Mt Whitney via Cottonwood – Mule Supported

$3,995.00

Mt. Whitney via Cottonwood
Mt. Whitney via Cottonwood

Dates

Description

The pinnacle of our mule supported trips, Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the continental United States at 14,505 feet. This trip includes long days and high mileage at altitude, but the mules carry most of your weight, making the trip more feasible.

This route from Horseshoe Meadows crosses over the Sierra Crest at Cottonwood Pass, eventually drops west towards the Kern River, and then loops east to Guitar Lake below the western slopes of the peak. We like this route for a number of reasons:

  • It is beautiful with high alpine lakes and expansive views. This is a wonderful backpacking trip with Mt. Whitney’s summit as a bonus.
  • There are far fewer people than on the regular Whitney Trail.
  • We utilize the services of Cottonwood Pack Station to carry equipment while we hike with a day pack.

Inclusions

Price includes guiding, pack stock support, permits, group gear, tents, kitchen gear, breakfasts, lunches and dinners. We provide delicious healthy meals – our guides are great backcountry chefs! No pre-packaged dehydrated meals, we promise!

Prerequisites

You should be able to hike, with a day pack, up to thirteen miles a day with 3,000 feet or more in elevation gain. Prior experience hiking on rocky, uneven trails is required. While we use mules to carry the loads, the distances to be covered each day are significant. 

Acclimatization & Physical Training

For proper acclimatization, we suggest spending at least one night at a moderate altitude, higher than 8,000 feet, just prior to the start of the journey. See our detailed tips on acclimatizing and physical training in the “Resources” tab.

Distance

Day OutDestinationMileageElevation Gain 
Day 1Chicken Springs Lake5.3 miles1405 
Day 2Rock Creek Crossing10.5 miles620 
Day 3Guitar Lake10.3 miles2985 
Day 4Mount Whitney then back to Crabtree Meadows14.4 miles3405 
Day 5Rock Creek Lake11.3 miles2020 
Day 6back to pack station11.4 miles1435 

Getting to the top of Whitney: 32.2 miles

Total 63.2 miles Total Elevation Gain 11,870

Day 1 – Acclimatization Day

We meet for a trip orientation at 5.00 p.m. at the Cottonwood Campground, set up tents and have dinner before settling in for the night.

Day 2 – The Journey Begins

We get our equipment sorted and to the packers before hiking from the Cottonwood Pack station up and over Cottonwood Pass and descend a little over about a half mile to Chicken Springs Lake, our first night’s camp. This day is about 5 miles long with about 1400 feet of elevation gain and makes for a great break-in day further improving your acclimatization to the elevation. There will be plenty of time in camp to relax and enjoy the surroundings.

Day 3 - Acclimatization Day – Enter Sequoia Kings National Park

We leave camp and, after a short initial climb, much of the day is relatively flat or downhill. We contour above Big Whitney Meadow with views towards the Kaweah’s. After entering Sequoia Kings National Park, we continue to the lower crossing of Rock Creek. This is about a 10 mile day.

Day 4 – Getting Ready for Whitney

Our day starts with a climb over Guyot Pass and into the wide open spaces of Guyot Flat. Staying near treeline, we climb and contour around into Crabtree Meadows. We now turn towards Mt. Whitney and steadily climb to camp overlooking Guitar Lake (11,460’). The pack stock leave us here and return to Crabtree Meadows to overnight the mules.

Day 5 – Summit Day!

We are not too far from the summit but we allow all day for the ascent to the summit and the return to a lower camp. There are numerous switchbacks up to Trailcrest (13,550’) where we meet others coming up from the other side. The summit seems within grasp but the thin air limits our ability to move speedily, though with slow but steadily progress before long we will be on top and enjoying the highest point outside of Alaska. After summit photos and relaxing on top we retrace our steps back. While we are climbing the packers come up and collect our camp and move it down to Crabtree Meadow. Doing it this way sets the stage for an easier last day back to the cars.

Day 6 – Return to Rock Creek

The packstock return and pick up our gear and we retrace our steps back to Rock Creek Crossing and then head to camp at Rock Creek Lake via a different route.

Day 7 – Return to the Trailhead

Back to the road head. This is a long day so be prepared for an early start and a late afternoon return to the trailhead.

Links

Rental Equipment

We have rental equipment available at checkout.

Reviews

Betsy, Mule Supported Mt. Whitney

“I can’t say enough great things about the Sierra Mountain Center’s 7-day Pack Supported Women’s Whitney Trip. Our guides and packers were professional and on top of every detail. The guides especially were knowledgeable, experienced and fun to be around. They made all 10 of us feel supported on our quest for Mt. Whitney. The food was nutritious and delicious and our campsites were private and spacious. All in all, a wonderful way to experience the Sierra!”

Karen, Mule Supported Mt. Whitney

“This is a top notch outfitter. For a week-long, mule-supported trip for 9 women that included summiting Mt. Whitney, our guides were excellent: knowledgeable, experienced, patient, kind, excellent cooks, skilled communicators and planners. As for Sierra Mountain Center, they represented the trip accurately, gave detailed advice on what to bring and how to prepare for the trip, designed a comfortable itinerary that we all could complete, provided excellent tents. The mule support was executed seamlessly, as we always had our gear, transported carefully and delivered in fine form when we arrived at our next camp. I highly recommend this outfitter/guiding service.”

Jennifer, Mammoth to Yosemite Mule Supported

“I had the most amazing experience with Sierra Mountain Center on a mule supported section hike on the John Muir Trail from Red’s Meadow to Yosemite Valley in July 2022. Everything about this trip was fantastic! Emma was wonderful helping set up the trip and answer all of my questions beforehand. Our guide, Larry, was simply the best! He is extremely knowledgeable about backpacking and the surrounding area, and his enthusiasm is contagious. He was as excited as we were to be on the trip, and he was great at anticipating when we might need a break and motivating us to push through the hills. This was my first backpacking trip, so I really appreciated his guidance and encouragement, not to mention his great cooking skills in the back country! I loved that this trip was supported by mules, and our cowboy, Tom, was fantastic as well. The mules helped carry the bulk of our gear, so we only carried a daypack of belongings and snacks, allowing us to fully appreciate the long hikes. The camp spots were beautiful and this section of the JMT is incredible, and I am now looking forward to joining other SMC trips in the future.”

Beth, Mule Supported Mt. Whitney

“Best ever trip in the Sierra! I would highly recommend the Women’s Whitney trip with Sierrs Mountain Center. Everything was ideal. The guides (Heather and Madeline) were the very best–so knowledgeable and supportive of our goals.
Thanks so much!!”

Jessica, Mule Supported Mt. Whitney

“BIG GIANT THANKS to Tyler & Dave for guiding us on an EPIC 7-day adventure through the Sierras and helping us all summit Mount Whitney 🙂 What an incredible playground full of ancient trees, luscious valleys, streams and natures best COLD plunge lakes! It literally was something I dreamed of for the past 20 years and sharing this journey with my teenage boys was a memory I will never forget. You truly spoiled us with all your backpacking & cheffing skills 🙂 Thank you for sharing your passion, wisdom, humor and patience. WE all learned so much and can’t wait for the next one!”

Related Trips

Length

7 Days

Technical Difficulty

Moderate on-trail hiking

Distance

63.2 Miles

Mike Mourar

Mike is originally from Pennsylvania where he learned to ski on the icy mountains of the Northeast. He moved to Northern California soon after high school and received degrees in Outdoor Adventure Education from Feather River College and later Southern Oregon university. He has worked in outdoor education for over 15 years, leading wilderness education expeditions all across the world and the American west. Mike currently ski guides and teaches avalanche education courses in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He loves to ski steep narrow couloirs on warm sunny days in the Sierras! When not guiding on skis, Mike can be found kayaking the rivers in the Pacific Northwest. 

Heather Shaw

Heather grew up in the Bay Area and has many fond memories of backpacking and camping in the Sierra as a kid. She moved up to Oregon to attend Lewis & Clark College and obtained a degree in Environmental Studies focusing on education and food systems. While living up in Oregon Heather fell in love with the Cascades and began guiding her peers on backpacking trips, cross-country skiing and even local mushroom foregoing. Following her passion for guiding and the outdoors she spent the summers guiding children on backpacking trips and adults in sea kayaking. Heather enjoyed living in the Portland area, skiing on Mount Hood and doing lots of cycling but eventually she decided it was time to come back to sunny California. For the past couple of years she has been spending summers and fall in California guiding students in backpacking, river trips and day hikes. She is excited about guiding backpacking trips in the Eastern Sierra this summer. Heather is a Wilderness First Responder and Leave No Trace Trainer.

Robert "SP" Parker

Robert “SP” Parker, hails from the picturesque landscapes of New Zealand. His journey into the realm of mountaineering began during his days at the University of Auckland, where he delved into the world of climbing alongside the university tramping club (akin to “backpacking” for our American counterparts).

He relocated to Yosemite Valley in 1979. He traveled the US climbing in all the great places: Yosemite, Tuolumne, Colorado, Joshua Tree, Devils Tower, Canada. In 1996, he joined forces with Todd Vogel to found Sierra Mountain Center. SP has over 40 years of full-time professional mountain guiding experience. He has earned IFMGA certification in Rock, Ski, and Alpine disciplines and has served as a past director of the AMGA.

As the torch of ownership at SMC passes into the capable hands of Emma, his passion for guiding in the breathtaking Sierra region continues to burn bright, and he eagerly supports Emma in her new role.

Larry Gumina

Larry is a native of the New Jersey shore. Raised as an ocean lover, Larry spent his early days surfing and being in the water as much as he could. Through an active involvement in scouting, as well as an adventurous friend group, Larry found a passion for the mountains. Naturally, this passion had him trade his surfboard for a snowboard, and he went west! Larry graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with degrees in Environmental Studies as well as Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation. In Colorado, he fell more in love with the mountains. After graduating, Larry moved to Alaska to explore the wilderness of the last frontier through backpack and canoe guiding. When COVID struck and found Larry abroad in Central America, he came back to the states hoping to get back to Alaska, but discovered the Sierra along the way. And the high peaks and the fairer climate of California was as far as he made it. Larry now resides here in Bishop, where he spends his time exploring the mountains via roped climbing, splitboarding, and hiking. When not guiding, Larry enjoys traveling and climbing the high, glaciated peaks of Central and South America. Larry’s favorite trip to lead in the Sierra is the Bishop to Mammoth backpack as the variety of the terrain offers tremendous opportunities for natural and human history studies! Larry holds a certification as a Wilderness First Responder, a Leave No Trace Trainer, and a AIARE Level I.

Tyler Logan

Tyler grew up hiking in the Sierra Nevada before being introduced to rock climbing as a teenager. Since that time, he has climbed extensively in this same mountain range, including Yosemite (he has climbed El Capitan multiple times) as well as various other crags and mountain ranges throughout the West. Much of this climbing happened during spring, summer and winter breaks while working as a high school English teacher in southern California. After more than ten years in the classroom, Tyler made a career change and began guiding in 2016. He loves being able to make use of his teaching background while working outdoors and helping people achieve their goals. While climbing is his first passion, Tyler also enjoys hiking, backcountry skiing, running, cycling, and a bit of fly fishing now and then. He lives in Bishop with his wife, Mona.

Louie Allen

Louie began guiding with Sierra Mountain Center in 2015 after falling in love with the people and places of Bishop, CA, and the Sierra Nevada mountains.  He grew up climbing and backpacking in the southeastern US and moved West to pursue bigger mountainous terrain.  He is a passionate and dedicated climber in all of its forms and has backpacked extensively across the Sierra.  It is a joy for him to share his favorite peaks and trails with visitors.  Louie is an equal-opportunity cookie lover and die-hard Cincinnati Bengals football fan.  He travels to the eastern US often in order to pursue world-class rock and ice climbs, but always finds his way back to the Sierra.

Louie is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide and is pursuing Alpine Guide certification.  He holds an MS in Recreation and Sport Sciences and a Graduate Certificate in Sport Coaching.  He works as a guide, strength trainer, and climbing coach to help developing climbers and hikers achieve meaningful goals in the mountains.

Anouk Erni

Anouk grew up on the glaciers and peaks of Switzerland where her family is from and currently resides. Anouk has had an appreciation for the elevated outdoors from an early age. She has lived in Europe, America’s east coast, and finally, she came to the west coast in her teens, and never left. Even though she calls the Eastern Sierra her home, she began her guiding career in the Pacific Northwest, where she worked on glaciated peaks such as Mt Rainier and Mt Baker, and rock guided during the summers. However, having learned to rock climb in California and frequenting the Eastern Sierra during her years living in Los Angeles, she ultimately returned to California eight years ago and has been guiding here year round. In the summers, Anouk guides rock and alpine trips, and during the winter seasons, she ski guides and teaches avalanche courses. She sees her guide work as a way to increase and infuse passion and knowledge into the outdoor community – her way of giving back after having been fortunate enough to receive solid mentorship during her initial years climbing in California.

 

Anouk is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide, Apprentice Ski Guide, and Apprentice Alpine Guide, as well as an AIARE avalanche course leader and AAI course leader.

Dave Stimson

Dave is originally from Alberta, Canada, but has traded in his Canadian passport for his American one, lured by clean Sierra granite and perfect California weather. He graduated from Mount Royal University in 2007 with an undergrad in Ecotourism & Outdoor Leadership and has been working ever since as a ski patroller and avalanche forecaster in Canada during the winters. Dave has been climbing since 2003 and has climbed in Squamish, the Canadian Rockies, The Bugaboos, the Tetons, Red Rock, Indian Creek and Peru, to name a few destinations. His first time climbing in California was in 2103 in Yosemite Valley and was instantly in love. He has been with the SMC team since 2015 and is excited to continue climbing and guiding in the Range of Light. 

Dave holds a Wilderness First Responder certification, and a Canadian Avalanche Association Level 2. He began the AMGA program in 2014 and has become a fully certified IFMGA Mountain Guide.

Emma Gasman

Emma joined the Sierra Mountain Center team in early 2021 as the Program Director. Fast forward almost three years, and she has now taken the reins, becoming the proud owner of the company previously helmed by the legendary Robert “SP” Parker. Emma is passionate about making the marvels of the mountains accessible to individuals of all skill levels. Emma grew up backpacking and skiing in the western Sierra Nevada, where her personal connection to these majestic landscapes began. While attending college in Oregon she discovered rock climbing and skiing touring, which ultimately led her to the Eastern Sierra. Emma is ready to carry forward the rich legacy established by SP back in the 1990s, eager to nurture and expand upon the successes of the company.

Barb Bemis

Barb began working for SMC in the summer of 2016 as a backpacking and climbing guide. After 4 summers, she began working as an adaptive sports instructor and program coordinator with Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra in Mammoth Lakes. Fast forward to 2024 and Barb is back in the office at SMC. She enjoys organizing all the trip details and other behind-the-scenes tasks to help guests get outside and enjoy the Eastern Sierra. She has always been involved in the outdoors in a variety of ways: hiking, climbing, mountain biking, running, and more. Moving to the Eastern Sierra was a great choice!