Mount Whitney [1] is in the Sierra Nevada range in California. At an elevation of 14,505 feet above sea level, it is the highest point in the contiguous United States.

Culture and History

History

Landscape

Flora and fauna

Climate

Travel to Mount Whitney - Visa Requirements

The mountain is accessible via the city of Lone Pine on US-395, running along the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada.

Although the western slope of Mount Whitney lies in Sequoia National Park, there are no roads over the crest of the Sierra Nevada (which also hides Whitney from view from Sequoia) to the mountain. The nearest routes to the other side are Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park (which is only open in the summer) to the north, and via Bakersfield to the south.

Fees/Permits

Everybody in the Mt. Whitney Zone must possess a valid wilderness permit. This includes BOTH backpackers and day hikers. From May 1 to November 1, entry and exit quotas limit the number of permits that are available. From November 2 to April 30, an unlimited number of permits are available.

Permits are issued at the InterAgency Visitor Center, 1 mile south of Lone Pine, CA. Permits for the quota period may be reserved in advance, or obtained on a "walk-in" basis. Most permits for the Mt. Whitney Trail are reserved during the Mt. Whitney lottery in February. The lottery is for Mt. Whitney Trail permits only. Lottery applications can be obtained from the Mt. Whitney lottery web site or by calling (760) 873-2483.

Tours and Getting around Mount Whitney

Mount Whitney tourist attractions and sightseeing

Mount Whitney city tours

Mount Whitney souvenirs and shopping

Food, gas and other supplies are available at the base of the Mount Whitney trailhead in the town of Lone Pine.

Mount Whitney Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Mount Whitney cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

Lodging

Camping

Backcountry

Stay safe

Get out

Just 90 miles to the east (and nearly 2.8 miles down) from the highest point lies the lowest point, in Death Valley.

The nearest town is the small town of Lone Pine

This page was last edited by Ryan Holliday. Based on work by Todd VerBeek, Colin Jensen and Ian Kirk, Wikitravel user(s) Pashley and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license

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