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White Mountain Peak (4344 m), the highest point in the White Mountains range, is the
third highest peak in California, just 80m lower than Mount Whitney.
The hike to the summit via the regular trail is a relatively easy 12km (by far the easiest to hike
of all the 4000m mountains in California) because the trailhead is already at
3.800 meters of elevation.
Scroll down for the much tougher route from Jeffrey Mine canyon. Southern RouteThis is by far the most common route to the top, all on well-maintained trail, and with relatively little elevation gain. The trailhead is at the closed gate before the White Mountain Research Station, at about 3,800 meters of altitude. The elevation gain is therefore only about 600 meters (compared with the almost 2000m of Whitney and more than 2,700m of Mt Williamson). The hike can be strenuous because of the altitude, not of the grade.The hike to the summit is about 12 kms from the closed gate. First you hike to the research station (45'), then you hike to the observatory (the dome). From the observatory the trail goes down and then up again with a very mild grade. After this second pass (2h), the trail plunges down and crosses over to White Mountain Peak itself. At this point the house at the summit is clearly visible. This last part of the hike is a series of switchbacks that feel steeper than they are. Expect about 3-4 hours to go up and 3 to come down. My 2006 time:
Directions from Bishop:
Western RouteBelow you find the old text, but READ THE 2021 UPDATE.White Mountain can also be hiked from the west (the Jeffrey Mine route). The trailhead is located at the dead end of a dirt road (forest road 4S135) that is not easy to reach with low-clearance cars (neither impossible though). The total elevation gain is almost 3,000 meters. Take highway 6 from Bishop and drive north about 20 minutes. Turn right into White Mountain Ranch Rd. As of 2014 this road is paved only for a bit while you are coasting a ranch. In 2014 you were not able to take the first left turn, which would take you to forest road 4S135. You had to continue on White Mountain Ranch Rd for a while and then turn left at the first fork (which basically takes you back towards the ranch) and turn right into the first road (no other choice) and then right again into forest road 4S135. In 2020, however, things were simpler: drive up White Mountain Ranch Rd and take the first left (which coasts the barbed fence of the ranch) and then the first right which is forest road 4S135. I leave both descriptions in case the roads change again. 2014: 2020: Continue as far as you can on this forest road. You will see the sign 4S135 only at the end: N37.61684, W118.34283. The road dead-ends after about 5 kms and becomes just a trail, more or less at N37.61662 - W118.33813 or N37.61596 - W118.34017 depending on what you consider the beginning of the trail. If you car cannot make it, park your car at the end of the asphalt on White Mountain Ranch Rd, walk about 300 meters and turn left on the road that coasts the barbed wire towards 4S135, then turn right into 4S135 and continue until the end of the road as above. An alternative way to get to the same place is to hike inside a wide gulch that starts not far from White Mountain Ranch Rd, about 1.5 kms from where you parked the car (N37.62275, W118.36940). Needless to say, don't do this on a hot summer day: it's 5 kms of no shade to the dead end.
The 4S135 road turns into the trail (or, better, disappears and all is left is
vestiges of it). The trail/road winds its way up into the canyon, and it may
occasionally be difficult to figure out where it goes.
But you won't get lost as all little canyons lead to the same place.
Best is to find the "trail" that avoids the steepest roughest sections of the
gully. The trail is to the right of the gully. (In 2020 i built two big cairns
to mark the place where you should climb to your right to enter the trail).
The trail crosses the gulch several times and it is not always obvious where
it continues but usually it doesn't take more and a few seconds.
Pay attention when, after about one hour,
you see the sign "Upper Mine".
Turn right to visit the cabins of Black Eagle Camp (2301m), which are quite
a sight. One is a museum. One is a kitchen. Retrace your steps to the trail
and ascend towards the Upper Mine.
When the trail deteriorates and heads
straight north into the northern ridge, leave the trail and start walking
parallel to the creek (which at this point is about 200 meters away, but
deep down into a gorge), gaining elevation but not too much.
I left a cairn where i left the trail, but it is neither the only place nor
the best place to do so: it's just a place that worked for me both times.
(When i went back six years later, the cairn was bigger, a sign that others
put more stones on it).
The rule of thumb is to
stay low enough that you avoid the vegetation (and the rocky formations)
but not so low that the slope gets too steep. You may find cairns (and
even rusty pipes) marking the route. If you are bushwhacking, you are probably
too high; if you are slipping all the time, you are probably too low.
After a couple of hours the slope of the gorge gets much more reasonable
and you can easily enter the creekbed
and cross to the southern side of the creek if you want to. (I did so and noticed
absolutely no difference between the two sides).
The route from the west peak to the real summit: From the West Peak you have to downclimb to the saddle connecting the two peaks and then climb straight up. The only technical section is actually the downclimb which requires a couple of (easy) class-3 moves. If you do it along the ridge, you also have some exposure.
Looking back at the West Peak after the downclimb: Once at the saddle you have to start climbing towards the real summit and this is as straightforward as it can get: just stay near the ridge and scramble over the loose rocky terrain. It is tedious but not technical at all. Leave the ridge only when you are in sight of the summit: the very last subpeak is better bypassed to the left. Follow the ridge to the top: Finally the cabin of the summit is in front of you. You have multiple choices, all of them easy. There's an obvious chute to the left of the cabin. It is rocky and slippery but it is class-2. You can also climb straight up, easy and firm class-3 boulders. Or you can move slightly to the right and take a less steep class-3 route. Either of these options are quick and easy compared with what you have done to get near the summit. The chute to the left and the class-3 route in the middle:
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Links:Pictures of these hikesWeather forecast for White Mountain National Parks Bishop chamber of commerce Highway 395 The White MountainsThe White Mountains receive very little rain year-round because the Sierra takes the majority of moisture from the Pacific storms. Most of the times, only strong dry winds reach the White Mountains. Annual precipitation is less than 30cm (mostly in the form of snow in winter). The White Mountains have the lowest amount of moisture in the air ever recorded anywhere on earth (0.5mm in the summer).The mountains feature some of the oldest trees in the world, surpassing the giant sequoia of the Sierra by more than a millennium. August is the best month to see the wildflowers. The White Mountains are mainly made of quartzitic sandstone and granite bedrock, with extensive outcrops of dolomite (limestone). The White Mountains are studied by geologists because of rocks as ancient as 500 million years. Fossils abound. Camping is free at the Grandview campground (2621m), on a first come basis (36 sites), open may through october. There is no water. You can also camp right at the gate. For the record...Check how White Mountain compares with other mountains |
