Bucket List · Bucket list route
Mount Whitney in a Day
Twenty-two miles and 6,600 feet from Whitney Portal to the highest point in the contiguous United States, including the ninety-nine switchbacks and the exposed traverse along the crest. Perfectly runnable in a day, if the lottery says yes.
- Summit
- 14,505 ftHighest in the lower 48
- Distance
- ~22 mi round trip
- Climbing
- ~6,600 ft
- Lottery
- February, results ~mid-March
- Typical time
- 8 to 14 hours
- Switchbacks
- 99, famously
The Mount Whitney Trail is not technical, which is exactly why it's so contested: it's a walk-up fourteener, 14,505 feet, reachable by anyone with the fitness and the altitude tolerance. The trail climbs from Whitney Portal at 8,360 feet through switchbacks to Trail Camp, up the famous ninety-nine switchbacks to Trail Crest, then along the ridge past the needles to the summit hut.
It is also the finish line of Badwater 135 in the sense that the race ends at Whitney Portal, and a certain kind of runner finishes Badwater and then goes up. The Mountaineer's Route is a shorter, steeper, non-technical-in-summer alternative for experienced parties.
How to get in
- LotteryThe February permit lottery
Whitney Zone day-use permits are allocated by a lottery on recreation.gov, with applications typically in February and results around mid-March. Weekend dates in July and August are by far the most competitive.
- PermitCancellations and unclaimed permits
Unclaimed and cancelled permits are released and are a legitimate way in. Weekdays in September, once the crowds thin, are dramatically easier than August Saturdays.
Altitude and timing
- Start early, before dawn. Afternoon thunderstorms on the crest are the standard hazard, and the exposed ridge is no place to be in one.
- Sleep high beforehand. A night or two at Horseshoe Meadows or in the Owens Valley makes a large difference for sea-level visitors.
- Altitude sickness is the main turnaround reason. Headache and nausea at Trail Camp is a common story. Descending fixes it; pushing does not.
- Snow and ice on the switchbacks persist into early summer and can make the chute genuinely dangerous without traction and an axe.
- WAG bags are required in the Whitney Zone. This is enforced.
Questions runners actually ask
When is the Mount Whitney permit lottery?
Applications are typically taken in February on recreation.gov with results around mid-March. Weekend summer dates are the hardest to draw.
Can I run Whitney in a day?
Yes. The 22 mile round trip is a long day but well within reach for fit trail runners, taking roughly eight to fourteen hours. Altitude is the limiting factor, not the terrain.
Go to the source
Entry rules, dates, standards, fees, and odds change every single year, and the interesting races change them the most. Use this guide to build the plan; use the official site to confirm the details before you book anything.
If this is your kind of thing
Need the races in between? The hard part of a bucket list year is everything else on the calendar: the qualifier, the tune-up, the long run with a bib on.