Mt Whitney Trail Crest Exit Gear Checklist
The Trail Crest exit is a quota that rides on your entry-trail reservation when a trip begins in Inyo National Forest and ends at Whitney Portal over Trail Crest, a pass near 13,600 feet and two miles from the summit. From there the walk out is about 11 miles and 6,000 feet of descent. The forest sets 25 exit spaces per entry date, expects every visitor to carry out solid waste, and bars stock from the crest to the Portal. People who finished the John Muir Trail this way carried a headlamp for a pre-dawn climb, left big packs at the junction, kept a warm layer for the summit, and had a ride plan.
What shapes your gear on Trail Crest exit
- What the exit quota is
- You pick the permit type Overnight Exiting Mt. Whitney when you book your entry trail, and the exit space is reserved with it. The exit quota is 25 people per entry date, 15 released six months ahead and 10 added two weeks ahead. It applies whether or not you summit, and a day pass cannot serve as an exit permit.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest (June 2021)
- Who does not need it
- Trips that start on the Mt. Whitney Trail are exempt, and so are hikers who begin in another park or forest. Most John Muir Trail finishers who started in Yosemite fall in that second group, so the trip reports below describe the same walk without this permit.
- Fees
- A reservation costs $6 per permit plus $15 per person for entering the Mt. Whitney Zone, a rate that the forest says includes the Trail Crest exit.
- The walk out
- Finishers describe the Trail Crest junction as the place to drop a pack, then 11 more miles down to Whitney Portal after the summit. One group left Sandy Meadow at 4 am, reached the top at 11:07 and arrived at the Portal late in the day. Another finished with about 6,000 feet of descent.
From Climber.org, Aiken/Widom Travelog and The Mountains Are Calling
- Water on the way down
- A hiker coming from Guitar Lake could not filter water again until Trail Camp, which sits below the 99 switchbacks on the Whitney Trail.
- Rides and the store
- In 1998 one party had no ride from the Portal and got a lift from the third car that passed. A family in another year had a van waiting and ate lunch at the Whitney Portal Store.
From Climber.org and Aiken/Widom Travelog
What the agency requires on Trail Crest exit
A pack-out kit for human waste
Every Mt. Whitney visitor is expected to carry out solid human waste. Pack-out kits come from the Eastern Sierra Visitor Center all year and from the Portal trailhead in summer.
A bear-resistant food container
The Mount Whitney area is one of eight places in the forest where food and scented items must be stored in a container made to keep bears out. The rule runs all year.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Bears
A stove instead of a campfire
The Mt Whitney area is listed as closed to campfires. Stoves that burn gas, petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel are allowed, and stoves that burn twigs or solid fuel are not.
No stock and no dog on the final stretch
Pack and saddle animals are not allowed from Trail Crest to Whitney Portal. The summit of Mt. Whitney lies inside Sequoia National Park, which does not allow pets.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations
A camp that avoids Mirror Lake and Trailside Meadow
Mirror Lake and Trailside Meadow, both on the Mt. Whitney trail, are closed to camping.
What hikers carry on Trail Crest exit
A headlamp for a pre-dawn start
A 1998 party woke at 3 am and hit the trail at 4 with headlamps on, passing the Crabtree station at first light so afternoon thundershowers could not block the summit.
From Climber.org
A way to leave the big pack at the junction
Most through-hikers on the west side drop their packs where the Trail Crest trail meets the summit spur and go on with a light load. One party chose to carry theirs to the top and down, since they had carried them that far already.
From The Mountains Are Calling and Climber.org
A warm layer for the summit
It was sunny and cloudless on the 1998 summit day, and still cold at the top before the party ate lunch and started down.
From Climber.org
Water for the climb, and a filter for Trail Camp
Coming from Guitar Lake, one hiker could not filter again until Trail Camp, below the crest. The climb and the summit run on whatever you carry up.
A pack-out kit in hand
A 2008 forum poster saw a sign on the Crabtree pickup box saying kits were required only for those exiting at Whitney Portal. Another poster that year had no kit and ran for the zone boundary. The forest today expects every Whitney visitor to carry out solid waste.
From Backpacking Light and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits
Poles with rubber tips for the long descent
A fast JMT finisher swapped metal pole tips for rubber ones, expecting better grip on rock slabs and less noise, and said the poles worked well over the whole trip. The descent below the crest is about 11 miles and 6,000 feet.
From Backpacking Light and Aiken/Widom Travelog
A ride plan for the Portal
One party reached the trailhead with no ride and stuck out their thumbs, and the third car stopped. Another group had a van waiting and ate at the Whitney Portal Store. Settle how you will get from the Portal to town before you start down.
From Climber.org and Aiken/Widom Travelog
15 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Trail Crest exit
A day pass as an exit permit
The forest does not accept a day-use permit for an exit. The exit space is reserved with the entry trail.
Pack animals
Stock may not be possessed between Trail Crest and the Portal.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations
A rain jacket you will not use
A family who finished the trail said their rain jackets stayed dead weight through the whole trek, with only brief hail and showers. Afternoon storms are still a reason for the pre-dawn start.
From Aiken/Widom Travelog and Climber.org
Gear questions for Trail Crest exit
What is the Trail Crest exit permit?
It is an exit quota added to your entry-trail reservation when your trip finishes at Whitney Portal over Trail Crest. The forest sets 25 spaces per entry date, and the quota applies whether or not you summit.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest (June 2021)
Who does not need the Trail Crest exit quota?
Hikers who start on the Mt. Whitney Trail are exempt, and so are hikers whose trip begins in another park or forest.
Is a pack-out kit required at the Trail Crest exit?
Yes. The forest expects every Mt. Whitney visitor to carry out solid human waste, and kits are handed out at the Eastern Sierra Visitor Center all year and at the Portal in summer.
How far is it from the Trail Crest exit to Whitney Portal?
Finishers describe about 11 miles and 6,000 feet of descent from the summit. The forest puts Trail Crest near 13,600 feet and two miles from the summit.
From Aiken/Widom Travelog, The Mountains Are Calling and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits
Sources
- Wilderness Permits · Inyo National Forest (USFS) · Agency
- Wilderness Regulations · Inyo National Forest (USFS) · Agency
- Bears · Inyo National Forest (USFS) · Agency
- Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest (June 2021) · Inyo National Forest (USFS) · Agency
- Mt Whitney the long way.... the John Muir Trail · Climber.org, Dewey Dumond · Trip report
- Mount Muir 14,012 and Mount Whitney 14,505 · The Mountains Are Calling · Trip report
- John Muir Trail - Part 2, July 27 - August 19 · Aiken/Widom Travelog · Trip report
- John Muir Trail fastpack · Backpacking Light, Mark Davis and Jim W. · Forum thread