Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Whitney Main Trail Conditions 2016 (Out-of-Date)

Picture of the last stretch of snow, last patch before the summit. Posted on Instagram by mochasbooksnmts

On the way to Irvine.

I summited 7/3. Conditions on the trail are great other than water on some of the switchbacks and at points between Whitney Portal and Trail Camp. The snow field in the above pic (right before the final turn to head up to the summit hut) is the last remaining "trouble" spot. I saw a couple people without poles struggling here a bit with traction but even that didn't look particularly dangerous. I didn't see anyone with microspikes and certainly didn't feel they were at all necessary though of course would have helped with traction.

As others have reported, cables are easily passable at this time. The snow field before trail crest had nearly completely melted as of 7/3 and I'm sure is completely gone as of today.

Weather was absolutely perfect this past weekend. Lows at night at trail camp were probably mid-40s. It must have been at least 50 and not a cloud in the sky at the summit (I summited in a tshirt, never even put on my fleece).

Enjoy the conditions everyone, doesn't get much better than this!

Any feedback on the Mountaineers Route? Were going up to Iceberg on Monday and then summiting Tuesday. Curious if there is any snow left.

See this:
http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthreads.php/topics/46970/rleary#Post46970

Thanks! Looks like we'll be fine with no special equipment.

Was anyone able to find a pokemon up at the summit? Just curious....

If I do, I'll make sure to squash their little furry heads!! Darn monsters!! :P

Just wanted to say thanks to this forum for all of the tips and information over the past year. Last year when we attempted Mt. Whitney, we were snowed out so this year we were really anxious for a good trip. We were able to summit this year and did so on 7/12.

The weather conditions were fantastic! We camped at the Portal campground the first night and then hiked up to Trail Camp and spent the night. We woke up and were on the trail by 6:30 and hit the summit at 10:30. I think that it definitely helped to acclimate at each spot. No one in our group had any signs of altitude sickness but I saw several persons on the trail and spoke to a few that did. Drank tons of fluids and ate well. The only problem was having to get out of the warm sleeping bag 3 times during the night.

Very little snow left with the exception on the back side after Trail Crest that you'll pass through. It's a little slippery but o.k. with poles. There's still some water still coming down some of the switchbacks.

That's about it. Had a great time and can't wait for next year! We met a lot of nice folks up there.

Steve T.

I did the summit yesterday Thursday 7/14/16 and the conditions were Perfect. It was sunny and cool all day long. I started at 3:30am and reach the summit at 2:30pm, a long grueling 11 hours. It was my first time at that elevation and luckily I did not have any AMS symptoms.

Congrats!!! It was my first time also and quite the trip! Looking forward to next year already.

Congratulations!!

I'm going up 3 days from now on Monday the 18th. Is there still treatable water at Switchback 22 or should I load up at Trail Camp? Thanks for any news.

Is anyone else starting up for a dayhike summit at Midnight Monday night into Tuesday morning? I'd like to know if there will be some company in the area since I'll be alone. Thanks!

Hey guys I went up on Tuesday 7/12 on a day permit and I found this helpful. I just want to say it was perfect weather when I was there. There are just 2 snow patches near the summit. One patch of melting dirty snow is sketchy, but the other patch of clean snow is fine. Just stick your climbing pole in the snow on your right to anchor yourself somewhat.

You must fill up at trail camp lake as there's no other source of water except snow near the top and some dinky little trickles of water here and there. But there's always a chance of bacteria in the snow so I wouldn't go for it unless you're desperate, especially if the snow is reddish. I had water issues myself (among many other issues that day). We had a lagging team member we had to wait for and that made us use up too much of our supply. Just make sure you ration. I brought 5L from trail camp and it wasn't enough. I should have rationed better or maybe tried bringing 6L, but that's heavy. My body is not very efficient with water however, and some of you might actually be so it depends.

Hannah, many people will try to fill up at switchback #23 above Trail Camp. I would hope that water is still running. It doesn't usually dry up until mid-August.

Most people get by taking 3 liters of water from Trail Camp (or that switchback). Drink one on the way up to Trail Crest, the next on the way to the summit, and #3 on the way down. Bob R (now retired from hiking) would always supplement his water by refilling or topping up his water with snow at Trail Crest and at the clean patch near the summit.


I picked up a solution to that from an x-c skier at Pear Lk lodge in Sequoia years ago. Now I carry and use a 20 oz Gatorade bottle with an "X" on the cap. If you think you might need to use it more than once, dig a pit within arms reach of your bed.

For women, it's a little more difficult, but the "Freshette" from REI can help a lot.

Summited at sunrise Friday (7/15/16) morning with an overnight permit and it was incredible. Conditions were perfect in terms of weather, trail and our crew.

I have to say this forum helped us immensely with planning and understanding the risks and requirements for this trip (everything from trail to parking and in between!)


It is so true that your attitude plays a huge part in this hike. We all stayed positive and looked out for each other and in the end, we all summited at our own pace but we did it nonetheless. We have been hiking and backpacking for about two months to prepare for this and it definitely paid off.

There is very little snow above trail crest, just one or two spots close to the summit. The only slick spot I found during the middle of the day was near the cables.

My only suggestion is to avoid hiking during the heat of the day - you get above the treeline pretty quick and that is the only thing that slowed us down.

View from Trail Camp


More Whitney Trail Photography

Thank you to everyone who contributed and congratulations to all for your gorgeous hike!

Here's a picture of the last snow on the trail this summer, posted on FB by Plan & Go Hiking (@planandgohiking)

The spot is about a quarter mile, and 400' elevation, before the summit.

Thanks for the Gatorade solution!

Hi Pallerie,

Congratulations on your achievement! Looks like you had an awesome trip!

I have a question and would appreciate to receive your feedback. Our group is going to hike Mt. Whitney on Friday July 22 with the overnight permit. I was wondering if trail running shoes would work for the current conditions on the trail. Would we have any issues with running water on switchbacks and crossing that remaining patch of snow? Should we carry microspikes for that snow crossing? I would prefer not to bring traction devices to reduce weight of our packs, but we can certainly take them for safety if necessary. We will have trekking poles.

Thank you!
Oleg