Mt. Whitney Day Gear Checklist
A Mount Whitney day hike is about 22 miles round trip from Whitney Portal at 8,300 feet to the 14,505-foot summit, usually 12 to 16 hours starting well before dawn. What you carry is shaped by three things: a human waste pack-out kit the Forest Service requires year-round, no water above about 12,400 feet once the snow is gone, and summit weather that can be freezing and windy in August. Long-time day hikers say the thing they regret is cutting warm layers to save weight.
What shapes your gear on Mount Whitney
- Distance and elevation
- The trail climbs over 6,200 feet from Whitney Portal at 8,300 feet to the summit. The Forest Service describes the day as a strenuous 22 miles with over 12,000 feet of total gain and loss.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Mount Whitney and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
- Water
- Lakes and streams carry water up to Trail Camp. Once the snow melts there is no surface water above about 12,400 feet, so the Forest Service says to take 3 liters from Trail Camp to the summit and to treat all water.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
- Snow season
- In most years snow is off the trail from July until late September. Outside that window the agencies say ice axe and crampons are needed and winter skills are required, and snow can sit on the switchbacks above Trail Camp through June.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Mount Whitney, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (NPS) and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
- Summit weather
- Above Trail Camp it is often cold and windy even in summer, and thunderstorms are a serious hazard. The Forest Service says to leave the summit by noon when storms are forecast.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
- Altitude
- The Forest Service warns that altitude sickness can hit anyone regardless of fitness or past experience, and that the fix is to go down. It suggests sleeping a few nights at 8,000 to 10,000 feet first.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
What the agency requires on Mount Whitney
Your Mount Whitney permit
A wilderness permit is required year-round for every day trip into the Mount Whitney Zone. From May 1 to November 1 the day-use quota is 100 people a day.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Mount Whitney and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
A human waste pack-out kit
On Mount Whitney a pack-out kit is the only accepted way to deal with human waste, all year. The ground is mostly bedrock with too little soil, so burying is not allowed, and that includes burying in snow. Kits come from the InterAgency Visitor Center in Lone Pine and used ones go in the bin at the trailhead.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
What hikers carry on Mount Whitney
A real warm layer, not just a vest
Forum day hikers who hiked up in shorts still pulled on pants, a puffy and a beanie at the summit, and one group hit wind, rain and snow flurries on top in July. A warm jacket covers a long rest at Trail Crest or a slow descent after dark.
From Backpacking Light forums: Help for Mt. Whitney climb, Backpacking Light forums: Mount Whitney in June and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
A headlamp, with a small backup light
Day hikers usually start around 3:30 or 4 am. Hikers suggest a brighter headlamp than you think, plus a tiny spare, because a slow day ends in the dark with no bivy gear.
From Backpacking Light forums: Help for Mt. Whitney climb, Travels With Elle and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
About 3 liters of capacity and a filter or tablets
Day hikers carry light and refill on the way, then fill up for the dry stretch from the switchbacks to the summit and back. One hiker of 37 annual day hikes points out that almost everyone picks up more raw water on the way down.
From Backpacking Light forums: Help for Mt. Whitney climb and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
Trekking poles
Hikers want them for 11 miles of downhill on tired knees and for the stream crossings low on the trail.
From Backpacking Light forums: Help for Mt. Whitney climb and Travels With Elle
Light gloves and a beanie
A 4 am start is cold and sometimes wet even in midsummer, and the summit is windy. Thin liners and a light hat are what day hikers carry.
From Travels With Elle and Backpacking Light forums: Help for Mt. Whitney climb
Snacks you will actually eat, and electrolytes
Hikers report losing their appetite at altitude and say to snack on a schedule anyway. The Forest Service also asks hikers to replace electrolytes.
From Backpacking Light forums: Help for Mt. Whitney climb and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
Ice axe and traction in early season
A June hiker with only trail runners and poles found the upper switchbacks buried and icy and said poles were useless for stopping a slide. Others on the same climb mostly carried axes and many had crampons.
From Backpacking Light forums: Mount Whitney in June and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (NPS)
Water sandals for the crossings, for some
Depending on the season, stream crossings low on the trail can run deep and fast. One blogger carries sandals rather than finishing a 22-mile day in soaked boots.
From Travels With Elle
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 Mount Whitney
Leaving the big warm layer at home
A hiker with 35 straight years of Whitney day hikes says the years of cutting warm layers to save weight were the ones regretted, because near 14,000 feet you cannot always keep moving to stay warm.
No ice axe in a snowy June
One hiker went up in mid-June without spikes or an axe, faced icy traverses near the top and on the way down, and vowed never to travel in snow again without a way to self-arrest.
A pack left beside the car at Whitney Portal
The Forest Service says bears have taken packs left next to vehicles while hikers went to the restroom. Keep it within reach and put food in the lockers.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
A bright white light in your partners' eyes
One blogger asks hikers to use a red-light mode on the pre-dawn stretch so everyone's eyes stay adjusted to the dark.
From Travels With Elle
Gear questions for Mount Whitney
Do I need a WAG bag to day hike Mount Whitney?
Yes. The Forest Service says a human waste pack-out kit is the only accepted method on Mount Whitney all year. Pick one up at the InterAgency Visitor Center in Lone Pine and drop the used kit in the trailhead bin.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
How much water should I carry on a Mount Whitney day hike?
Carry about 3 liters and a way to treat water. There is water up to Trail Camp, and the Forest Service says to take 3 liters from there because there is none above about 12,400 feet once the snow is gone.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF) and Backpacking Light forums: Help for Mt. Whitney climb
Do I need an ice axe and crampons for Mount Whitney?
In spring and early summer, yes. The agencies say they are needed while snow and ice are on the trail. From mid-July to early October the trail is usually a hike with no technical gear.
From Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (NPS), Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Mount Whitney and Backpacking Light forums: Mount Whitney in June
Do I need a bear canister for a Mount Whitney day hike?
The canister rule in the Forest Service guide is for overnight trips. Day hikers still keep food and packs within reach at Whitney Portal and use the food lockers there.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF)
Sources
- Mount Whitney · Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Hiking the Mt. Whitney Trail (trip planning guide, PDF) · Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Mt. Whitney · Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (NPS) · Agency
- Help for Mt. Whitney climb · Backpacking Light forums · Forum thread
- Mount Whitney in June · Backpacking Light forums · Forum thread
- Mt. Whitney Packing List: Essentials to Bring on Your Hike · Travels With Elle, Elle L. · Blog