Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Horseshoe Meadows to Mt. Whitney

Next summer I might be taking a small group of Scouts from Horseshoe Meadows to Mt. Whitney. They would be 14-16 years old with some backpacking experience.

We would probably head over Cottonwood pass to Guyot pass to Lower Crabtree Meadows and Guitar lake etc.

My real question is how many days and where to camp next to water. I know the estimated time in the book below is 4-6 days but I think stretching it out would give the boys time for mischief.

From my reading in Paul Richin book I would guess we would start in the afternoon from Horseshoe Meadows and follow this plan

Day 1 camp at 3.5 miles chicken Springs Lake
Day 2 camp near Guyot pass/ Guyot sping - about 15 miles
Day 3 camp near Guitar Lakes - about 24 miles.
Day 4 Summit Mt. Whitney and down to the waiting car.

Is that about right without overdoing it?

Overdoing it? It really depends on the Scouts. The last day is ambitious but doable, again if everyone is good, not necessarily great shape. My geezer friends and I have done this trip in 3 days.

Day 1...HM to CSL...about 4.5 miles
Day 2...CSL to Lower Rock Creek Crossing...about 9 miles
*** There is a big climb from Rock Creek which comes at the end of the day and to my mind this is a better place to camp for that reason. Check your topo and you will see what I mean.
Day 3...LRCC to Tarns above Guitar Lake...10 to 11 miles
*** Too many folks for my tastes at Guitar Lake
Day 4...Mt. Whitney and out
*** I'd plan on a 2 AM start, if you are driving back to the bay area the same day.

All camping is next to a water source.

24 miles on day 3? That's way too much for most backpackers. ...edit: Oh -- that's cumulative miles. So only 9 for the day. Sorry folks.

> *** Too many folks for my tastes at Guitar Lake
But Guitar Lake is a nice place. Sure beats the crowds at Trail Camp.

I was taken aback by day three, as well, but I think that was cumulative mileage. (I hope!)

He is taking those numbers from "Mt. Whitney The Complete Trailhead to Summit Hiking Guide"....Route #9 They are miles from the trailhead, with some of them a guess within the range.

Richins describes the trail in these terms

Cottonwood Pass 3.5 miles...Chicken Spring Lake 4.5 miles
Lower Rock Creek Crossing to Guyot pass Mile 14 to 16.8
Lower Crabtree Meadow to Guitar Lake Mile 20.4 to 24.2
Mt. Whitney Summit 29.7 miles

SanFranMan: If your scouts are older and willing to put in long days, you will be fine. If they are not, it will be a little too much for them.....you have set up a trip that sounds reasonable

Day 1) 4.5 miles 1260 feet elevation Gain
Day 2) 10.5 miles 1920 feet elevation Gain / 1520 feet downhill
Day 3) 9 miles 1170 feet elevation Gain /550 feet downhill
Day 4) 5 miles to summit 2997 feet elevation gain /11 miles &
6350 feet downhill on the Mt. Whitney trail

Hiking more then 8 miles per day in the Sierra can be a lot.

Here is a link to more on the subject

http://www.mt-whitney.info/viewtopic.php?t=255

Last year I took a group of scouts on that route. They were mostly 14-15 years old, with one large-for-his-age 12 year old. This is the itinerary that we followed:

Day 1 - HSM to Soldier Lake area (we camped just below Soldier Lake; there are some good sites by the stream just below the trail junction there).
Day 2 - Soldier Lake to Crabtree Meadow.
Day 3 - Crabtree Meadow to tarn above Guitar Lake. This was a short day, and gave them time to relax, enjoy the location, and get rested up for the long summit day.
Day 4 - Tarn to summit, then down to Outpost camp.
Day 5 - Out early to Portal for the gigantic pancake breakfast.

This itinerary made for a relaxing pace, and everyone enjoyed it. The night before we started we drove to HSM so everyone could sleep at 10,000' before hitting the trail. The other thing about this itinerary is that you have to be sure to get your trail crest exit permit for the day you will be crossing trail crest, not the day you will be exiting at Portal.

I told the scouts that I would buy a souvenir t-shirt at the portal store for anyone who could finish their entire breakfast. Only one did, and six hours later, when we stopped for food on the way home, he only wanted a glass of water.

Just did the trip you mentioned, plus a little more since we were doing a 50-miler, last week. We had a relatively small crowd, 2 leaders and 3 scouts (ages 14, 16, and 17). Our itinerary:

Day one: HSM over Cottonwood Pass to Lower Rock Creek
Day two: via Guyot Pass and Crabtree Meadow to Guitar Lake
Day three: Summitted Whitney, Muir, went over Discovery Pinnacle and camped at the lake south of there
Day four: Hiked Miter Basin to just below Soldier Lake
Day five: Back out Cottonwood Pass to HSM

Estimate roughly 52-55 miles over five days.

Couldn't be prouder of the guys for making (and enjoying!) it. The first three days wiped us out. Had planned to climb McAdie on day four, but decided the wiser choice was to take an easy day after those first three relatively hard days. We had also planned to climb Langley on day five, exiting on day six. However, our other leader, via cell phone on top of Whitney, found out he had become a grandfather the previous day. We decided to trade Langley for Riley (his new granddaughter) and came out a day early. Seems like our guys did enough as it was, anyway...

One note is that we met a group of two church leaders and four 16 year old girls early on day two. We hiked with them for day two and day three to the summit. They went back out via Guitar, Crabtree Meadow, Rock Creek and Cottonwood Pass, also exiting on Friday (our day 5, their day 6). Those girls were tough! (not to mention a great motivator for our guys...)

Another option which is more direct but includes and extra 1000+' of altitude is:

HSM to Long Lake (below New Army Pass)-- about 6 miles but puts you at 11,000' for sleeping the first night. This keeps you on a well maintained trail and gets you over the up part before lunch the next day. There is an alternative over Old Army via Lake 4, that saves you about 500' of altitude gain, but you should know where the trail is before you go. It has been unmaintained for several years.

Long Lake over Army Pass to Lower Rock Creek - another 7 miles or so. It is a LONG downhill from the pass.

Lower Rock Creek to Crabtree or Guitar if enough energy left.

To Trail Crest, drop packs, summit then down to a camp of choice.

Last day out to car.

The trip up to the summit from Guitar or Crabtree carrying packs makes it a mighty long day if you are going to the portal -- even for youngsters. I suspect they will leave you in their dust, however.

Nice trip.

The options are not Guitar and Trail Camp; they are Guitar or the Tarns above them. Although there are but a few campsites there, the area offers a bit more solitude than Guitar, plus the view of Guitar. You can also utilize Hitchcock Lakes if you really want to get away from the crowds.

After just getting back from the Miter using Cottonwood Pass, I, too, am more incline to utilize New Army or Army Pass the next time. Horseshoe Meadow and the PCT to Siberian Outpost are just too sandy for my tastes.

If you use Army, the net difference in Gain is about 500', if you include the climb after Chicken Spring Lake.

I think its easier to get to Lower Rock Creek Crossing on the first day if you use Army or New Army Passes instead of Cottonwood.

Thanks all of you. This will be very helpful in planning our trip. I am getting this impression from the posts.

Coming out of Horseshoe Meadows, going over Cottonwood pass is not a slam dunk, even though the pass is lower then Army Pass and New Army Pass.

Four days to summit Mt. Whitney through Guyot pass and lower Crabtree Meadows seems to work, with multiple camping spots available. I especially like that information about the middle section between Lower Rock Creek and Crabtree meadows area. That makes it a little flexible for us, depending on how the group is feeling.

An alternative is to go up the Miter Basin, over Crabtree pass and down Crabtree Lakes area to meet up with the trail. This route includes some off trail scrambling but might be a little shorter.

And not mentioned, heading up the Miter Basin over Crabtree pass to the dreaded sand hill. It is listed as 18.1 miles in the book but I hear the area from Sky Blue Lake to Discovery Pinnacle requires some real emotional and physical effort.

Those mile figures where total cumulative miles from the trailhead. Sorry for that confusion.

Stay on the trail. Crabtree Pass will take you more time than around and over Guyot. It is not a walk in the park...not at that altitude.

Depending upon how late the date, you might check with a Ranger before you bank on finding water at Guyot Springs.

I don't believe there are bear boxes at Guyot.

All three passes have their plus and minuses. Cottonwood is great early because it lowest and presents the least danger. However, it is very sandy, undulates and there is a lot of sun exposure on the PCT until you exit Siberian Outpost

New Army Pass is the highest but it opens earlier than Army and you can use the South Fork short cut.

Army Pass hasn't been maintained in 30 years, has a couple up class 3 lite area but is 300' lower than New Army.

What really like about the latter two is the walk along Rock Creek.

As for Richin's Miter Basin route, its not as easy as Richin's says it is. First off, he takes you higher than you really need to go out of Soldier Lake...the easier climb is on the north shore. It will take you some time to figure out how to get to Sky Blue Lake and the Lake above it. Once you reach, Crabtree Lakes you can always bailout and head to the JMT, if you think the sand hill is a bit much for the Scouts. For this trip would utilize Army Pass. A suggested itinerary follows...

Day 1...Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead to Cottonwood Lake #3...5.5 miles.
Day 2...CL#3 to Sky Blue Lake or Lake 3697...5 to 7 miles.
Day 3...Lake3697 to Lone Pine Lake...~13 miles...I hate both trail camps in the summer.
Day 4...Out

The only bear boxes I remember along the SFMan's route is Lower Rock Creek Crossing, Lower Crabtree Meadow and the last being at Upper Crabtree Meadow. Above UCM, the issue is marmots, not bears.

Bear Canisters are now required on overnight trips through all of the Cottonwood Lakes area and the Miter Basin...along with lower rock creek....and the Mt Whitney trail.. So if you go through this area you will need a bear canister.....The location of the bear boxes is not as important if you have to carry a bear canister anyway.

See this map

http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/upload/food_storage_restrictions_RockCreek_20070418.pdf

The Miter basin route may be shorter, but that doesn't make it easier. We went that way for the challenge of the cross country section and the beauty of the Miter Basin. There were times I wondered if we should have stayed on the trail around to Guitar Lakes.