We were in no hurry to get up and do this last 5 miles or so down to the portal – but when you’ve got Whitney hikers coming up all night long with headlamps blasting, you tend to not get the week’s best sleep. We finally got going at 8am and headed down.

HST Day 8 Details

Distance: 3.8 miles
Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 0 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept.

By 10:30 or so we were down – and the trip was over.

There was only one thing left to do – and that was to sample the food at the Whitney Portal Store. If that wasn’t the best Bacon and Eggs I’ve ever had, I don’t know when I’d had better!

High Sierra Trail: Outpost Camp to Whitney Portal
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

High Sierra Trail – A Recap

A week on the High Sierra Trail really felt like we were stepping back in time – experiencing the park the way Ranger Stewart and all of those from the 1920s and 1930s wanted us to see it. That is why they decided on no roads way back them – the park was to be seen on foot, from West to East, using a trail purposely built for just that. They had put 5 long years into creating that trail, and all I wanted to do was go back in time and thank each and everyone one of those hard working men who built that trail so we could enjoy the park still today.

From our ascent of the Great Western Divide and into the Big Arroyo, to our journey up the mighty Kern River, to our summit of the Eastern Sierra and the highest point in the lower 48, the High Sierra Trail packs an incredible Sierra journey into one epic week. The John Muir Trail? Epic, no doubt. The baby brother High Sierra Trail – shorter but still epic in its own way.

Hike the High Sierra Trail. You won’t regret it.

Next up?

• Go back to Day 7 on the High Sierra Trail. 
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

DAY SEVEN on the High Sierra Trail –We decided to get up at 4:30 a.m. and begin hiking between 5:30 and 6 a.m. at sunrise. We had no interest in hiking in the dark and trying for the summit at sunrise – for our first time up, we wanted to see everything. We hit the trail at 5:40 a.m. We had heard the boy scouts leaving in groups earlier, and had seen many headlamps going up from midnight until we got up.

HST Day 7 Details

Distance: 9.8 miles
Time: 9 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 2,842 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept

The first mile out of the tarn is actually quite steep and you gain a ton of altitude getting to the actual switchbacks that lead to Trail Crest. Once up that steep section, the Hitchcock Lakes come into clear view.

There are essentially seven long switchbacks that take you up the face of the Sierra to Trail Crest–and from the tarn at 11,600 to Trail Crest at 13,500 is just those long rocky switchbacks. All of it–like the rest of the High Sierra Trail–is incredibly well engineered – in fact, we would often stop and look down and around and just think wow–how did they build this? Again, time to watch that documentary video again.

As we climbed, we passed two of the three groups of boy scouts who were taking their time and resting quite a bit. How good did that make our old bones feel? We were killing it!

When we arrived at Trail Crest, there were already 20 or so backpacks lined up from those who had gone for sunrise or early ascents. We dropped our packs and pulled out a day pack and loaded it up with lunch, jackets and water.

Then it was time to take on the ridge – 1.9 miles that would test my fear of heights even more than the Hamilton Gorge did. We took it slow and steady, and I didn’t spend too much time hanging out in the “windows” – those spots on the trail between jagged peaks where you can see straight down on both sides! My wife had no pack, I had the day pack – boy did we feel like Supermen!

As the hut at the top of Whitney came into view, we encountered a snow field. The trail had been mostly plowed down but it was slippery and we used caution – and had to climb over some boulders in a few spots to avoid ice. After the snowfield, we followed the trail east to the summit.

We made the summit in 3 hours 20 minutes from the tarn at Guitar Lake, which I was very satisfied with for our first time. The wind was calm, the weather warm, and we never had more than a long sleeve shirt on the entire time at the summit. The rest day at 11,600 feet had empowered us and the ascent was really pretty easy – no problem at all. Great views, great photos, signed the book – mission accomplished.

After about 25 mins on the top, we headed back down. I thought the ridge going down might impact my heights fears more, but in fact it was quite easy and we got back to Trail Crest quickly.

We strapped back into our heavy loads and did the quick climb up to the other side for our first trip down the infamous 99 switchbacks. Like the Kern River descent a few days earlier, going down is just not our favorite gig – and this one with heavy packs is a long slog.

We thought we might stay at Trail Camp, but the things we had read about it were sort of correct. The water source looked sketchy and there were a lot of people and it was sort of loud and not especially pretty. We opted to keep going down a few more miles to Outpost Camp.

That last two or three miles from Trail Camp to Outpost Camp was hard on the legs – I won’t lie. My wife was getting pretty miserable – and the sight of Outpost Camp was a welcome one. It’s a really nice spot and the waterfall was going full tilt. We found a spot, pitched our tent – and just sat and relaxed with a dose of ibuprofen and a cold drink!

This would be our last night in the forest with just a short walk out to Whitney Portal the next day.

High Sierra Trail: Guitar Lake to Mt Whitney and Outpost Camp
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 8 on the High Sierra Trail, our final day on the High Sierra Trail.
• Go back to Day 6 on the High Sierra Trail. 
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

HST Day 6 Details

Distance: 3.3 miles
Time: 2-3 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 1,023 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept

The trail meanders up a canyon and then past a beautiful fish-filled lake called Timberline Lake. That morning the fish were literally jumping out of the water all around the lake.

There’s no camping there, so it’s super clean and beautiful. As you continue towards Guitar Lake, you realize you are now truly at the base of the Eastern Sierra with Mt. Whitney looming over you – what a sight!

Guitar Lake was rumored to sometimes be a bit ‘ghetto’, but we thought it was very clean and nice. We had also heard that the little tarn above the lake was a good place to camp, with great views of Guitar Lake, Mt. Hitchcock, Whitney, Mt. Hale etc. And those facts were correct – that little tarn was an awesome place to spend the day.

We got the sweet spot right in front overlooking Guitar Lake, with the little stream that runs out of the tarn and down giving us a super fresh water source. We did laundry, lounged around on the rocks, chatted with hikers going up and down Mt. Whitney, and just had an amazing day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. doing nothing but relaxing at 11,600 feet – the byproduct of which was a nice little acclimation period at our highest altitude yet! That extra day would most certainly make our assault on Mt. Whitney the next day easier.

We met a great military vet and professor from Branson, MO who was on the PCT. We met a retired man in his 70s who remembered camping at that very same tarn with him family 50 years earlier! We helped him re-create the photo he still has of his mom there. We met people going up and down – giving us their round trip times and words of encouragement for the next day. We were invaded by three different groups of boy scouts who all intended to get up before sunrise and try for the summit early.

If you decide to hike the HST (or the JMT for that matter), I highly recommend a long day at the tarn above Guitar Lake – just a great place to camp and enjoy your last day in Sequoia National Park.

High Sierra Trail: Crabtree Meadow to Guitar Lake
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 7 on the High Sierra Trail, hiking from Crabtree Meadow to Guitar Lake.
• Go back to Day 5 on the High Sierra Trail. 
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

DAY FIVE on the High Sierra Trail

The 9+ mile climb from Junction Meadow to Crabtree is really gorgeous! All five of us hiked together, which was the first day my wife and I had company on our hiking day. It was fun to have one day to hike as a group.

HST Day 5 Details

Distance: 10 miles
Time: 5 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 3,795 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept.

It’s a gorgeous hike up the canyon to the East, with the Kaweah’s and the Great Western Divide to the West. It was great to look back and see where we had come from and what we had accomplished over the past 45 miles.

Once at Wallace Creek, we immediately saw more people than we had seen in the previous five days, as we were now sharing the HST with the John Muir Trail. The solitude was gone, but it was sort of fun to meet some new people.

From Wallace Creek, you climb up to about 10,900 feet – the highest we had been so far – before descending a bit into the Crabtree Meadow and Crabtree Ranger Station area. We even passed a man-made rock marker that said “200” – denoting mile 200 of the JMT.

Crabtree is a huge meadow – known to be a major camping spot for thru-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Of course, being mid-July most of the PCTers were long gone – but there still ended up being about twelve tents there by dark. There’s a beautiful creek that runs past it – and because we arrived early, it was a great place to hang out.

Most hikers on the High Sierra Trail will go on to Guitar Lake, and then summit Whitney the next day. We decided to turn what could be a six-day trip into an eight-day trip by relaxing at Crabtree all afternoon and following up with another easy day to Guitar Lake the next day. My wife and I love “camping” – so we felt no reason to rush over the Eastern Sierra with all this beauty surrounding us and a Saturday-to-Saturday schedule. We had hiked hard the first three days on a six-day completion schedule so we could ‘earn’ these wonderful camping days – and now we were enjoying the payoff!

We lunched by the creek with some JMTers and then walked up to the Crabtree Ranger Station to introduce ourselves to the ranger. Nice guy again – everyone in Sequoia NP is great!

We crashed early after dark and didn’t hurry the next morning as we only had about three miles and change to Guitar Lake for another easy day with rest before climbing Mt Whitney.

High Sierra Trail:  Junction Meadow to Crabtree Meadow
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 6 on the High Sierra Trail, hiking from Crabtree Meadow to Guitar Lake.
• Go back to Day 4 on the High Sierra Trail. 
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

DAY FOUR on the High Sierra Trail we hiked straight north up the Kern River – a gorgeous 10 mile, 2,000 vertical foot,  gentle-but-steady ascent from 6,000 feet to 8,000 feet.

HST Day 4 Details

Distance: 10 miles
Time: 4-6 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 2,169 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept.

Heading up the east side about two miles up the trail you arrive at Kern Hot Springs – an actual hot spring with a concrete tub that allows for 110-120 degree bathing! When we arrived early morning, the campground was pretty full with a big group of fly fishermen. The tub was occupied and there was a waiting list – so no hot bath today. Kevin and his gang stopped there later and said it was marvelous!

The hike up the Kern valley was gorgeous, varying from rocks and sand to heavy ferns and big trees. As we got higher and closer to Junction Meadow, there were a number of challenging stream crossings. I slipped and got a shoe wet on one, and then we both had to cross with shoes on during another deep and fast one. Good thing it was a warm day, where we could dry the shoes out later at Junction Meadow. We always took the ‘better safe than sorry’ approach with stream crossings. If it looks hairy, plow straight through!

We arrived at Junction Meadow about 1:30 p.m., and the campground sits right on the junction of the Kern River and another stream (Wright Creek I think). Anyway, gorgeous spot – we even had a solo hiker come in and do some fly fishing there. The early arrival gave us a chance to do some clothes washing (4-day stink was getting noticeable) and dry out our shoes.

Kevin, Amber and Bart arrived around 4:30.  We made a fire, ate dinner together and entertained visiting deer. The sound of the Kern was a great way to doze off later that night.

Spending the day hiking up the Kern River valley was a great reminder of how big and important that river is – and how much water it pushes through the park to eventually become Lake Isabella and hydrate a big chunk of California.

Back at 8,000 feet, we prepared to do another almost 3,000 feet of climbing and join the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail the next day.

High Sierra Trail:  Upper Funston Meadow to Junction Meadow
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 5 on the High Sierra Trail, hiking from Junction Meadow to Crabtree Meadow.
• Go back to Day 3 on the High Sierra Trail. 
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

HST Day 3 Details

Distance: 13.5 miles / 21.7 km
Time: 6-7 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 1027 ft / 313 m
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept.

We ascended up over 10,000 along the ridge as we made our way South and East towards Moraine Lake – a beautiful and large alpine lake with a nice campground on a spur trail off the High Sierra Trail.

Moraine Lake is a short detour off the official High Sierra Trail, but a worthwhile one.

When we arrived there, there was nobody there and we enjoyed a beautiful lunch on a warm sunny day. The trail out from Moraine Lake back to the HST hadn’t had any maintenance in a while, and we were forced to climb over and under a number of fallen trees and get a bit dirty in the process.

Once back on the HST, the trail begins its steady descent into the Kern River valley – first with gentle switchbacks and then the last section with relentless switchies that really take their toll. This, other than coming down from Whitney to Whitney Portal, is the only big descent on the trip – and not our favorite day – but still beautiful in every way.

At the bottom, the mighty Kern River reveals itself. Upper Funston Meadow is not the most well developed camp site on the trip – in fact, most people choose to go another 2 miles north up the Kern to the Kern River Hot Springs site. But we were tired and like the solitude, so it was Upper Funston for us.

Upper Funston campground is mainly for people with stock – it has a fence to keep stock in, and a beautiful meadow. There were a couple of testy water crossings to get down to the campground. The water source is a bit more challenging to dip into, but no problem really. More bugs than other spots, but a campfire helped chase them away.

We met up with Kevin Muschter, his girlfriend Amber and their friend Bart. Kevin is the publisher of the Plan & Go | High Sierra Trail – a must have book if you intend to do this hike. It was great to camp with them after three big days and about 35 miles of trail. After that long descent, we were ready for a good night’s sleep.

High Sierra Trail:  Big Arroyo to Upper Funston Meadow via Moraine Lake
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 4 on the High Sierra Trail, hiking up the Kern Canyon to Junction Meadow.
• Go back to Day 2 on the High Sierra Trail. 
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

Day Two on the High Sierra Trail is an epic adventure that includes some of the most legendary sights and sounds of Sequoia National Park. It’s a solid 12-13 mile journey, but worth every single step.

HST Day 2 Details

Distance: 12.5 miles
Time: 6-7 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 3,654 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept.

The HST drops down a set of switchbacks to a crazy bridge over Lone Pine Creek that gets you to the other side of the canyon. Below the bridge are the ruins of a previous bridge long since washed out via an avalanche.

Once across Lone Pine Creek, then you begin the long ascent over the Great Western Divide.

The first target is the Hamilton Lakes basin – a gorgeous lake surrounded by the mountains of the GWD. Crystal clear water and incredible scenery make this first ascent very worth it! On the way hike along several waterfalls and water crossings – some reasonably large. It’s good stream-crossing practice for more to come later.

Big Hamilton Lake is a great place for a quick rest – and even a swim if you’re so inclined. The campground there is quite popular – both for HSTs on a slower schedule or folks who are just doing an out-and-back from Crescent Meadow. Just simply a gorgeous alpine lake!

After a brief rest and photos, the time had come to ascend the Great Western Divide – our target, Precipice Lake followed by the Kaweah Gap at 10,700 feet. The next 2,000 vertical feet would be challenging and awesome! First, switchbacks up the Northern side of Hamilton Lake – very well constructed and very fair in their ascent degrees.

The first epic landmark on the ascent is the Hamilton Gorge – an incredibly steep gorge that runs down into Hamilton Lake. From the YouTube documentary on the HST overview, we were looking for the left over steel cable and cement pedestals that once held a crazy suspension bridge.

Today, a tunnel is blasted through solid rock and a thin single track leads you around the gorge. We were lucky that all the snow and ice had melted off just a few weeks before – as this gorge is impassable if the ice is still covering the trail–unless you are equipped for mountaineering.

Once across the gorge, the trail heads east and up, up, up…until you finally reach the epic Precipice Lake. This lake – made famous in Ansel Adams photos – sits at about 10,400 feet and creates an incredible two-way reflection.

On our day, a few clouds and remaining ice/snow didn’t give us the “Adams” view, but it was still gorgeous and a perfect lunch spot. And it was fun to navigate through some snow that covered parts of the trail – soft enough to not need microspikes but deep enough to warrant just a bit of caution while navigating. We even got to see some melting ice over the lake drop off and explode into the water!

After lunch and a break, we ascended the last 300 or so vertical feet to Kaweah Gap – the official pass over the Great Western Divide. That last bit of trail included quite a bit of water-on-trail runoff and another nice snow field. We even encountered three trail runners who had left Whitney Portal the night before and were already 50 miles in to a 40 hour HST East to West run – WOW!

When we reached the gap, it was truly one of the most epic views in all of Sequoia National Park – and perhaps the Sierras! The Big Arroyo opens up to this incredible view to the South – like something out of a grand Western Hollywood film. On the base of Mt. Stewart to the North is a plaque commemorating the first director of Sequoia National Park and the driving force behind the creation of the HST.

From Kaweah Gap the trail gently descends through the Big Arroyo for approximately 3 miles – one of the most beautiful descents of the entire trip. Nothing but gorgeous scenery, grass, rocks and trees in every direction – with an incredible stream and beautiful water features all the way down. There are several small crossings, but as you get close to the Big Arroyo campground, there was one large crossing – one where we simply couldn’t figure out a safe place to cross. It was deep, there were few rocks to step on, and the water was moving pretty rapidly. So, we headed down stream another 50-100 yards or so and found a much flatter, calmer flat rock area to cross – where by simply taking off our shoes and switching to sandals we could shuffle across safely and rejoin the trail on the other side.

From there, it was a short hike to Big Arroyo campground – a nice spot next to the river with a bear box, near an old ranger cabin that has been preserved as a historical landmark.

A northern wind dropped the temperature down to below freezing that night – so we got a bit of frost on the rain fly and our backpack drinking reservoirs froze up! But in the tent we were warm and toasty.

High Sierra Trail: Bearpaw Meadow to Big Arroyo Junction
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 3 on the High Sierra Trail, hiking to Upper Funston Meadow.
• Go back to Day 1 on the High Sierra Trail.
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

Day One on the High Sierra Trail we hiked 11.5 miles east-bound, from Crescent Meadow to Bearpaw. Starting at the giant forest, we followed the edge of the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River – a super deep canyon with stunning views to the south, west and east towards the Great Western Divide. This section of the High Sierra Trail only gains about 1,000 vertical feet from start to finish, there is actually about 1,700′ total vertical climbing as the trail climbs up and down over the 11+ miles.

HST Day 1 Details

Distance: 11.5 miles / 18.2 km
Time: 7.5 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 1,692 ft / 516 m
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept.

There are several campground sites along the way to Bearpaw Meadow, including Mehrten Creek, Nine Mile Creek and Buck Creek. Each presents a water crossing, along with some smaller crossings. Rangers warn that some of these creek crossings may be hazardous early in the summer, but none were problematic for us in mid-July, and all were fun to navigate.

Our one and only bear sighting the entire trip came just 10 minutes into our trip – right off the side of the trail spotting a mother and two cubs. We were glad they were a safe distance from the trail!

About one mile in, you reach Eagle’s View, our first great view of the 7,000 foot deep canyon that is the Kaweah River’s middle fork and the Great Western Divide – our eastern ascent target for day two.

We lunched at Mehrten Creek – a beautiful rock formation with water and a wonderful rest spot halfway to Bearpaw Meadow.

After crossing the Buck Creek bridge, there is one final steep set of switchbacks to get up to the ridge where Bearpaw Meadow High Sierra Camp and Campground are located. They even have t-shirts that say “Bearpaw High Sierra Camp – The Last Mile” – and they aren’t kidding – it’s a slog at the end of a long day.

The campground is situated off the ridge from the high sierra camp, and has lots of campsites, several bear boxes, water spigots and fire rings. It’s not the most picturesque of campgrounds on the High Sierra Trail, but serviceable for our first night.

We were the first group into the campground that day, and met Ranger Matt there. He was super nice and even showed us the best camp spot. And there were plenty of local deer coming to visit throughout the evening and the following morning.

Be sure to walk up the hill and check out the Bearpaw High Sierra Camp, a $200-$300/night tent resort with fancy meals and a gorgeous deck overlooking the canyon and the Great Western Divide. Unfortunately by the time we rolled in (after setting our camp) they had sold all the backpacker beer and brownies – oh well!

High Sierra Trail: Crescent Meadow to Bearpaw Meadow
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 2 on the High Sierra Trail, climbing over the Great Western Divide at Kaweah Gap and descending into Big Arroyo.
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

Lesser known than the famous John Muir Trail, the High Sierra Trail (HST) is in many ways just as historically significant as it’s longer and more famous brother. In 1928, Sequoia National Park was expanded from the western section famous for the giant Sequoia Grove all the way to the Eastern Sierra and Mt. Whitney. At that point, park officials had to decide how to travel from West to East, as there were currently no trails or roads. The decision was made not to build roads, but instead to build a trail. This project – the High Sierra Trail – would be a grand five-year national project of incredible engineering and trail building…one of the last such projects ever.

It is incredibly well documented in a short video done by a retired Sequoia National Park Ranger:

If after watching this video, you don’t want to immediately go backpack this trail, watch it again!

Trail Details

Distance: 72.2 miles
Time: 6-8 days
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 13,303 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept

Why hike the High Sierra Trail? It’s a great way to get views like these!

Expansive Big Arroyo

High Alpine Meadow

Guitar Lake

Climbing Mt Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous 48 states.

High Sierra Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Here’s what the route looks like. You can click and zoom or expand the map to full-screen to see additional detail. You can download the GPX file for use with your GPS app.

Getting to the Trail

As with all Sierra thru-hikes, the first challenge is figuring out transportation. With the High Sierra Trail, you start at Crescent Meadow on the Western edge of Sequoia National Park in the giant tree grove. You finish at Whitney Portal. The two locations are a six-hour drive apart.

Here was our solution:

• Rent a car from Enterprise – one-way rental – to Visalia, CA airport.
• Take the Sequoia Shuttle ($15 for two people/one-way) to Sequoia National Park.
• Pickup our permits at the Lodgepole Visitor Center (open 7am to 3:30pm daily) and stay the night in Lodgepole Campground. Reservations are recommended and campsites run $22 per night.
• Take the free in-park shuttle the next morning from Lodgepole to the trailhead at Crescent Meadow (the first shuttle leaves at 8 a.m.).
• Use Eastern Sierra Shuttle to take us from Whitney Portal to Lone Pine hotel upon completion.
• Get our son to come pick us up in Lone Pine and drive us home to Los Angeles (the KEY element).

We departed on a Friday, spending the night in Lodgepole. On Saturday morning at approximately 9 a.m.we began our 72-mile adventure to Mt. Whitney across the entire width of Sequoia National Park.

Eight Day Itinerary for the High Sierra Trail

The HST is the perfect length for a week-long trip with nine days (five weekdays and two weekends). Here is our itinerary:

Editor’s Note: Detailed photos, maps and narrative for each day will be published, one-per-day. As each day goes “live” the itinerary below will link to it. 

• Day 0 – Travel to Lodgepole, pick-up permit
• Day 1 – Crescent Meadow to Bearpaw Meadow
• Day 2 – Bearpaw Meadow to Big Arroyo Junction
• Day 3 – Big Arroyo to Upper Funston Meadow via Moraine Lake
• Day 4 – Upper Funston Meadow to Junction Meadow
• Day 5 – Junction Meadow to Crabtree
• Day 6 – Crabtree to Guitar Lake
• Day 7 – Guitar Lake to Trail Crest to Mt Whitney to Outpost Camp
• Day 8 – Outpost Camp to Whitney Portal

When to Hike the High Sierra Trail

The high passes on the High Sierra Trail hold snow sometimes even year round. In the spring, they can be practically impassable. Most HST trips are taken in July and August, but you’ll find smaller crowds in September after school starts.

Getting Permits for the HST

About 75% of the permits can be reserved in advance, with the remainder reserved for walk-in permits. You can check for permit availability here. Permits cost $10 plus $5 per person (so a permit for two people would cost $20). It’s important to remember that your permit reservation is not a permit. You’ll still need to pick it up at the Lodgepole Visitor Center either the day before you begin your hike (after 1:00 pm) or on the morning you begin your hike (before 10:00 am). To get a permit reservation, you will need to fax your application following these instructions.

High Sierra Trail Weather

Weather on the High Sierra Trail can be difficult to predict. If you’re hiking in the summer months, expect some cold nights and warm days. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in the Sierra Nevada, and you can even get a surprise snowstorm.

Your best bet is to check with the ranger before you pack for your trip for the latest forecast and conditions. For planning purposes, use Mountain Forecast. The high point on this trek is Mt. Whitney, so it’s a good reference point for the weather extremes.

Ready for More?

Next up: Day One on the High Sierra Trail.

Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

Day 22 on the John Muir Trail…

Technically, this day begins at the end of Day 21. We went to bed early last night, sleeping lightly for a few hours and waking to our alarm at 11:30 PM. We ate Clif Bars and packed up our sleeping gear and tent. Donning our headlamps, we made one final check to make sure nothing was left behind. We headed up the John Muir Trail towards the tallest peak in the contiguous 48 states — Mount Whitney — 14,505 feet above sea level.

John Muir Trail Day 22

Distance: 16 miles
Cumulative Distance: 222.23 miles
Total Ascent: 4,201 ft
Cumulative Ascent: 60,597 ft
Harrison Map Sheet 1

Our headlamps did a great job of illuminating our steps. As we climbed higher, we could see other headlamps down below, bobbing up and down as other hikers started out in the wee hours of the morning. Apparently we weren’t the only ones who thought to get a very early start on Whitney.

We hiked along, our heads down and our eyes on the trail for several hours. Our pace was slow, but steady. Suddenly, I practically walked into the Whitney Trail Crest junction sign!

We were shocked! The climb went by quickly. From here we thought we would wait for sunrise, then hike the last 2 miles to the summit in daylight.

We dropped our backpacks and pulled out our sleeping bags. It was cold up at the crest, especially since we had stopped hiking. We sat there and tried to sleep, but it wasn’t going to happen. Soon, we had hikers who were coming up from Whitney Portal marching past us in the darkness. We decided if they could handle the trail in the dark, we could too. Besides, we weren’t going to sleep.

So we packed our sleeping bags and left our backpacks near the junction. We took a fanny pack and water, slack-packing to the summit. And along the way there, the sun rose.

Turning around, I captured this view looking west toward the sun-kissed mountain tops.

The trail was treacherous, but we took our time to be safe. By the time we reached the shelter on the summit, we no longer needed our headlamps at all. We headed for the true summit, and greeted a few other hikers who arrived just before us.

Our thru-hike on the John Muir Trail was complete! We hiked the entire JMT, from Yosemite to Whitney. We were standing on the summit of the tallest peak in the contiguous 48 states. We learned new things about ourselves and each other, and expanded our understanding of what we were capable of.

Our mission was complete. But our journey was not yet over. We still had to hike 10.6 miles down to Whitney Portal, where we had parked our Xterra three weeks earlier.

Summit Register?

I have one regret about our summit of Mt. Whitney… we forgot to sign the summit register! We had seen the aluminum “desk” next to the shelter, but I didn’t realize that the top opened. And so we never signed the register. Doh!

In our original itinerary, we had planned to stop at Trail Camp below Mt. Whitney, but before Whitney Portal. This would leave an easy six mile hike out on the final day. But we had opted to shave some miles off previous days, so to stick to our original exit schedule, we were hiking all the way out to Whitney Portal.

First, we headed back to the Whitney Trail Crest. Our packs were waiting for us, undisturbed by other hikers. In fact, a number of other backpackers had also left their packs here, since you have to come back this way in any case.

We hoisted our packs one more time and began the descent.

As we hiked down, we passed what seemed like a hundred people hiking up to Whitney. There were some solo hikers but most were in groups of 2, 3 or 4. Most of them carried day packs rather than backpacks. We wound our way down the infamous 99 switchbacks, including an icy patch with a handrail for safety. There was no snow on the trail though.

Looking back, it was hard to believe that we were “up there” just a few hours earlier. Wow.

Descending from Mt Whitney with a full backpack was challenging, even though we weren’t carrying much food at this point. We descended 6,300 feet over those last ten miles. It took a toll on our bodies. Our feet were swollen and sore. Our joints creaked and ached. But the thought of a cheeseburger and beer at the Whitney Portal Store kept  us moving.

Finally we could see the Whitney Portal parking area. We must be close. We placed bets on how long it would be before we were there. “30 minutes!” I announced confidently. I was wrong by about an hour.

That last stretch winds down along the longest, slowest switchbacks ever designed. There were times when I swore we were actually moving further away from our destination. Like a desert mirage, it tantalized us with promises of greasy food and cheap calories, but we never seemed to get any closer.

Finally we saw a sign of “civilization.” Ironically, it was a sign declaring (to those hiking in the upward direction) that they were now entering the John Muir Wilderness. But for us, it meant we were getting closer to civilization.

We made it to Whitney Portal. We ate that cheeseburger, and drank that cold beer. And it was good.

Trail Map: Guitar Lake to Mt Whitney to Whitney Portal

The John Muir Trail official ends on the summit of Mount Whitney, but we still had to hike down to Whitney Portal where our car was parked. This map details the route up to the top of Whitney, as well as down to Whitney Portal.

JMT Day 22 Photo Gallery

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Our thru-hike on the John Muir Trail is complete, but the story is not finished. Watch for details on gear, food and what we will do differently next time.

Originally hiked August 17, 2010.

Day 21 on the John Muir Trail…

Last night we camped in the shadow of Mt. Whitney. We woke up excited, knowing that we were so close to our goal. We had been hiking on the John Muir Trail for three weeks. We had come a long way from that first day in Yosemite. We met many challenges — both physical and mental. Now there was no question about whether we would finish the JMT — but when. 

John Muir Trail Day 21

Distance: 7.23 miles
Cumulative Distance: 206.23 miles
Total Ascent: 2,147 ft
Cumulative Ascent: 56,396 ft
Harrison Map Sheet 1

Guitar Lake sits at 11,500 feet on the west side of Mt. Whitney. Our hike today to the lake would be a relatively short seven miles, so who knows what we’ll do!

After breakfast, we broke camp and headed out. We had a bit of hiking up-and-down, roller coaster-style today. Up and over a ridge, then down to Wallace Creek.  Up and over another ridge, then down to Crabtree Meadows.

Wag Bag Distribution Center

Near the Crabtree Ranger station, we picked up a wag bag. This is a cleverly designed contraption that you poop into. That’s right, we would be required to carry any poop we created from here until the end of the trail.

Fortunately, we only had one more night on the trail.

From Crabtree, the JMT climbs steadily beside babbling Whitney Creek. We passed several smaller lakes, and stopped for lunch in a shady spot near the creek.

At this altitude, the trees were sparse. They clustered around ponds, leaving much of the trail exposed to the hot sun.

At about 3:30 PM, we reached Guitar Lake. We setup camp near the “guitar body” portion of the lake, by a cluster of large boulders that would provide a bit of shade later in the afternoon.

At this point, Joan agreed that hiking straight to the top of Mt. Whitney was not going to happen.

We set up the tent, filtered water, soaked our feet in the lake and rested. We ate an early dinner, and decided that we’d start hiking up Mt. Whitney at night. We cleaned up and packed up everything so we could easily break camp in the darkness. We set our alarms for 11:30 PM, then laid down to nap for a few hours before our final ascent.

A Plan is Hatched

The first time I hiked the John Muir Trail back in 1980, we started up Mt. Whitney at midnight. There was a full moon, and we wanted to get up in time to see the sunrise. Having done it once, I suggested we could give it a try this time. We wouldn’t have the sun beating down on us. We had headlamps. So we decided to give it a shot.

Trail Map: Wright Creek to Guitar Lake

JMT Day 21 Photo Gallery

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Tomorrow, we summit Mount Whitney and complete the John Muir Trail!

Originally hiked on August 16, 2010.

Day 20 on the John Muir Trail…

At 13,200 feet above sea level, Forester Pass may not be the highest point on the John Muir Trail (that would be Mt. Whitney) but it is the high point of the Pacific Crest Trail.

John Muir Trail Day 20

Distance: 12 miles
Cumulative Distance: 199 miles
Total Ascent: 3,869 ft
Cumulative Ascent: 54,249 ft
Harrison Map Sheets 2 and 1

Our goal this morning was to reach Forester Pass before noon, and we got there just before 11:30am. The route up looks like piles of gravel with the occasional patch of snow and lake a the bottom of the slope, but there is a surprising amount of life flourishing in the high altitude.

The trail cuts across a steep slope of scree that is often covered in snow, making it even more treacherous. Keep your eyes on the trail. When you want to look around, stop and steady yourself first.

In our case, we had a few patches of snow, but their were plenty of boot prints leading the way and it wasn’t too bad.

When we reached Forester Pass, we celebrated! We took the requisite photos, ate a snack,  and communed with the marmots.

On the south side of Forester Pass, the John Muir Trail drops down a series of expertly engineered switchbacks in a narrow chasm, then winds around the steep sloping scree to the basin below.

Once in the basin, the trail continues downward on an easy grade to Tyndall Creek. There were patches of trees, and we were able to find a shady spot for lunch.

As we headed on, we passed a couple trail junctions, and our first sign announcing the distance remaining to the top of Mt. Whitney! It was thrilling to realize that we were actually going to complete the JMT! We could practically smell it. Oh wait, that was just us…

Although we had already hiked over Forester Pass, we weren’t finished climbing for the day. We had about another 600 feet of elevation gain up to Bighorn Plateau.

Are We There Yet?

There was no car to pull over, but this last stretch up and beyond the Bighorn Plateau seemed to never end. It was one of those points on the trail when you think to yourself, “How much further?!” To which the reply is typically, “Oh, about a mile… mile and a half.”

Prepare yourself. It’s always more than a mile and a half. Or at least, it feels that way.

Finally the trail dipped down into a valley and we reached Wright Creek. Tonight we would sleep in the shadow of Mt. Whitney.

Trail Map: Forester Pass, Bighorn Plateau and Wright Creek

JMT Day 20 Photo Gallery

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Tomorrow, we head to Guitar Lake, just below Mt. Whitney.

Originally hiked on August 15, 2010.