Mt. Whitney Overnight itinerary
Every published mile marker on the Mt. Whitney Overnight route, in order, with the distance and elevation change between each one — and which permit each stretch needs. To watch dates and set alerts, go to the Mount Whitney Overnight permit page.
Which permit covers this route
The Mt. Whitney Overnight. One reservation is a trailhead or zone plus an entry date; you roam after that, issued by lottery.
The permit is issued for a named entry point. Whitney Portal is the one on this list.
- Stops mapped
- 5
- Across the markers
- 10.7 mi
- Published route length
- 21.4 mi
- Published ascent
- 6,200 ft
How long it takes: 2-4 days. That is the figure the permit publishes — this page does not divide the route into days, because no source records which stop you sleep at.
The stops below are the route's published mile markers, in order, with the elevations recorded against each one.
Distance and elevation change on each leg are the difference between the two published figures either side of it, so the legs are arithmetic on the markers and nothing more.
Adding up only the climbs between markers gives 6,105 ft, which is a floor rather than the total: anything that rises and falls between two markers is invisible to it.
The Mt. Whitney Overnight route, stop by stop
Mile 0.0
8,400 ft
Whitney Portal
Entry point — the permit is issued for this trailhead
Trailhead at the end of Whitney Portal Road, about 13 miles west of Lone Pine.
3.8 miles · 2,000 ft up to Outpost Camp
Mile 3.8
10,400 ft
Outpost Camp
One of the four camps Inyo names for Whitney Trail backpackers.
2.3 miles · 1,600 ft up to Trail Camp
Mile 6.1
12,000 ft
Trail Camp
The highest camp and the last reliable water on the east side. Base of the 100 switchbacks.
2.9 miles · 1,600 ft up to Trail Crest
Mile 9.0
13,600 ft
Trail Crest
The Sequoia National Park boundary, about two miles from the summit. The summit spur leaves 100 yards below it and runs 2.4 miles.
1.7 miles · 905 ft up to Mount Whitney summit
Mile 10.7
14,505 ft
Mount Whitney summit
14,505 ft (NAVD88) and the southern terminus of the John Muir Trail. The 1909 hut draws lightning and is not a storm shelter.
Getting a Mt. Whitney Overnight for the dates you want
Planning the route is the easy half. Mt. Whitney Overnight dates go fast, and the ones that come back are cancellations — they return to the booking system without warning and are gone again quickly. PermitSnag watches Mt. Whitney Overnight around the clock and alerts you the moment a date opens.