We camped at outpost and trail camp for it to be more scenic overall it was very fun. And it's not…read morea steep trail overall at all. The normal Mount Whitney trail is 22 miles round trip 6000 feet of gain and the mountaineers is the same gain but in 8 miles

Marvelous experience! Truly deserving of its title Tallest Peak in the Contiguous US. We went the…read morelonger 45-mi route from Cottonwood Pass, which took us 3 days 2 nights. Camped 1st night in the forest by a creek, 2nd night by Guitar Lake. Lots of privacy throughout this ordeal. Each day we passed about 10 ppl each. Heard cows mooing. Saw pikas, marmots, chipmunks, and fighter jets. Mesmerizing night sky completely blanketed with stars. Tough altitude experience. Lightheadedness and windedness from AMS will kick your butt. Better train beforehand by hiking shorter mountains such as San Gorgonio (11.5k', tallest peak in SoCal). Many people camp at least one night somewhere along the trail to help acclimate/acclimatize to the lower air density overnight. Turns out the hut at the summit (14.5k') will protect you from lightning. You will definitely need a water filter. Don't wanna lug 5 L of water for 20+ miles. Refill your bottles at creeks and lakes.

We had never fished before and brought our bare fishing poles. He told us what to get and how to…read moretie the knots. What bait to get and was a success. Almost everyone caught a fish.

Wanna catch a nice fish? Go talk with Slippery Dan, and he'll set you up right. Fantastic peopleread more

Fun stop to feed the fish and stretch your legs. Bathrooms are clean. Please support the volunteers…read morewho run this place.

The Mt Whitney Fish Hatchery was a fun stop along the 395 near Lone Pine, mainly Independence…read more However, it is no longer much of a fish hatchery following a flood and fire affecting the factory itself. While fish still live there, it no longer houses the famous "California Golden Trout". The Fish Hatchery now holds an intriguing museum with tons of history, facts, and artifacts of the West's nature. The staff are very nice and thoughtful volunteers, whom are very helpful.

I know the course needs a little love but they are trying…read more This is a very cool 9 hole track Staff is what you would expect from Lone Line ( great people) I drive up from West LA to play and stay in Lone Pine

Play disc golf course on the way back from a fishing trip…read more I've been up there for 30 years and never played it even though I drive right by it finally did it needs a little help with watering which I imagine it will get this winter but it was fun in the staff are very helpful and friendly

Not going to lie, this hike unexpectedly really beat me up. I intended to do the entire loop but…read morewas just so exhausted/overwhelmed when I woke up that I ended up turning back, although I took a different way back. I only made it to Lake 3 but to be fair, it started heavily pouring with intermittent thunder and lightning. The elevation gain destroyed me with my 20+ pound backpack, but I eventually made it to Lake 3 where I joined 2 other girls who basically adopted my clueless self. It is beautiful but perhaps would have been better without the cloudy skies. Overall, I would do this trip again but with more training!!

The Cottonwood Lakes are a series of 5 lakes in the high Eastern Sierra Nevada at about 11,000'…read moreelevation where you can catch California golden trout. This is a great place to camp out if you are looking for a place to acclimate before doing a high altitude hike such as Whitney. For convenience, you can just camp out at the trailhead which is at 10,000'. It takes about an hour to get from the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead to the Whitney Portal. I arrived here on July 3rd in the afternoon and spent one night and the following day fishing and hiking the area as a warmup to Whitney, which I was hiking on July 5th. Ultimately, I did not have any altitude sickness issues beyond a very mild headache which I could treat with ibuprofen. From the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead, the Cottonwood Lakes are about 5.5 miles away, so 11 miles roundtrip. Cottonwood Lake #3 is the largest of the five, and I ended up catching all my trout here. However, I didn't spend much time, if any, at the other lakes due to time constraints. I caught 4 trout in about an hour and a half. It's a very beautiful area, with large open meadows and lots of wildlife. I saw a deer and a pair of coyote while hiking to the lakes. There are also hordes of mosquitos so be sure to bring powerful mosquito repellant. Cottonwood Lakes can also be the midpoint in a hike to Mt. Langley, but that's another review.

Update to clarify a point: many reviewers are saying you need a 4WD to visit the Racetrack. You…read moredon't - it's a fairly good 27 mile gravel road that gets washboarded and has many, many tire-killing rocks. A 2WD vehicle will get there just fine as long as you drive carefully. The driver absolutely must concentrate on navigating the road and avoiding rocks. That said, what you DO need are good tires. Don't attempt this drive with anything other than at least fairly new street tires - not performance tires. All terrain tires are better. And make sure you have a full size spare in good condition with a jack and all necessary tools to jack up the car. This last trip, we encountered a guy in a pickup with a flat tire that not only didn't know how to jack the truck up but - after searching his truck - didn't actually have the tool necessary to get the spare tire down from where it was under the vehicle.

Once in a lifetime opportunity. Recommended driving a truck/jeep/suv/Subaru. It is nearly 30 miles…read moredown a dirt/gravel road with at times severe washboarding. It is 100% worth the drive. Once you get to the start of the lakebed there is a small area for parking to go walk around and see the grandstand. Keep driving south to get to the moving rocks area and here is a tip. don't spend your time at the rocks right at the entry. walk all the way to straight out to the side of the mountain where the rocks start from. If you continue south you will have to have a 4x4 vehicle with high clearance (Subaru's won't make it) it is a great off-road trail but will take you pretty much all day round trip from the start of the racetrack road to getting back into Death Valley on the south side. It is very much worth it, you get deep deep into the back country on this trail. This is an absolute must see place!!

Heart Arch is located about halfway through the Mobius Loop trail hike. By the way, Mobius Loop is…read morea short hike, barely 1.25 mi and 30min long. Heart Arch is a bewildering sight to behold, a cute gesture found in the middle of nowhere. It's a nice break on your way to Whitney Portal 10min drive out from Lone Pine city. No water. This trail & attraction are moderately crowded. Good amount of parking. Porta potties at the trailhead.

Completed on 8.20.22 We stayed the night at Cottonwood Lakes trailhead campgrounds which sits at…read more10034 elevation, to acclimate ourselves to the altitude. Damn! This trail is GORGEOUS and offers amazing views of lakes, medows, and of course Mount Langley! Started at 5am and was back at the trail head by 6pm, spent 45 mins at the summit and 30 mins swimming at CW lake #4. Yes, it's a long, strenuous hike. 22 miles out and back, with an elevation gain of 4000ft+...If the altitude doesn't get you exhausted, the ascent will. I started to feel symptoms of AMS around 9000ft and then again at 13000ft, take your time, hydrate, and eat. Took the new army pass up, pretty and well maintained trail, as you pass "High Lake" you'll see what's to come... New army pass is almost vertical climb up to a flase summit. You have about another 1500ft of climbing to do, to reach the summit. Desecended down the "Army Pass", this trail is a bit sketchy and nerve-wracking, if you're afraid of heights. It's totally manageable and doable, just try to focus on the trail... I carried 5l of water and lots of healthy and not so healthy snacks. Also GU gels and Tylenol will help you on this hike. There's plenty of water source in the area, so you don't necessarily have to hike with a full pack, just bring water filtering system...you'll be alright. Weather was perfect for this hike...bugs were present, but wasn't too bad. I would definitely hike this trail again! Good luck, do research, and believe what you read. It's really important to listen to your body! Happy Trails!!

This is an often overlooked mountain that is overshadowed by its sister, Mount Whitney. However,…read morethis 14er is nothing to sneeze at. The beauty of this hike is that it is good training for Whitney and it does not require a permit for day hiking, which is what we did. Depending on the trail that you choose, the total mileage can range from 20-24 miles. New Army Pass is better maintained but will add 2 miles each way. We chose to go up New Army and down Old Army for 22 miles. The first 6-7 miles are pretty easy overall, with about 1,000 feet elevation gain. However, keep in mind that the trail starts at 10,000 feet, so acclimation is always recommended. Once you start the switchbacks on New Army Pass, the ascent becomes more difficult. I personally feel that the views on this hike are more picturesque than most along the Whitney trail. What makes this hike really difficult is the last 1-1.5 miles, in which you will gain just short of 2,000 feet elevation. The climb is very steep in loose sand/scree combined with boulder climbing. It reminded me a lot of Iron Mountain in SoCal but with boulders. Follow the rock cairns closely to lead you to the summit of 14,042 feet.