Mount Whitney Trail | Lone Pine Lake
“Everyone needs beauty as well as bread…places to both play in and pray in….” - John Muir
My beautiful mother overlooking the Alabama foothills & Inyo National Forest below Mount Whitney
December 11th, 2021
My first hike exploring the area surrounding Ridgecrest, California took my mother and I to the foot of Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower, contiguous 48. Just one hour away up 395-N, I was unaware of how breathtakingly beautiful this region would be in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains.
Mount Whitney in Inyo county (near the small town of Lone Pine) had received snow just prior to our arrival. We planned to hike from the start of the Mt. Whitney trailhead up to Lone Pine Lake, a small but stunning gem at the base of Mt. Whitney (~9,800 ft).
In order to access the Mt. Whitney trail and Lone Pine Lake, we drove up Whitney Portal Road starting in the foothills below (~4,000 ft) to the trailhead access, arriving at 8,000 ft. The trailhead/campground area was quite shaded, as the towering peaks above blocked much of the sun’s rays.
According to All Trails, the hike to Lone Pine Lake is a strenuous, but worth-while endeavor : 6 miles round trip, over an ~1,800 ft change in elevation. We felt the impacts of being at a higher altitude immediately, as our North Carolina lungs were (and are) quite accustomed to sea level.
We began our ascent to Lone Pine Lake around 10 am, knowing our bodies would warm as we continued our climb. Hiking poles were a necessity as much of the trail was icy in spots, and contained some frozen water crossings.
With increasing elevation, we noticed the changing topography. Before mile 1, we walked on the edge of steep, barren cliffs that were sparsely vegetated with wild tree roots and shrubs. Along miles 2 and 3, the land around the trail began to expand with both pine & fir groves and open stands of alpine shrubs.
At the end of mile 3, several rushing streams and creeks signaled that we were closer to the lake. We spoke with several hikers along the trail that mentioned how they initially planned to summit Mount Whitney that day, however the winter conditions close to the summit were proving too dangerous for even experienced hikers.
Around 1:45 pm, almost 4 hours later, we made it to Lone Pine lake. It was frozen over, but absolutely worth the effort.
Sharp, white granite cliffs surrounding the lake Giant pines & firs everywhere Hundreds of years of wind shape spiral trees
My mom and I shared a lunch admiring the lake, but we didn’t stay for long. The sun at this time was already starting to set behind the tall granite peaks, and the winds were picking up at this altitude (almost 10,000 ft). We started to head down, and made it back to the beginning of Mt. Whitney trailhead by 4:30 pm.
The descent down Whitney Portal Road back to the foothills was just as scenic as the hike we had just finished. Exhausted, the sunset behind the purple mountain ridge and Alabama foothills was a welcome, breathtaking sight.
If for whatever reason, you’re near the Ridgecrest area…Lone Pine, the Alabama Foothills & Mount Whitney are only 1 hour away and provide easy access to some of nature’s best work. 10 out of 10 would recommend.
