17 Jul 25 - Trip/Conditions Report: Mt Whitney Mountaineer's Route

Hi y'all - the co-owners just ascended Mt Whitney via the Mountaineer's Route and are happy to tell you there is now a snow-free way! Read the full post for all the details.

Note: This report is NOT about the Main Trail on Mt Whitney; it is about the Mountaineer's Route. The Mountaineer's Route is NOT a hike, nor is it a trail!

Trip/Conditions Report: 

Current As Of: 17 July 2025*

Activity During Report: Off-trail travel & 3rd class scrambling at high altitude

The Trip:

We started in the afternoon of July 15, with the goal of ascending to Upper Boyscout Lake, and camping there. On July 16, we scrambled up the East Ridge of Mt Russell (see its own blog post), and on July 17, we went up the Mountaineer's Route to the summit of Mt Whitney. 

The hike started pretty hot! Even though the Whitney Portal is already fairly high at 8,350 feet elevation, it was very hot to hike straight uphill. 

After just one mile on trail, we turned onto the route leading up the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek. At the next creek crossing, we soaked our hats in the cold water to cool off a little. 

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The intersection where the Mountaineer's Route leaves the Main Trail of Mt Whitney

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Soon after, we reached the 2nd creek crossing and ascended up the E-Ledges (Ebersbacher Ledges). Route finding is a skill that should be in your repertoire before heading out here. There are no markers or even cairns to tell you where to go. Getting cliffed out is a real risk and has happened to numerous people who lost the route. 

Speaking of route finding, at the top of the E-Ledges, it is helpful to turn around and check the view behind you several times - this will help tremendously with route finding on the way back down. Lots of people get lost here and end up scrambling down in the wet creek bed.

From there, the route follows a cliff face on the left (North) side until it reaches Lower Boyscout Lake, where it once again crosses the creek. There is a small forest here which contains a few camp sites. Most people decide to go higher, though. 

From here, the route splits into different branches that all have the same goal: get to Upper Boyscout Lake. We followed the talus field near the bottom, then ascended some ways into it until - oooonce again - we crossed the creek. There are some slabs that should be navigated carefully, since they are slick wherever they're wet. There is a relatively visible route leading through the willow bushes, which helps with avoiding the risky parts of the slabs.

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The slabs between Lower and Upper Boyscout Lakes

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All over the area, there are many wildflowers, especially the Columbines are currently flowering in red, white and a neat white with red tips combo. Just below Upper Boyscout Lake, there are also carpets of Shooting Stars and the cliffs hold a lot of Sierra Primrose. Now is the time for flower fans top go into the High Sierra!

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So many wildflowers, just around Upper Boyscout Lake

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At Upper Boyscout Lake, we set up camp and enjoyed the evening. 

On July 17, we got up early, packed our camp into the large backpacks, which we then stashed behind a large boulder - no shortage of boulders here!

Using only our Mountain Hardwear UL20 packs, we started the trip towards Mt Whitney's summit - "only" 3,254 feet of elevation gain to go.

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Mt Whitney as seen from just above Upper Boyscout Lake

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The next stop was at Iceberg Lake - the last water source on the route! We took a quick snack break here, then donned our helmets for the chute.

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Ascending the chute

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The chute itself still has a snowfield in the lower half, but the rock rib to the left (approach to E Arete) is dry enough, so mountaineers can get around the last lingering snow patches. Here, it gets steep, and the air is thin, so don't expect to make good time up this gully. It's tedious, so just give yourself a break.

Once we reached the notch at the top, we were almost there. We opted for the Final 400, since that route has a snow free option. The walk-around is still covered in 2 or more sketchy-looking snow fields.

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The walk-around - still covered in snow

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The Final 400 of Mount Whitney

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As usual, the Final 400 held some water ice, so we took our time and double-checked any wet-looking spots before touching them.

At the top of the Final 400, we climbed up from the last ledge and here it was: the summit! And lots of people, who looked bewildered at two random people with helmets coming up from a direction that was not the trail.

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The summit of Mount Whitney: the half-way point of the journey

We signed the register and took a quick photo, then started the slow descent back to our camp and from there to the car. After all, the summit is just the half-way point. 

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