Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board 50 mile trip for Boy Scout troop

I have never hiked Whitney, but I'd like to plan a 50-60 mile route for a boy scout troop 6 day backpacking trip. I'll have over a dozen 13-16 year olds. Does anyone have any good recommendations on trails inthe high country around Whitney?

Onion Valley to Whitney Portal will not disappoint.

From the south

Horseshoe Meadows Trail head
1 Cottonwood Lakes area
2 Rock Creek via Army Pass
(Mt Langley option)
(Mitre and Soldier Lakes option)
3 Crab Tree Meadows
4 Day hike Whitney Summit from west side
(or exit to portal and shuttle to Horseshoe Meadows)
5 Tydall Creek on JMT/PCT
6 Vidette Meadows via Forester Pass
7 out to Onion Valley via Kearsarge Pass

Or from the north (as suggested earlier)

Onion Valley Trail Head
Kearsarge Lakes via Kearsarge Pass
Vidette Meadow/Center Basin
Tyndal Creek over Forester Pass
Guitar Lake
Whitney
Trail Camp/Portal

Loop from the North

Return back from Whitney Summit (Guitar Lake/Crabtree)
Return to Tydall Creek
Exit over Shepherd Pass down to trail head.
This puts you a few miles from road to where you left your car at Onion Valley. Can leave a car here for the short shuttle as well.

TomHarrisonMaps.com are good trail references. REI stocks them too.

Took a Scout trip (the first Sierra experience for several of the Scouts), starting at Onion Valley, as discussed above and ending at Whitney Portal. Great experience for all. The challenge of Forester Pass was the topic for the first few days, and after meeting and beating the challenge, all of the Scouts were really jazzed! I highly recommend this trip.

I've seen a lot of Scouts making there way towards Mt. Whitney on trips starting at the Horseshoe Meadows Trailhead. Also, lots of them practicing for that trip in SoCal.

I would suggest an earlier season trip for the boys and leaders who have not been to these elevations so, you and the other leaders can find out whether any you have problems with altitude sickness. Chances are 4 in 10 will.

Hi, Two years ago we hiked the "High Sierra Trail". It is 55 miles long and starts from Sequoia National Park goes across the Western Divide and ends on Whitney where you can choose to summit or go over the pass and down to the portal. This trail is a bit longer than you wanted, but we did it in 7 days with 3 hikers that had never done anything like this before, and were not very strong. By the time we reached whitney everyone had acclimated and had their hiking legs. Good luck with your trip.