Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and Mount Williamson, which just barely missed being the highest peak in the lower
48.
Keep your celebration in check, however, because it's important to conserve
some energy for the descent. It's recommended that you leave the summit no later
than 3 p.m., returning the way you came to Trail Junction. From here, turn left to
hump over one more short but steep hill about 150 feet to Trail Crest (13,650 feet).
Somehow knowing that this is the last climb makes it rather manageable. Enjoy
views eastward to Owens Valley, your eventual destination. Descending from Trail
Crest, you leave Sequoia National Park and fittingly reenter John Muir Wilderness.
From here, it's truly all downhill. The descent begins with a tight set of steep switch-
backs dynamited into the eastern side of the mountain. Cables provide assistance
over an icy section about a mile from Trail Crest.
Trail Camp (12,000 feet) is the first legal camping area on the eastern side of the
summit and lies more than 1,500 feet below Whitney. It is not without charm and en-
joys lovely sunsets over a small tarn; however it's a far cry from the remote wilder-
ness experienced to date. Often overcrowded with inexperienced backpackers, it can
feel a bit like a garbage dump at times. There are solar toilets on the southern side of
camp, but in recent years the toilets have not been able to keep up with the number
of hikers, and they are often full toward the end of the season. It is for this reason
that wag bags are being encouraged more and more. While it's less than ideal to have
to pack your wag bag with you, you can rest easy in the knowledge that you're aid-
ing environmental progress.
From Trail Camp, descend steep concrete stairs and reach a more gentle grade
with several dry but flat campsites lining the route. Enjoy views of Consultation
Lake in the distance to the south. Reach Mirror Lake (10,650 feet) after a little more
than 2 miles of descent from Trail Camp. You cannot camp here, but it's a lovely
spot to have a snack and gaze at the reflective water. Further down, pass Outpost
Camp (10,367 feet) with its solar toilets and usually overcrowded tent sites. Contin-
ue traveling northeast and pass a spur trail to Lone Pine Lake (9,980 feet) to the
right. If planning to camp again, it's worth it to make this slight detour to sleep by
Lone Pine Lake, where dawn sunlight is to be appreciated.
Continue downhill on sagebrush-scented switchbacks, crossing the boundary to
leave John Muir Wilderness. Stop to smell your last butterscotch-scented ponderosa
pine as a series of zigzags leads you to the parking lot at Whitney Portal (8,365 feet).
Public restrooms are directly across from the trailhead, while food, showers (fee), a
pay phone, and the general store are to the right. The burger-and-fries combination is
worth every cent! The general store is open daily in May and October from 9 a.m. to
