Cottonwood Lakes & Mt. Langley
John Muir Wilderness / Golden Trout · near Lone Pine · Eastern Sierra
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 18 miles
- Elevation gain
- 3,200 ft
- Time needed
- multi-day
- Best season
- July–September
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- Yes
- How the permit works
- Inyo National Forest Cottonwood Lakes trailhead permit via Recreation.gov, 6 months ahead. A gentler high-country option than the Whitney zone next door, and a common acclimatization trip before Whitney or Langley (14,026 ft).
- How hard the permit is to get
- 3 of 5
What is here
- Features
- High trailhead (10,000 ft) · Golden trout lakes · Optional Mt. Langley 14er · New Army Pass
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Hiking detail
- Nights
- 2–3
- Resupply
- None needed. Bear canister required.
- Intl tip
- Horseshoe Meadow Road is one of the highest paved roads in California and a fine place to sleep in your car and acclimatize — there are walk-in campgrounds right at the trailhead. If you're using this as Whitney prep, note the permits are separate; a Cottonwood permit does not let you into the Whitney Zone.
The guide
The Cottonwood Lakes offer the rare combination of a very high starting elevation and relatively gentle terrain, which makes th…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Cottonwood Lakes & Mt. Langley — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.453, -118.172