Whitney Portal Road
Lone Pine / Mt. Whitney · near Lone Pine · Eastern Sierra
Road Cycling
At a glance
- Distance
- medium
- Best season
- Late spring–fall; upper road snow-affected in winter
What is here
- Scenery
- mountain
- Amenities
- Foot of Mt. Whitney (14,505 ft) · Otherworldly Alabama Hills · Whitney Portal store at the top · Iconic Eastern Sierra scenery
- Best for
- A climb beneath the highest peak in the Lower 48
- Features
- Climb to the base of Mt. Whitney · Through the famous Alabama Hills · Steep, spectacular switchbacks · Iconic Eastern Sierra views
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Steep upper switchbacks; high altitude · Tourist & hiker traffic to the portal · Desert heat below, cold up top · Steep descent — control your speed
- Beginner friendly
- No
Road Cycling detail
- Ride types
- climb
- Road
- mixed
- Climbing
- 5
- Ride notes
- The climb to the foot of the highest peak in the Lower 48 — up from Lone Pine through the otherworldly Alabama Hills to Whitney Portal near 8,300 ft, directly beneath Mt. Whitney's soaring granite, steep and spectacular
- Stats note
- ~11 mi, ~4,700 ft gain to ~8,300 ft; steep upper switchbacks beneath Mt. Whitney
- Seasonal
- Yes
- Intl tip
- A spectacular climb from Lone Pine to Whitney Portal (~8,300 ft), the trailhead at the foot of Mt. Whitney (14,505 ft, the highest peak in the Lower 48) — rising through the otherworldly Alabama Hills, then up steep switchbacks into the pines beneath Whitney's granite east face, ~4,700 ft over 11 miles, with a store at the top. Draws tourist/hiker traffic; upper road snow-affected in winter; desert heat, altitude, and steep grades. Carry water and layers, ride the snow-free season, control the steep descent.
The guide
Whitney Portal Road carries you from the Owens Valley town of Lone Pine up to Whitney Portal at around 8,300 feet, the trailhea…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Whitney Portal Road — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.587, -118.184