you won't need a bear box.

On the bear box maps in the link above, they do not show the area of Center Basin junction south of Vidette meadows. But four years ago, the box was there. This map shows one in the Center Basin junction, but map detail does not identify the spot exactly.

Steve C - we'll bring a bear cannister for sure. I haven't decided on whether I should rent one (or two, depending on their size) at the ranger station in Lone Pine or buy one to have for the whole trip. We will be doing some dayhiking in bear areas, and if there are no bear boxes, I thought it might be nice to get snacks etc away. I understand they're odor proof?

I thought the double protection would be nice (cannister + box)?. First time backpacking in "true" bear country, so we'll take extra care!

Camilla

For dayhiking, you take your snacks or lunch in your pack, leaving your main food behind in the bear cannister. Bears will not bother people carrying a pack with food inside. They only sneak into your camp when you are asleep (or maybe when your back is turned), and run away with whatever food they can grab. They might even take a cannister away, but would only go far enough to be out off rock-throwing distance. Then they would try to get the cannister open, giving up after a while, and leaving your cannister for you to recover.

Odor proof? No. They are just containers that the bear cannot break into. It could be smeared with peanut butter on the outside, and the bear would just clean it up. But the bear could not get into the contents inside.

On your hike, when you reach Trail Crest, if you want to leave most of your pack behind for the short side trip to the Whitney summit, you need to put any food you leave behind into the cannister, and leave your pack fully unzipped. The marmots there will chew through packs if they think there is accessible food inside.

Canisters are definitely not order proof. I guess the closest to order proof would be a Bearikade with its seal.

The bear boxes were from another era, when people were counterbalancing food in trees. Today, a brc is required where most of these boxes are located.

Bear problems are oversold by forest managers. In 11 years of backpacking the Sierra, I have never seen a bear. Of the three bears I have seen in the Sierra, one was dumpster diving at a restaurant in June Lake, another paws up on a Ford Explorer in Whitney Portal and one roaming around within 1/4 of Onion Valley Campground. Don't Worry...Be Happy.

Absolutely do NOT use double protection. You will be hiking on the John Muir Trail for much of your trip, which has a LOT of hikers during the summer. The bear boxes fill up, and if you put your cannister in, you will be preventing people who do not have a cannister from having any protection at all. This will produce many angry neighbors! Also, I will tell you that the area between Kearsearge and Forester passes is among the busiest BEAR area in the Sierra. At junction meadow, when I've stayed there, it's all bears, all nite. Inevitably, people don't store food right, and they are yelling at bears all nite <sigh>. I didn't see the bears, but I sure heard about them! With our cans, it was no problem at all.

I think that 4 days is very aggressive, most take 5-6. And there is a problem that you need to anticipate: on the day that you are planning to cross Forester Pass, you will be crossing the pass late in the day. If there is any weather, this will be a real problem. When I was last up there, the lightning strikes started about 4:30! We didn't cross the pass because of that. This could produce a real logistical challenge. I would, at the very least, plan for an extra contigency day.

You are going to love this trip!!

When you get your permit, the ranger should be able to mark where the current food lockers (bear boxes) are located on your TomHarrisonMaps.com map. Its a good plan. You can generally stop where you want to stop - so that part is variable based upon whim. Just the food storage is a pain.

You will not be alone on this trip but most are going your direction so you may not see many. Plan on having company at all campsites in the evening even this early in the 'season'. You will have some snow at the passes. Take along flavored syrup for snow cones. You should be able to follow those who left foot steps ahead of you. Trek poles provide a little more support crossing snow.

Plan on Onion Valley to Kearsarge Lakes for a generally late lunch if you start around 8-9AM. Might as well enjoy the view on the way up There are a series of glacial 'steps' that make up the valley and you will spend an inordinate amount of time gazing down at the parking lot NOT getting smaller as quickly as you hoped. Just as you hit timberline and can see the last of the trail to the pass, there is a wonderful flat boulder off to your left - good snooze spot. The last 1/4 mile or so leading to K Pass is a long straight uphill plod. The trail leading down to the lakes is (was) quite steep for the first few hundred meters. I understand that was to be fixed last year. You have alternative trails. One allows you to stay higher leading toward Charlotte Lake then down or the other plunges down more directly to Kearsarge Lakes. If you take the latter, you will have a nice lunch break at K or Bullfrog Lakes.

Once down to Vidette Meadows it is again a long walk up hill. There are three opportunities for bear box storage: Where you come in to the PCT from K Lakes, about midway and then the last at exit to Center Basin. I'd suggest you stay up aways at middle Vidette. Mainly to get a good night's sleep and rest at a lower altitude. You should pull into camp well before dark and be tired.

Forester Pass is 13,200' and a beautiful walk uphill. Plan on stopping frequently to look back . You should make it to Tyndall mid afternoon if you goof off on the pass for a late lunch. It will seem like a long fairly boring walk from the bottom/south side of F Pass to Tyndall - it is. No water over the pass once you leave the drainage from Center Basin. Tyndall creek crossing is where Shepherd Pass trail comes in to your left. Tyndall is a good early day stop, gives you a chance to take a rest. Also a good chance to take side trip up to South American Lake or follow up the relatively gentle path to Shepherd Pass for a grand view. Or kick back and read a book.

There are boxes there and at Wallace Creek some ways distant across some of the most spectacular Sierra high country. Plan to take in the view slowly as well there. If you push on until late afternoon you might make Guitar -- possibly not depending upon how you and your body is reacting to the altitude. Otherwise plan on spending the night lower at or near the ranger station and figure on an earlier (VERY early start) up Whitney. That next day, over all, will be the biggest day of the trip - again little water on the trail once you leave the lakes. Take is nice and slow to the top. You will make it if you don't rush it. You get points with the Crab Tree ranger if you take a can of beer as an offering to the hiking gods. He/she will be impressed you carried THAT so far. OR consider you completely insane for same reasons.

There is really too much to see there in just a few days that you will be passing through. Too bad. Be sure to check out what is just about a mile or so away on the trail map and plan on a visit again.

***********

A faster path to the PCT/JMT is up Shepherd Pass just a few miles south of Onion. Unfortunately, this is the last time that Mt Williamson will be open until December. There will be many at the trailhead and the campgrounds (very few good spots) up high will be full. If curious you can see if trail quota used already. You have a LOT more uphill the first day, however. First night would be Mahogany or Anvil Camp, second night could be Wallace/Crab Tree/Guitar Lake area. This is my favorite route to the high Sierra and has its own spectacular scenery not like any elsewhere in the Sierra. The first few miles will entail crossing Simes creek 4 times and slogging up to a ridge - a few hours. In July the creek will be a bit high and probably an adventure. After that it is a nice walk - albeit up hill except for the little 500' dip just pass the ridge. There is no water from the last crossing of Simes until well up the dip on the other side. You do not get close to water on the bottom of the dip, it is later up by Mahogany Flat. You only get one low(er) pass instead of two this way and the distance is a few miles shorter as well.

Put your food in brightly colored stuff sacks with your name on outside. It will be easier to spot it in the community boxes. If you get in earlier, you will have less concern that your stuff will fit. You could probably make the entire trip using community boxes and not worry about the personal cannisters - except that they are required.

Whitney Portal store used to sell them at cost. They (and where you get your permit) rent them at reasonable prices as well. I have a Bearikade and love it. It is considerably larger (and $$) than is the Garcia.

Other than the effort up and down the hills, the main chore will being able to eat enough calories to keep you going comfortably. You might want to plan on having a little rim of fat on your body to help out .

As another has said, you should plan to be off the high spots by 2 or so in the afternoon. If you see clouds forming in early afternoon, you have about two hours. You will probably have late afternoon rain that have the possibility of being torrential - usually not. Expect at least hail, and even perhaps a little snow that will be gone by the time you awake. Ask about current weather when you pick up your permit.

The Whitney Cafe (Lone Pine Cafe) opens early. You can eat breakfast there before picking up your permit just a few blocks south. Be early or face a queue. If you are staying in a hotel, the Windumundah (spelling??) in Independence is a nice place to enjoy the last evening before no baths and a long trail. They have also been known to run a private (guests) shuttle service - expensive at times -- call ahead for reserves and if shuttle available. From Lone Pine to portal and back is about hour and a half. From Lone Pine to Onion Valley is about an hour. LP to Independence is around 20 minutes or so.

The weather should be gorgeous (shorts, Tshirt, brim hat) and it could drop to 20's F at early morning above 10,000'. I wear long pants and shirt sleeves because of UV. Keep a fleece jacket or pull-over handy at top of pack. You will need it when you stop to take pictures or enjoy the view, or to stop your heart from spasming. Be sure to have sun and eye protection, lip balm with UV. Bugs will be out at all altitudes. Some will want to make a meal of you. 2 ounce bottle of 30% DEET will fix that. Nice to have a hooded jacket for evenings.

You will have a few creek crossings. Unless it seems an easy rock hop, figure on getting your feet wet. I take off boots and socks, tie socks to pack, put boots back on laced up. Stomp across creek with secure footing and no bruised feet or torn toenails. Dump the water out, towel out the remaining water in the boots and feet (ahhh feels good on hot feet), put dry socks on and continue up hill. Old socks will be dry in minutes (warm day, high altitude, very low humidity). New dry socks won't be any damper then the ones I just took off. Harder core just wade across and figure it will dry off soon. Careful about blisters doing it this way.

Marmots and Camp Robber Jays (birds) will be more of a nuisance than bears. Doubt that you will see any bears. At Trail Ridge you will have to watch your food because of marmots (cat sized rodents). Cute but destructive and will demand a handout. You will want to leave your pack there...that's what the cannister is for. Leave your pack pockets open so they can rummage through if curious.

One last question (did I say that before?):

With a permit for Onion Valley to Whitney... Can I camp at any of the campsites on the east side, coming down from Whitney. If I were to take an extra day, that would really be useful. To be honest, I'm more worried about the descent than the ascents. (I originally applied for a three night backpacking permit for Whitney, but did not get it, and I haven't really thought of adding a day on the descent until now?.)

Speaking of bears, I assume that you have all seen these pictures:

http://www.wolaver.org/Humor/bear.htm

And Steve - thanks for the notes. I am trying to do more or less what you have outlined. I hope that we'll have great weather and a great trip. I'll post some pictures when we get back!

Yes, in fact the last time I got a permit, the Lone Pine Ranger station people were trotting out that picture to warn people about the bear problem. Trouble is, that is no Sierra bear.

To answer the questions: Yes, you can camp anywhere along the trail. But most people, after being in the mountains for a few days, want to get out for the hamburger or shower -- I doubt many actually opt to camp on the east side once they summit Whitney. That reminds me... do you have a Trail crest exit permit? That is required if you enter anywhere in the Inyo National Forest, and exit via the main Whitney Trail. There is a daily quota of 25 for those, and 40% (10) are available on a walk-in basis. (I think the permit people may tell you that you MUST use the exit permit on the day of your exit, but I think the rangers on the trail might be a little more flexible).

Those are east coast bears. Not too smart. Now the Sierra bears will.... never mind

On the way to Whitney there are only camping restrictions on how far from water and so forth. Generally it means you can camp where you feel most comfortable (within reason). There are other restrictions that keep you from disturbing an area that is being allowed to come back (e.g., Bull Frog Lake). These should be identified by the ranger when you pick up the permit.

I'm guessing you will not be too harassed on the east side if they happen to check your permit*. I suspect they are more worried about the uphill traffic and not downhill. Especially when you tell them you are recovering from (pick a disease that will seem believable under the circumstances) or preempt the question by saying how overjoyed you are to have done it -- with only one lung. It is a long walk over that hill, but could be you will have smelled the barn by then.

Just consider it no more difficult than the other two passes you have gone over in last few days. You get to do the tough part with out the packs.

You have much better chances at having great weather than not.

*But I've been wrong before. [once]

http://climber.org/data/BearBoxes/BC.html (KA2,3,4,5 are Kearsarge Lake lockers) (BC6,7,8,9 are Vidette lockers)

http://climber.org/data/BearBoxes/TC.html (TC's are from Tyndal to Crabtree.

Or use google to get directions ...

http://maps.google.com/?q=http:%2F%2Fclimber.org%2Fdata%2FBearBoxes%2FBC.kml&t=p

I just called the ranger station and they say that there is no reservable exit trail permits for Whitney in July. I somehow had envisioned that I could get something, as I am starting from a different trailhead than the Portal.. I thought they would be easy to get. Guess not :-(

The ranger I talked to sounded optimistic when talking about getting walk-in permits, so I need some help to think: I am coming up on a weekday and can be flexible 1-2-3 days if we swop the other sightseeing plans around. What are the odds of getting something?

My other thought of course is - should we skip Whitney and backpack elsewhere (if there are other backpacks we could do and get permits for in advance)? Fx find something in Yosemite fx a section of the PCT from Tuolumne Meadows to Mammoth Lakes? It has to be the best of the best - as we very likely are looking ahead for the last backpack in many years. Something really cool and unique! I really fell for Onion to Whitney now, and like the fact that so much of it is above timberline. We have trees and some rolling hills in Denmark where I live. We don't have huge granite mountains and Alpine mountain lakes with flowers :-)

I think of the hazzle of reserving a hotel in Lone Pine, and then perhaps having to stay an extra night. How busy is Lone Pine and can we get something "just like that", if we need to stay an extra night, considering that mid-July is prime tourist and hiking season.

Sigh :-(

Camilla

Camilla, if you are flexible on those days, I too am pretty sure you can get a walk-in Trail Crest exit permit. (also, if you get one, I don't think the trail rangers will hold you responsible if you exit a day too soon or too late, either. Best bet on walk-in permits is to be there as soon as they become available (I believe it is 11 AM), and any Inyo NF ranger station will work (Lee Vining, Mammoth Lakes, Bishop and Lone Pine)

I am NOT sure, but it seems like if you walk in to get one, and are taking a week-long back country hike, which Exit Day permit quota are you on... the current day's or the one a week ahead? (I need to call the permit office and ask.)

As for an alternate hike, the Tuolumne Meadows to Reds Meadows (Devils Postpile) is an EXCELLENT hike. The Lyell canyon is beautiful, and then after Donohue pass, you see some fantastic mountain peaks. Thousand Island Lake is one of the most beautiful places in the Sierra. Pictures