During the summer and fall the Mountaineers Route offers a magnificent uncrowded experience past pine trees, boulders, granite slabs, high alpine meadows, and lakes.
Overview
The Mountaineer’s Route offers a magnificent and much less crowded way to climb Mt. Whitney. Picturesque scenery and beautiful vistas are prevalent throughout. Located on the northeast side of Mt. Whitney, the terrain is over trails and rock with some interspersed 3rd class climbing requiring the use of hands and feet on good quality granite. The route ascends a chute angled at 25-30 degrees and tops out at a notch at 14,100’/4298m. Here the angle increases to 40+ degrees for the final 400′ to the summit. Ropes are used for safety but no previous rock climbing training is required. Mt. Whitney’s Mountaineers Route is a superb ascent, and serves as great training for other climbing objectives!
Cost
$490 per day guided 1:1
$280 per person per day guided 2:1
Dates
Any date between June 1 and October 30. Dates are subject to us being able to secure permit slots. The farther you book in advance the better chance we have a getting a permit. Book using the button below or contact our office.
Itinerary
Day 1: We meet at the nearby town of Lone Pine and drive to the trailhead at Whitney Portal. Ascending the North Fork of Lone Pine creek our goal is to establish camp between Upper Boyscout Lake (11,300’/3444m) and Iceberg Lake (12,610’/3843m). In preparation for our summit bid the following morning, we bed down early after a hearty dinner.
Day 2: Beginning our ascent in the early morning hours we are treated to a breathtaking sunrise en route. Above Iceberg Lake (12,610’/3843m) we enter the Mountaineer’s Chute along the north side of Mt.Whitney. The slope angle runs between 25-35 degrees to a notch at 14,100’/4298m, where the angle steepens to 40+. The terrain ranges from a trail to easy rock scrambling where ropes are used for safety. More spectacular scenery The route tops out at Mt. Whitney’s summit plateau and a short 5 minute walk brings us to the top. Our descent retraces our ascent route back to camp.
Day 3: Break camp after a nourishing breakfast and descend usually arriving at Whitney Portal by lunchtime.
View a photo gallery from a summer climb of the Mountaineers Route here.
