View source for Mount Whitney

{{Short description|Highest mountain in the contiguous United States}}
{{About|the mountain|the former town with this name|Lone Pine Station, California|the ship|USS Mount Whitney}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Whitney
| etymology = [[Josiah Whitney]]
| other_name = Tumanguya
| photo = Mount Whitney 2003-03-25.jpg
| photo_caption = [[East Face (Mount Whitney)|East Face]] close-up seen from the [[Whitney Portal]]
| elevation_ft = 14505
| elevation_ref = {{NAVD88}}<ref name=ngs/>
| prominence_ft = 10,075
| prominence_ref = <ref name=Peakbagger/>
| isolation_mi = 1647
| isolation_ref = <ref name=Peakbagger/>
| parent_peak = [[Pico de Orizaba]]<ref name=Peakbagger_KeyCol/>
| listing = {{unbulleted list
  | [[List of peaks by prominence|World's most prominent peaks]] 81st;
  | [[Topographic isolation|World's most isolated peaks]] 18th;
  | [[List of the highest major summits of North America|North America's highest peaks]] 24th;
  | [[List of the most prominent summits of North America|North America's prominent peaks]] 16th;
  | [[List of the most isolated major summits of North America|North America's isolated peaks]] 4th;
  | [[List of U.S. states by elevation|U.S. state high point]] 2nd;
  | [[List of the highest major summits of the United States|U.S. highest major peaks]] 11th;
  | [[List of highest mountain peaks of California|California's highest major peaks]] 1st;
  | [[List of California fourteeners|California fourteeners]] 1st;<ref name="pbl">{{cite peakbagger |lid=21319 |name=California 14,000-foot Peaks |accessdate=2016-03-24}}</ref>
  | [[Ultra-prominent peak]] }}
| location = {{unbulleted list
  | [[Sequoia National Park]]
  | [[Inyo National Forest]]
  | [[Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness]]
  | [[John Muir Wilderness]]
  | {{thinsp|[[Inyo County, California|Inyo]] and [[Tulare County, California|Tulare]] counties, [[California]], [[United States|U.S.]]}} }}
| map = USA California#USA
| map_caption = none
| map_size = 200
| label_position = left
| range = [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]]
| coordinates = {{coord|36.578580925|N|118.29199495|W|type:mountain_region:US-CA_scale:100000_source:NGS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates = 
| coordinates_ref = <ref name="ngs"/>
| topo = [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] Mount Whitney
| type = [[Granite]]
| age = [[Cretaceous]]
| first_ascent = August 18, 1873 by Charles Begole, Albert Johnson, and John Lucas<ref name="Farquhar"/>
| easiest_route = [[Mount Whitney Trail]] ({{YDS|1}})
}}

'''Mount Whitney''' ([[Northern Paiute language|Paiute]]: ''Tumanguya'') is a mountain in the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] mountain range of California, and the highest point in the [[contiguous United States]], with an elevation of {{convert|4421|m||order=flip}}.<ref name="ngs"/> It lies in [[Eastern California|East]]–[[Central California]] on the boundary between [[Inyo County, California|Inyo]] and [[Tulare County, California|Tulare]] counties, and {{convert|84.6|mi}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/distance-and-azimuths|title=Find Distance and Azimuths Between 2 Sets of Coordinates|date=11 December 2015|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|quote=Coordinates of Mount Whitney = 36.578581, -118.291995 and Badwater Basin = 36.250278, -116.825833|access-date=2016-12-21|archive-date=2019-04-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423081832/https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/distance-and-azimuths|url-status=live}}</ref> west-northwest of North America's lowest topographic point, [[Badwater Basin]] in [[Death Valley National Park]], at {{convert|282|ft|abbr=on}} below sea level.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/faqs.htm|title=Death Valley National Park, Frequently Asked Questions|publisher=National Park Service|quote=Badwater Basin-282 feet below sea level...the lowest in North America.|access-date=2016-12-21|archive-date=2016-12-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222092555/https://www.nps.gov/deva/faqs.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The mountain's west slope is in [[Sequoia National Park]] and the summit is the southern terminus of the [[John Muir Trail]], which runs {{convert|211.9|mi|km|1|abbr=on}} from [[Happy Isles]] in [[Yosemite Valley]].<ref name=YOSE>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/jmt.htm |title=John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails |editor=NPS |access-date=2015-05-07 |archive-date=2015-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503123731/http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/jmt.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The eastern slopes are in [[Inyo National Forest]] in [[Inyo County]]. Mount Whitney is ranked 18th by [[topographic isolation]] and 81st by [[List of peaks by prominence|prominence]] on Earth.

== Geography ==
[[File:A347, Skypilot near summit of Mount Whitney, California, USA, 2011.JPG|thumb|left|[[Polemonium eximium|Sky pilot]] blooming on ridge just below summit]]
Mount Whitney's summit is on the [[Sierra Crest]] and the [[Great Basin Divide]]. It lies near many of the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]]'s highest peaks.<ref name="Sierra">{{cite web |url=http://climbing.about.com/od/mountainclimbing/a/MtWhitneyFacts.htm |title=Mount Whitney: Highest Mountain in California |editor=about sports |access-date=2015-05-08 |archive-date=2015-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404152321/http://climbing.about.com/od/mountainclimbing/a/MtWhitneyFacts.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The peak rises dramatically above the [[Owens Valley]], sitting {{convert|10778|ft}} or just over {{cvt|2|mi}} above the town of [[Lone Pine, California|Lone Pine]] {{cvt|15|mi}} to the east, in the Owens Valley.<ref name=Sierra/> It rises more gradually on the west side, lying only about {{convert|3000.|ft}} above the John Muir Trail at Guitar Lake.<ref name=Guitar>{{cite web |url=http://www.everytrail.com/guide/the-high-sierra-trail-segment-7-of-7/map |title=Trail Map of The High Sierra Trail: Segment 7 of 7 California |editor=Everytrail.com |access-date=2015-05-08 |archive-date=2015-03-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150310081349/http://www.everytrail.com/guide/the-high-sierra-trail-segment-7-of-7/map |url-status=live }}</ref>

The mountain is partially dome-shaped, with its famously jagged ridges extending to the sides.<ref name="backpacker">{{cite journal|last1=Perlman|first1=Eric|title=Nice Going, Whitney|journal=Backpager|date=May 1985|pages=49–55|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UuADAAAAMBAJ&q=whitney+jagged+and+smoorh&pg=PA48|access-date=8 May 2016|archive-date=3 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103145829/https://books.google.com/books?id=UuADAAAAMBAJ&q=whitney+jagged+and+smoorh&pg=PA48#v=snippet&q=whitney%20jagged%20and%20smoorh&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Mount Whitney is above the [[tree line]] and has an [[alpine climate]] and [[alpine tundra|ecology]].<ref name="ABC">{{cite book|editor-last1=Joyce|editor-first1=Quinn|title=Earth's Landscape: An Encyclopedia of the World's Geographic Features [2 volumes]|date=2015|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1610694469|pages=511–512|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ErkxBgAAQBAJ&q=tree+line+alpine+climate+Whitney&pg=PA511|access-date=8 May 2016|archive-date=1 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101183852/https://books.google.com/books?id=ErkxBgAAQBAJ&q=tree+line+alpine+climate+Whitney&pg=PA511|url-status=live}}</ref> Very few plants grow near the summit: one example is the [[Polemonium eximium|sky pilot]], a [[cushion plant]] that grows low to the ground.<ref name="Schoenherr">
  {{cite book
  | last = Schoenherr
  | first = Allan A.
  | title = A Natural History of California
  | year = 1995
  | publisher = [[University of California Press]]
  | isbn = 0-520-06922-6
  | url-access = registration
  | url = https://archive.org/details/naturalhistoryof00scho
  }}</ref> The only animals are transient, such as the butterfly ''[[Parnassius phoebus]]'' and the [[grey-crowned rosy finch|gray-crowned rosy finch]].<ref name="Schoenherr"/>

=== Hydrology ===
The mountain is the highest point on the [[Great Basin Divide]]. Waterways on the peak's west side flow into Whitney Creek, which flows into the [[Kern River]]. The Kern River terminates at [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]] in the [[Tulare Lake|Tulare Basin]], the southern part of the [[San Joaquin Valley]]. Today, the water in the Tulare Basin is largely diverted for agriculture. Historically, during very wet years, water overflowed from the Tulare Basin into the [[San Joaquin River]], which flows to the Pacific Ocean.

From the east, water from Mount Whitney flows to Lone Pine Creek, where most of the water is diverted into the [[Los Angeles Aqueduct]] via a [[sluice]]. Some water in the creek is allowed to continue on its natural course, joining the [[Owens River]], which terminates at [[Owens Lake]], an [[Endorheic basin#Endorheic lakes|endorheic lake]] of the [[Great Basin]].

=== Elevation measurements ===
The estimated elevation of Mount Whitney's summit has changed over the years. The technology of elevation measurement has become more refined and, more importantly, the vertical coordinate system has changed. The peak was commonly said to be at {{convert|14494|ft|abbr=on}} and this is the elevation stamped on the [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] brass [[Benchmark (surveying)|benchmark disk]] on the summit. An older plaque on the summit (sheet metal with black lettering on white enamel) reads "elevation 14,496.811 feet", but this was estimated using the older [[geodetic system|vertical datum]] ([[Sea Level Datum of 1929|NGVD29]]) from 1929. Since then the shape of the [[Earth]] (the [[geoid]]) has been estimated more accurately. Using a new vertical datum established in 1988 ([[North American Vertical Datum of 1988|NAVD88]]) the benchmark is now estimated to be {{convert|14504|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="ngs"/><ref name=ngs_hcm/>

=== Climate ===

Mount Whitney has an [[Polar climate|alpine tundra climate]] (''ET'') under the [[Köppen climate classification]]. Summer temperatures are highly variable, ranging from below freezing ({{cvt|32|F}}) to highs near {{convert|80|F|C}} during extreme heat waves in the Owens Valley.

Based on the range from the highest average high of {{cvt|25.7|F}} to the lowest average low of {{cvt|4.2|F}} for winter temperatures in the table (December to March), every {{convert|1|in}} of liquid precipitation equates to approximately {{convert|15-40|in}} of snow, with lower temperatures producing the greater snow depths.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/Estimating_the_Water_Equivalent_of_Snow.pdf |title=Estimating the Water Equivalent of Snow |website=ncdc.noaa.gov |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] |page=3 |access-date=January 5, 2020 |archive-date=October 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016221542/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/Estimating_the_Water_Equivalent_of_Snow.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

There is no weather station at the summit, but this climate table contains [[Interpolation|interpolated]] data for an area below the summit.
{{Weather box
|location = Mount Whitney 36.5728 N, 118.3025 W, Elevation: {{cvt|13635|ft}} (1991–2020 normals)
|single line = y
|width = auto
|Jan high F = 25.2
|Feb high F = 23.0
|Mar high F = 25.8
|Apr high F = 31.2
|May high F = 38.7
|Jun high F = 48.9
|Jul high F = 55.2
|Aug high F = 54.5
|Sep high F = 49.6
|Oct high F = 41.5
|Nov high F = 31.9
|Dec high F = 24.3

|Jan mean F = 15.6
|Feb mean F = 13.1
|Mar mean F = 15.6
|Apr mean F = 19.6
|May mean F = 26.0
|Jun mean F = 35.2
|Jul mean F = 41.2
|Aug mean F = 40.5
|Sep mean F = 36.8
|Oct mean F = 30.4
|Nov mean F = 21.8
|Dec mean F = 15.2

|Jan low F = 6.0
|Feb low F = 3.3
|Mar low F = 5.4
|Apr low F = 8.0
|May low F = 13.4
|Jun low F = 21.6
|Jul low F = 27.2
|Aug low F = 26.5
|Sep low F = 24.1
|Oct low F = 19.2
|Nov low F = 11.6
|Dec low F = 6.2

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 8.37
|Feb precipitation inch = 8.88
|Mar precipitation inch = 5.79
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.94
|May precipitation inch = 1.92
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.51
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.31
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.19
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.27
|Oct precipitation inch = 1.90
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.51
|Dec precipitation inch = 7.91

|source=PRISM Climate Group<ref>{{cite web
|url= http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/
|title= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
|publisher= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
|access-date= September 28, 2023
|quote= To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking ''Coordinates'' (under ''Location''); copy ''Latitude'' and ''Longitude figures'' from top of table; click ''Zoom to location''; click ''Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp''; click ''30-year normals, 1991-2020''; click ''800m''; click ''Retrieve Time Series'' button.
|archive-date= July 25, 2019
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190725164937/http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/
|url-status= live
}}</ref>
}}

== Geology ==
[[Image:Sierra nevada schematic.svg|thumb|left|Schematic of Sierra Nevada [[fault block]]]]

Whitney's eastern slope is far steeper than its western because the Sierra Nevada is the result of a [[fault block]] anchored below the surface to the west and slowly rising on the east.<ref name=usfs_sn/>

The rise is caused by a [[Fault (geology)|fault]] system that runs along the Sierra's eastern base, below Mount Whitney. The [[granite]] that forms Whitney, part of the [[Sierra Nevada Batholith]],<ref name="mcphee">{{cite book|last1=McPhee|first1=John|title=Annals of a Former World|date=2000|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=0374708460|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GS81F0RNxesC&q=batholith.+In+Cretaceous+subduction+Whitney++granite.&pg=PT503|access-date=2016-05-08|archive-date=2023-11-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103145829/https://books.google.com/books?id=GS81F0RNxesC&q=batholith.+In+Cretaceous+subduction+Whitney++granite.&pg=PT503#v=onepage&q=batholith.%20In%20Cretaceous%20subduction%20Whitney%20%20granite.&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> is the same as that of the [[Alabama Hills]] thousands of feet lower and to the east.<ref name="Schoenherr"/> The raising of Whitney (and the downdrop of the Owens Valley) is due to the same geological forces that cause the [[Basin and Range Province]]: the crust of much of the intermontane west is slowly being stretched.<ref name="nps">{{cite web
  | url = https://www.nps.gov/grba/planyourvisit/the-great-basin.htm
  | title = The Great Basin
  | work = Great Basin National Park
  | publisher = [[National Park Service|US National Park Service]]
  | access-date = 2008-04-09
  | archive-date = 2015-10-21
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151021185319/http://www.nps.gov/grba/planyourvisit/the-great-basin.htm
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>

In [[Cretaceous]] time, masses of molten rock that originated from [[subduction]] rose underneath what is now Whitney and solidified underground to form large expanses of granite.<ref name="mcphee"/> In the last 2 to 10 million years, the Sierra was pushed up, enabling glacial and river erosion to strip the upper layers of softer rock to reveal the resistant granite that makes up Mount Whitney.<ref name="stephen">{{cite book|last1=Whitney|first1=Stephen|title=A Sierra Club naturalist's guide to the Sierra Nevada|date=1979|publisher=Sierra Club Books|isbn=0871562154|page=41|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WuATAQAAIAAJ&q=2+to+10+million+years+Whitney|access-date=9 May 2016|archive-date=3 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103145829/https://books.google.com/books?id=WuATAQAAIAAJ&q=2+to+10+million+years+Whitney|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Exploration history ==
[[File:Mount Whitney from south.jpg|thumb|Mount Whitney as seen from [[Mount Langley]]]]
In July 1864, the members of the [[California Geological Survey]] named the peak, the contiguous United States' highest summit, after [[Josiah Whitney]], the state geologist of [[California]] and sponsor of the survey.<ref name="Farquhar"/> During the same expedition, geologist [[Clarence King]] attempted to climb Whitney from its west side, but stopped just short. In 1871, King returned to climb what he believed to be Whitney, but having taken a different approach, he actually summited nearby [[Mount Langley]]. Upon learning of his mistake in 1873, King finally completed his own first ascent of Whitney, but did so a month too late to be first.<ref name="King">{{cite book
  | last = King
  | first = Clarence
  | author-link = Clarence King
  | title = Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada
  | url = http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/mountaineering_in_the_sierra_nevada/
  | access-date = 2009-02-01
  | edition = 10th
  | orig-year = 1872
  | year = 1902
  | chapter = Chapter XIII Mount Whitney
  | chapter-url = http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/mountaineering_in_the_sierra_nevada/13.html
  | isbn = 0-585-27432-0
  | archive-date = 2009-02-11
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090211234720/http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/mountaineering_in_the_sierra_nevada/
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref> On August 18, 1873, Charles Begole, A. H. Johnson, and John Lucas, all of nearby [[Lone Pine, California|Lone Pine]], had become the first to reach the summit. As they climbed the mountain during a fishing trip to nearby Kern Canyon, they called the mountain Fisherman's Peak.<ref name="Farquhar"/>

In 1881, [[Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory]] founder [[Samuel Pierpont Langley]] remained on the summit for some time, making daily observations of the solar heat.<ref name=ea>{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Whitney, Mount}}</ref> Accompanying Langley in 1881 was another party consisting of Judge William B. Wallace of Visalia, W. A. Wright and Reverend Frederick Wales.<ref name="seq">
{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.sequoiaparksfoundation.org/2012/historic-people-and-places-william-b-wallace/
 |access-date  = 2015-10-04
 |title       = Historic People And Places: Willams B. Wallace 
 |publisher   = Sequoia Parks Foundation
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120904001136/http://www.sequoiaparksfoundation.org/2012/historic-people-and-places-william-b-wallace/
 |archive-date = 2012-09-04
}}</ref> In his memoirs,<ref name = "paiute">{{cite book
  | last = Wallace
  | first = William B.
  | chapter = A Night On Mt. Whitney
  | title = Mt. Whitney Club Journal
  | year = 1902
  | volume = 1
  | issue = 1
  | pages = 8–9
  | publisher = Mt. Whitney Club
  | location = Visalia, CA
  | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Q35LAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Too-man-i-goo-yah%22&pg=PA8
  | access-date = 2020-11-18
  | archive-date = 2023-11-03
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231103145830/https://books.google.com/books?id=Q35LAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Too-man-i-goo-yah%22&pg=PA8#v=snippet&q=%22Too-man-i-goo-yah%22&f=false
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref> Wallace wrote, "The [[Northern Paiute|Pi Ute [Paiute]]] Indians called Mount Whitney ''Too-man-i-goo-yah'', which means 'the very old man.' They believe that the Great Spirit who presides over the destiny of their people once had his home in that mountain." The spelling ''Too-man-i-goo-yah'' is a transliteration from the indigenous Paiute [[Mono language (California)|Mono language]]. Another variation is ''Too-man-go-yah.''<ref name = "14ers">{{cite book
  | title = Climbing California's Fourteeners: The Route Guide to the Fifteen Highest Peaks
  | first1 = Stephen
  | last1 = Porcella
  | first2 = Cameron
  | last2 = Burns
  | publisher = [[The Mountaineers (club)#Mountaineers Books|Mountaineers Books]]
  | page = 55
  | isbn = 0-89886-555-7
  | date = 1998
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uM6amm4BDtAC&q=too+man
  | access-date = 2020-11-18
  | archive-date = 2023-11-03
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231103145830/https://books.google.com/books?id=uM6amm4BDtAC&q=too+man#v=snippet&q=too%20man&f=false
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>

[[File:Smithsonian Hut Whitney.jpg|thumb|The [[Smithsonian Institution Shelter]] on Whitney's summit]]

In 1891, the [[United States Geological Survey]]'s Board on Geographic Names decided to recognize the name Mount Whitney. Despite losing out on their preferred name, Lone Pine residents financed the first trail to the summit, engineered by Gustave Marsh, and completed on July 22, 1904. Four days later, the new trail enabled the first recorded death on Whitney. Having hiked the trail, [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|U.S. Bureau of Fisheries]] employee Byrd Surby was struck and killed by lightning while eating lunch on the summit. In response, Marsh began work on the stone hut that became the [[Smithsonian Institution Shelter]], completing it in 1909.<ref name="LPC">
 {{cite web
 |url=http://www.lonepinechamber.org/history/whitneyhist2.html
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211171515/http://www.lonepinechamber.org/history/whitneyhist2.html
 |archive-date=2012-02-11
 |work=Mount Whitney History
 |title=Mount Whitney's Early Days
 |publisher=Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce
 |access-date=2009-02-01
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref>

A movement began after [[World War&nbsp;II]] to rename the mountain for [[Winston Churchill]],<ref name="gnis">{{cite gnis |id=269051 |name=Mount Whitney |access-date=2009-02-01}}</ref>  but the name Mount Whitney persisted.

==Climbing routes==

=== Trails ===
[[Image:Whitney Trail Switchbacks.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Mount Whitney Trail]]]]
[[Image:whitney-icy-trail.jpg|thumb|1962 before railings, opposite view, treacherous.]]
The most popular route to the summit is by way of the [[Mount Whitney Trail]], which starts at [[Whitney Portal]], at an elevation of {{convert|8360.|ft|abbr=on}}, {{convert|13|mi|abbr=on}} west of the town of [[Lone Pine, California|Lone Pine]]. The hike is about {{convert|22|mi|km|abbr=on}} round trip with an elevation gain of over {{convert|6100.|ft|abbr=on}}. Permits are required year-round, and to prevent overuse the [[United States Forest Service|Forest Service]] issues a limited number of permits between May 1 and November 1.<ref>
  {{cite web
  | url = http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/mtwhitney.shtml
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080414042448/http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/mtwhitney.shtml
  | archive-date = 2008-04-14
  | title = Recreational Activities – Mount Whitney
  | publisher = US Forest Service
  | access-date = 2008-04-09 }}</ref> It holds an annual lottery for hiking and backpacking permits on the trail. Applications are accepted from February 1 through March 15. Any permits left over after the lottery is completed typically go on sale April 1. Most hikers plan to stay one or two nights, camping along the route.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/inyo
  | title = Mount Whitney Lottery– Permit Reservations
  | publisher = US Forest Service
  | access-date = 2014-01-23
  | archive-date = 2014-02-04
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140204041156/http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/passes-permits/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5150055
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref> Those in good physical condition sometimes attempt to reach the summit and return to Whitney Portal in one day. A one-day hike requires a day-use permit that prohibits the use of overnight camping gear (sleeping bag and tent). Day hikers often leave Whitney Portal before sunrise and hike for 12 to 18 hours.<ref name=dayhiker/>

Longer approaches to Whitney arrive at its west side, connecting to the Mount Whitney Trail near the summit by way of the [[John Muir Trail]].

=== Scrambles ===
[[File:Mt. Whitney and south-eastern Sierra Nevada aerial.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the Mount Whitney [[massif]] and the steep eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, from the north]]
The Mountaineer's Route, a gully on the north side of the east face first climbed by [[John Muir]], is considered a [[scrambling|scramble]], {{YDS|3}} ([[Grade (climbing)#International French adjectival system (IFAS)|PD+]]).<ref name="Secor">{{cite Secor |pages=70–75}}</ref> The fastest recorded time up this route to the summit and back to the portal is 3 hours 10 minutes, by Jason Lakey of [[Bishop, California]].<ref name=rockice/>

=== Technical climbs ===
The steep eastern side of the mountain offers a variety of climbing challenges. The [[East Face (Mount Whitney)|East Face]] route, first climbed in 1931, is one of the ''[[Fifty Classic Climbs of North America]]'' [[climbing route|route]]s, and involves technical [[free climbing]] ({{YDS|5.7}}) but is mostly class 4. Other routes range up to grade 5.10d.<ref name="Secor"/>

South of the main summit is a series of minor summits that are completely inconspicuous from the west but appear as a series of "needles" from the east. The routes on these include some of the finest big-wall climbing in the high Sierra. Two of the needles were named after participants in an 1880 scientific expedition to the mountain: Keeler Needle for [[James Edward Keeler|James Keeler]], and Day Needle for William Cathcart Day. The latter was renamed in 1990 by Congressional act as Crooks Peak after [[Hulda Crooks]], who hiked up Mount Whitney every year until well into her nineties.

==See also==
{{Portal|Mountains|California}}
* [[List of California 14,000-foot summits]]
* [[List of California county high points]]
* [[List of mountain peaks of California]]
* [[List of the highest major summits of the United States]]
* [[List of the most isolated major summits of the United States]]
* [[List of the most prominent summits of the United States]]
* [[List of U.S. states by elevation]]
* [[Whitney Classic]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=dayhiker>{{cite web|url=http://www.dayhiker.com/directory/MtWhitney.htm|title=Mount Whitney – One Day Hike|publisher=dayhiker.com|access-date=2015-11-28|archive-date=2002-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021031193738/http://www.dayhiker.com/directory/MtWhitney.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Farquhar">{{cite book
  |last=Farquhar
  |first=Francis P.
  |author-link=Francis P. Farquhar
  |title=Place Names of the High Sierra
  |url=http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/place_names_of_the_high_sierra/w.html
  |access-date=2007-08-12
  |publisher=[[Sierra Club]]
  |location=[[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]]
  |year=1926
  |archive-date=2007-10-07
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007054148/http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/place_names_of_the_high_sierra/w.html
  |url-status=live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="ngs">
  {{cite ngs |id=GT1811 |name=Whitney |accessdate=2014-01-22}}</ref>
<ref name=ngs_hcm>{{cite web
  |url=http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/TOOLS/Vertcon/vert_method.html
  |title=Height Conversion Methodology
  |publisher=U.S. National Geodetic Survey
  |access-date=2008-04-09
  |archive-date=2008-04-02
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080402104834/http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/TOOLS/Vertcon/vert_method.html
  |url-status=live
  }}</ref>
<ref name="Peakbagger">
  {{cite peakbagger |pid=2829|name=Mount Whitney, California |accessdate=2015-12-30}}</ref>
<ref name="Peakbagger_KeyCol">
  {{cite peakbagger |kid=2829|name=Playas Valley/Pride Draw Saddle |accessdate=2015-12-30}}</ref>
<ref name=rockice>
  {{cite web |url=http://www.rockandice.com/news/1272-bishop-local-adds-513b-crack-and-speed-solos-whitney-region
  |title=Bishop Local Adds 5.13b Crack, And Speed Solos Whitney Region
  |publisher=Rock and Ice |date=December 9, 2010
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212234615/http://www.rockandice.com/news/1272-bishop-local-adds-513b-crack-and-speed-solos-whitney-region
  |archive-date=2010-12-12}}</ref>
<ref name=usfs_sn>
  {{cite web |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/projects/ecoregions/m261e.htm
  |title=Sierra Nevada
  |work=Ecological Subregions of California
  |publisher=[[United States Forest Service|US Forest Service]]
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080601101102/http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/projects/ecoregions/m261e.htm
  |archive-date=2008-06-01
  |access-date=2008-04-09 }}</ref>
}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Thompson
  | first = Doug
  | author2=Elisabeth Newbold
  | title = Mount Whitney: Mountain Lore from the Whitney Store
  | publisher = Westwind Publishing Company
  | year = 1997
  | isbn =  978-0-9653596-0-3 }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* {{cite web |url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/inyo/recreation
  |title=Mount Whitney Trail
  |publisher=Inyo National Forest}}
* {{cite web
  |url=http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/
  |title=Mt Whitney Hikers Association
  }}
* {{cite summitpost |id=150227 |name=Mount Whitney}}
* {{cite NIE |title=Whitney, Mount |year=1905}}

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{{NA highest}}{{NA prominent}}{{NA isolated}}
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{{California Fourteeners}}
{{U.S. State Highest Points}}
{{Sequoia National Park}}
{{John Muir Wilderness}}
{{Sierra Nevada}}
{{California}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitney, Mount}}
[[Category:Fourteeners of California]]
[[Category:Highest points of U.S. states]]
[[Category:Inyo National Forest]]
[[Category:Mountains of Inyo County, California]]
[[Category:Mountains of Sequoia National Park]]
[[Category:Mountains of the John Muir Wilderness]]
[[Category:Mountains of Tulare County, California]]
[[Category:Symbols of California]]
[[Category:Highest points of United States national parks]]
[[Category:Four-thousanders of the United States|Whitney]]
[[Category:Mountains of Northern California]]