Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board San Gorgonio vs. Whitney

So I guy I know, whom I hold to be a pretty experienced mountaineer, said that San Gorgonio Mountain is more challenging than Mt. Whitney (Whitney Trail). Is this even in the realm of accuracy? Seems hard to believe.

I don't think it is. I did the S. Fork loop in mid-May, about 21.5 miles, 4,600 ft altitude gain and loss. Both the distance and altitude gain are less than the MWMT. The Vivian Creek trail up San Gorgonio is shorter-18 miles RT but with more altitude gain and loss, about 5,400 ft, and so is harder but the stats are still less than the MWMT. On top of which, there is the fact that the summit of SG is 11,500 instead of 14,500.

But San Gorgonio is a great hike, well worth doing

I don't see it either. Whitney is higher and has more steep dropoffs than San G. The summit of San G is more or less a mound that you could roll down hill for several hundred feet, whereas Whitney if you walk off the summit you could fall a thousand feet or more before an abrupt and painful landing.

San Jacinto is another story. I would consider that climb (cactus to clouds) as more difficult than Whitney. The steepness of the route (its not a trail) makes for a tough climb.

On what basis was your experienced friend comparing?

It depends on what he meant by "challenging" and whether he was comparing the mountains under the same conditions. If he hiked the main trail after spending multiple nights acclimatizing and compared that to climbing San Gorgonio in a day with no acclimatization, then maybe.

The Vivian Creek trail to the summit is a beast, and a great warm up for the Whitney main trail, but in my experience the Whitney main trail is more challenging because of the extra elevation.

Maybe that person meant the challenge of dealing with Gorgonio's volunteer ranger population, which outnumbers hikers on any given day.

Just received fax notice this morning that TeamBruin's August 1st permit for the training hike up the Vivian Creek Trail has been cancelled by the Mill Creek Ranger Station. The notice indicated that the "trail you have requested is closed temporarily until FURTHER NOTICE", with the "further notice" part being a handwritten notation filling in a blank line. I'm guessing this is precautionary until they can confirm all is well with the trail in light of the ongoing Lake Fire.

BruinDave

No way is Gorgonio harder than Whitney. For one, Whitney is 3,000 feet higher in elevation (14,508 versus 11,502). On Gorgonio, the Vivian Creek trail is the more difficult route, but it is only the last mile or so that is a challenge. Otherwise it is a straight-forward trail. The last five miles of Whitney, from Trail Camp to the summit, are difficult. After Trail Camp (elevation 12,000 feet), you have to ascend the famed "97" switchbacks, where you ascend nearly 1700 feet in 2.2 miles. From Trail Crest, you still have about 2.5 miles to go, with some interesting ascends and descents, and the "windows".

When we used to day hike Whitney, we would sometimes use a day hike of Gorgonio0 via the Vivian Creek trail as a warm-up.

If you want a real challenge, and a hike that truly rivals Whitney, try Cactus to Clouds. This unofficial trail leaves Palm Springs, where you follow a ridge for 10 miles to the upper tram station. There it is another 6 miles to the summit of San Jacinto, elevation 10,834 feet. In the first 10 miles, there ids no water anywhere, so you must carry your own. You also gain 8,000 feet in 10 miles. Mile nine alone (the toughest), you gain 1,700 feet. So you gain more here than in the 2.2 miles of Whitney from Trail Camp to Trail Crest. In all, C2C is 22 miles long, the same as Whitney, but with C2C, you have 16 miles up, and 6 back down to the upper tram station. Then it is a nice 14 minute tram ride back down to the bottom. The main challenge with C2C is that you gain over 10,000 feet in elevation in the 16 miles up, from 475 feet in Palm Springs to the 10,834 summit of San Jacinto. I have completed this hike here times.

Hope all of this helps in some way. Big Whitney Mike

So let's all agree on one point at least: both are challenging hikes. I don't think most people breeze to the top of San G or Whitney un-challenged. No doubt, these sort or topics are subjective, but the numbers tell some of the story. The starting and ending elevation for South Fork up San G is fairly close to that between the Portal and Trail Camp, but San G requires about 4 more miles to do it, and you've sunmited. On Whitney, you'd still be 2,500 feet and 5 miles shy. If you're tired at the top of San G, imagine doing another 2,500 feet, and that gives you an idea. Vivian Creek trail is steeper but is still longer than Whitney to Trail Camp. I think that the numbers clearly indicate Whitney is tougher, but it isn't to suggest Gorgonio is nothing more than a warmup either. Both will challenge all but the fittest among us, and both are very worthy hikes. Just need to wait till the smoke clears out for San G.

They're both easy trail hikes. No need to argue.