Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Driving to White Mountain Peak for Whitney training hike

I'm planning on going to White Mountain Peak to train for Whitney. I'll be spending a night at the trail head and attempt to summit next morning.

For those of you who's been to White Mountain Peak, I want to find out how bad is the unpaved road is up to the Bancroft gate (trail head).

I just have an old RAV4, a small 2wd SUV wanna be. I read that regular passenger car can drive up there as long as you drive slow.

Thanks

Thx123

The RAV4 will make it just fine. Be sure your spare tire is ok as once in a while people get a flat on that road.

It's a fun place to go -- unlike anywhere else.

Here are a few pictures from a March, 2010 trip.

Steve,

Thanks. and Thanks for the picture. Looks like you had fun with a snowmobile :)

Yes, it was an adventure. We were thinking about heading up to the Barcroft lab, but were low on fuel necessary to get back out.

Camping in sub-freezing temps, with boots that were damp inside was ...memorable.

Don't make the mistake I did -- going TOO fast in a regular ol' car. A flat tire is a real possibility:

The rocks and ruts in that road are a nightmare. I changed the flat -- I was still going up to the Barcroft gate. You'd better believe I went at a SNAIL'S pace going back down, deathly afraid of getting another flat with now no spare tire.

(And another word to the wise -- have PLENTY of gas BEFORE the trip. I vastly underestimated and wound up paying for a gallon of gas at the Barcroft laboratory after my planned 4 mile round trip hike to there and back to the gate. And THAT was just barely enough to get me back to a gas station in Big Pine. AND -- I was lucky to get someone to actually sell me that gas.)

Here are two good threads on White Mountain:

    Bristlecone Pines

    White Mountain Peak 6/27/2012

It depends on weather and when they last scraped the road. I been up right after a scrape and you can fly in a car.

I've done it a car and SUV. The SUV is much better.

The road and your vehicle will tell how fast is ok.

Whitney Fan,

Wow that was some "adventure" for you huh? Glad you made it out Ok. Thank you for sharing your experience. I'll definitely make sure I have a full tank of gas and my spare tire is good.
I'm even planning on taking a can of "Fix-it"

Wbtravis,

Thank you for the info. I have a better idea about the road now.
Very helpful :)

Thx123

Steve,

Thank you for the links :)

just go down Silver Canyon Road to Bishop when low on gas - you are mostly running on gravity on that road, and it is a lot closer to the nearest gas. The road is a little rougher, though, but I've seen plenty of 2WD vehicles go down. I drove it in a lifted 4x4 and it was disappointingly well maintained after all the warning signs I passed. On the other hand, last time I was there is now almost 20 years ago, so don't trust what you read on the Internet

found my old Silver Canyon road write-up
http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/offroad/travels/SilverCanyon/index.html

Can anyone tell me how the road to White Mtn compares to the road to Fish Creek Trailhead (for San Gorgonio)?

Also, are dogs allowed on the trail?

Dogs are allowed there, since it is National Forest, not National Park.

Thanks Steve!

It is possible to have a fire permit mailed to you (or left for you at the ranger station) or do you have to get the permit in person?

I was scheduled to hike Whitney on August 20th, but our son decided he wanted to be born 10 days early. I had to rush back to the IE for his birth, so I'm trying to get a 14er (an attempt at least) before the weather gets nasty.

Congrats on the new baby!

If you go, do be aware that this late in the year, there are often walk-in Whitney day hike and overnight permits available.  Read step 6 in the Wilderness Permit options page (link above on left) for more info. ...or Step 5: Watch the week before, since cancelled permits will show up often.

Regarding a Fire Permit:

Easier than calling and asking, you can download, print and sign one from your computer.  Saltydog provided the links in this thread: Sequoia National Forest Sets New Fire Regulations.  The direct link to the downloadable PDF is here.

Note that it IS called a Campfire Permit, even though it has been written many places that you need one even for a stove.  (I've never been asked for one, and am usually negligent when it comes to carrying one.)  In the White Mountains, there just isn't enough fuel around to be a fire hazard, except maybe at the lower Grandview campground.

By the way, the road to White Mtn is ok, even for a small car, if you don't go too fast.  Just go slow, especially where it is more rocky.  Make SURE you have a properly inflated spare, and maybe carry a can of fix-flat, too.

Thanks Steve. It's our first, so we're very excited. I felt a little bad leaving the group behind, but I obviously had a good excuse. I was very happy to hear that 6 out of 6 of the first-timers and everyone in my group that had planned on summiting were able to do so.

I'd really like to give Whitney a shot this year, but b/c of time constraints I don't think I can make it happen.[b]If[/b] I could figure out a way to get a permit, I'd probably just plan on hiking up to trail camp. As it stands, I'll probably be arriving in Lone Pine on the 21st around 6pm (too late to pick up a permit from the ranger station), and planning to return home late on the 22nd or early on the 23rd.

63, you'd have been crazy leaving the birth of your baby for a Whitney climb.

As for a permit: If you can snag a permit reservation (use the Box 5 instructions referred to above), then call the Wilderness Permit Office at 760-873-2483 the day before your hike date and before pickup deadline, the Visitor Center people will put the permit in the overnight box by the street, in front of the Visitor Center S of Lone Pine.

Oh, I wasn't saying that I wanted to do that, I was just a little annoyed by the timing of everything. Mom had a checkup on the 17th (at which we were told we had 2-3 weeks left), so everyone figured I was good to go on the trip. The group was in Lone Pine getting ready for bed on the 19th when I got the call (around 4pm), so one of the guys had to drive me half way home instead of sleeping/preparing for the hike.

Thanks for the info on the permits. I'll keep an eye out for them.

Your RAV4 will make the trip - no problem. Just take it easy on the steep dirt sections!

In spite of advice you may have read to the contrary, do not go down Silver Canyon road. Just fill up your RAV4 in Bishop or Big Pine, and you'll have plenty of fuel for the return trip.

Since 1992, the date of Fishmonger's trip, the Silver Canyon road has experienced cycles of flash-flooding and erosion, and may not be in the best of shape. I don't know the last time it was graded; the White Mountain staff use the regular road to commute to and from Barcroft Station. There are also a few stream crossings in the lower part of the canyon. It is extremely steep, and tough on gear-boxes and brakes. I've been up and down that road several times in the past in high-center 4X4's (on SAR missions) and mountain bikes. It's one to avoid, but that's just an old local's opinion...

Can anyone give a conservative time & distance estimate of the the drive from Grandview Campground to Barcroft Gate? Google is saying about 25 mi & 50 min.

I'm also looking for a rough estimate of hiking time. The only one I've found is 7-8 hrs roundtrip, which sounds [i]really[/i] optimistic to me.