Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Best place for first camp location??

We are hoping to summit Whitney in August and wonder where we should plan our over-nights. (Also first camp location is required on the permit application so we thought we'd get some advice.) We hiked the Mountaineer's Route two years ago and did not summit so this year we're trying the "regular old hike" and plan to spend two nights on the mountain. Thanks for any advice.

For a starter, I highly recommend buying Doug Thompson's book, "Mount Whitney: Mountain Lore From the Whitney Store." There are two major camping areas on the main trail, Outpost Camp at 10,360 ft. and 3.8 miles in; and Trail Camp at 12,039 ft. and 6.3 miles in. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Outpost is below tree-line, but requires a much longer summit hike and return. Trail Camp is way above tree-line, but is much closer for your final summit attempt. A lot depends on who is in your group and how prepared and serious they are to make the top.

Hi Thanks for the plug on the book,but I think the message board has the real answers. I am about the only person that sells outpost camp both nights, my logic is based on why carry up what you then carry down, a trip at a slow easy pace from outpost to the summit and back is a good day hike,14 miles,do a mile an hour and all should make the summit and back in light,
We get our first snow the last of August, storms are worse at trailcamp-high winds colder , outpost is protected,and very few people camp there so makes for a better mountain experience.
Good Luck on the permit, third week of August not much trafic on the week days. Thanks Doug

Most people who backpack up the regular trail try to get as far the first day as possible. Hence trying to get to trail camp. Even from trail camp the top seems quite a ways away, since the top half is harder then the bottom half. That used to be my thinking.

Now I am changing my mind. Outpost camp is a nicer place then Trail Camp for sure. You still have plenty of time to get to the top and back to camp in one day. And I am with Doug Sr. Why carry all that heavy stuff all the way to Trail Camp? You also might sleep better, which can be a huge advantage.

Make the first day a little easier by going to Outpost camp. That gives you some time to hang out in the area, explore and relax. You don't need to start as early, and you have time to stop by the enjoyable Lone Pine Lake on the way. Outpost camp still takes some time, so it won't seem like a little thing when you get there.

Compared to the day hikers who start at the car, you are still much closer. Start a couple of hours earlier and you will catch up to all the people starting at Trail Camp.

Ok, I'll represent the "Trail Camp" bunch.

Yes, it's farther, but it's still only a half-day hike from the Portal, so you can sleep in, start hiking at 11:00 or noon and still be at Trail Camp in plenty of time to set up and fix dinner.

Yes, it's higher, but you're trading off acclimation when you stay at Outpost's 10,000' instead of Trail Camp's 12,000'.

Your summit day (assuming a three day itinerary either way, Portal-camp the first, camp-summit-camp the second, and back to Portal the third) is six miles and four thousand gross vertical feet shorter. Those extra 2,000' up and 2,000' down add significantly to the effort required to summit and get back to camp. If you're at Trail Camp, you hit the switchbacks 10 minutes out of camp, still fresh and fed. If you started at Outpost, you've probably spent 2 hours of continuous uphill hiking already.

Me? I'm glad that Nathan and I hoofed it all the way to Trail Camp in 2001. Given that there were t-storms popping up before noon, we would most likely not have made it up from Outpost in time to beat the weather, and we'd have another state highpoint still on our "to-do" list.

So, chalk up at least one vote for Trail Camp. Trip report is under "highpointing" section of my <a href="http://www.mtritter.org">WWW site</a>.

There's no doubt about it, the recreation, the sleeping, and with the exception of the mosquitoes the general comfort level is much better at OC than at TC. On the other hand, the views, the acclimatization, and the environment are more "radical" (for lack of a better collective adjective) at the higher camp. It's all personal preference--greater comfort or greater challenge?

Every time I've packed the trail I've stayed the first night at TC and the second either at OC or hiked all the way out. I never minded the extra distance with the pack--it only takes 4 to 6 hours to get to TC with full pack, so at either camp there's plenty of time to rest and then set off on a little off-trail adventure, amble up the switchbacks, or do a little bouldering. Then the next afternoon at OC a whole different adventure!

If it were my first trip to Mt. Whitney, I would stick it out and sleep as high as possible. That would be at trail camp, the barren wasteland, with all its lack of beauty and hard soil. That would give me the best chance of summitting the next morning.

If I had been there before, summiting on day hikes and backpacks, I would stay at the more pleasant Outpost camp.

Either works. Trail camp makes the summit day easier, but outpost camp sure is a nice place.

I hope I'm reading sarcasm in that last post. If you move away from the toilets, there are plenty of nice views up at TC.

At the OC, it's hard to avoid hearing the footsteps of all the one-day hikers who usually start walking by by about 2:00am.

I hiked Whitney for the first time in September. On a one-nighter, I stayed at Trail Camp. As a relative newbie, here are my comments:

1. By late August, the mosquitoes are usually gone; they should not be a factor

2. I think the hardest part of the hike up is the mile or so before TC. The terrain is pretty steep and seemed endless. I was glad to get that behind me before summmit day.

3. I slept like a baby at TC, although I was so excited that after about four hours I got up and hit the trail. I had heard on this board, and found it true for myself, that it didn't matter that I slept little the night before summit day. By reputation, TC is very windy, but it was calm the night I was there.

4. Some people camp at TC near the trail. If you stay at TC, I suggest you explore the rocky area off to the left of the trail for campsites. I found a nice, quiet, sheltered spot, away from the trail and the day-hikers.

5. For me, getting to the summit - acclimated and in decent shape - was not hard. The tough part (tough on the knees) was schlepping all the way down the path to the trailhead. Trekking poles helped.

Wherever you decide to stay, do two things to make the experience most enjoyable: train hard, and spend time at altitude to acclimate.

Best of success. I look forward to reading your report afterward.

We did Whitney last year on may 31st-june 2nd. We spend the first night at Trail camp, headed to the summit on the 1st and then down to Outpost. We hiked out the 2nd. For me this was perfect: we had already slept a night at Ruby Lake in Little Lakes Valley which is at 11500 ft the night before we left for Trail Camp, and only 2 miles from the Mono pass trailhead there, which makes it a perfect spot to acclimatise: We had no problems at Trail Camp anymore. It is still quite a hike from Trail Camp to the summit and back, but certainly doable. I guess starting from Trail Camp gives you a bit more time in case conditions aren't perfect. Outpost is nicer in terms of altitude/temperature, and also nice on the way out if you have to drive a long way to home.

in my own words, if you're a type A then you'll probably prefer trail camp. if your mellow and like to see and hear nature, outpost would be your preference.

personally, most of us were so excited about finally getting on the mountain and putting one foot in front of the other, it would've been hard to shut it down at outpost. it's no picnic between outpost and trail, as mentioned earlier, but assuming you're in good shape, the adrenaline will kick in for the final push.

trail camp is like a subway station, lot of activity, a buzz in the air, and you can see the people coming and going a loooonnnggg way away, especially as they come down from the switchbacks, and then triumphantly descend into trail camp with the flush "I summitted" look all over their faces. you will be drooling to get your chance the next morning. i don't think you'd feel the palpale excitement as much if you camped at outpost.

only thing i'd suggest is just taking it slow and leisurely heading up to trail camp the first day. breathe in, breathe out. two our our six got massive headaches that ultimately went away, another got nauseus and couldn't shake it, and went down with one of the group who went to trail camp so fast, leaving the rest behind, he decided to go all the way up to the summit, then escorted our sick guy down (an unintended one-day trip with a huge backpack halfway up and halfway down!).

as for returning, it's quite a hump from trail camp to summit then all the way down to portal. quite a hump, especially grabbing those packs again at trail camp. but of course you will be PUMPED.

on the way down, we stopped for a brief rest at outpost around 6 pm and there were many campers already sacked out, sleeping outside without a tent, and their faces were covered with mosquitoes. none of that at trail camp (July 31 - Aug 1, 2004).

Richard: I suppose that came out wrong. I actually don't mind the upper part of the mountain, rough, barren and rocky, and in its own way part of the Mt. Whitney experience.

But by comparison, I love the beauty of the area between Lone Pine Lake, Bighorn park, and outpost camp. It really is a nice place to relax and hang out.

Perhaps stay at Trail camp on the way up and Outpost Camp on the way down.

Hi Of the group that wants to sleep high no one camps at trailcrest camp ground, Very nice spot Great view into the back country and one has the switchbacks out of the way on summit day. Thanks Doug

One other note about each camp...at Trail Camp, it's true, there are many sites over the low rock benches on either side of the trail where one could seclude one's self from the hustle and bustle of the "subway station" (I like that metaphor). But I personally like to be right in the crowd when I'm there; the social interaction and people-watching are part of the experience. It does pay to stay upwind or someplace otherwise sheltered from the piquant aroma of the solar toilet, though.

With regard to Outpost Camp, one drawback I find there is that the dayhikers usually come through about 2 hours earlier than they do at TC; so instead of crunching feet at 4am, you get people who have just spent 5 minutes lost in the willow thicket shining their flashlight through your tent fabric at 2am and shouting "Yo Dale! There's tents over here!" To balance this with a positive note, at OC there's a fair chance you'll be out from under the rain that often falls at TC on Summer afternoons and evenings.

Let me cast my vote for neither. I've camped at Consultation Lake and found it prettier than TC, totally uncrowded, with the same advantage of being high enough to give acclimatization a big boost.

Steve, I've never seen the spur "trail" that leads from Trailside Meadow to Consultation Lake. Do you use this trail, or just go cross-country from the Meadow or elsewhere?

I plan to backpack up the Whitney main trail this spring. I have dayhiked the trail twice before and to me it seems like a no-brainer. Why should I haul my tent, sleeping bag, extra food and clothes past outpost camp? 10,000 feet is plenty high to aclimatize, in fact for people coming from sea level it may be better to camp at 10,000' rather than 12,000'(too much too fast). Much smaller crowds, much prettier area, much better protected from the wind and a much shorter trip to haul my gear.

Wow - you guys are awesome!!thanks for all the good advice. My partners and I will decide and let everyone know how it goes. Thank you so much for all the input.
Here's to the summit!

jeffrey c

in case no one gives you the answer, here's my guess on the trail to consultation, and i'm sure there are others. just before you get up to the last plateau at trail camp, where the toilet is, you will see a flat spot with a bunch of tent sites on the right, next to a wall of rock. if you walk over to the left, you'll see consultation. i believe the trail to the lake is at the far left at the lowest point on that little campsite mesa.

I don't remember any trail over to consultation lake. It is quite large and hard to miss. We just left the trail and hiked over to it cross country. No problem at all.