3-day Ascent on Mount Whitney, California via the “Mountaineer’s Route”

At 14,508′, California’s Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. Thousands of mountaineers stand atop this towering peak in the Sierra Nevadas every year, but not all take the same path to get there.

On this tour, we invite you to discover the less-traveled “Mountaineer’s Route” to the summit. This alternative route gives you the chance to experience the natural beauty of Mount Whitney, without the crowds.

While standing atop Mount Whitney may be the highlight of this tour, the path to get there is equally beautiful. Along the “Mountaineer’s Route”, we will pass by pine trees, high alpine meadows, granite slabs, boulders and lakes. This route on the northeast side of Mount Whitney is especially beautiful during the summer months.

From the trailhead at Whitney Portal, we will begin our ascent via Lone Pine Creek’s North Fork. Once we reach Upper Boy Scout Lake (11,300′), we will start scouting out the perfect place to set up camp. This camp, between Upper Boy Scout Lake and Iceberg Lake (12,600′), will be our base camp for the duration of our tour on Mount Whitney.

After a good night’s sleep at our base camp, we will continue upward early the next morning. We will ascend through the “Mountaineer’s Chute”, occasionally using our hands and feet to scramble across granite.

While in the chute, we will be ascending at a 25-35° angle. As we approach the summit, you can expect this angle to increase slightly (40-45°). We will use a rope for safety in the steepest section, but you do not need to have any previous rock climbing experience. The terrain is not technical in nature and is rated at a Class 3 difficulty level.

Once we have reached the summit of Mount Whitney, we will slowly retrace our steps back down to our base camp. On the final day, we will descend back to the trailhead at Whitney Portal.

You can find a detailed day-by-day itinerary below.

While this climb is certainly an adventure in and of itself, we also recommend it to anyone who is trying out new gear for a more technical climb.

To book your tour with us on Mount Whitney, please click on “Request to book” now. We look forward to showing you the path less traveled to the summit of the contiguous United States’ tallest peak this summer. 

If one summit is just not enough, you can join our triple summit tour on Mount Whitney, Mount Russell and Mount Muir. Click here for more information.

We look forward to being in touch with you!