The High Sierra & Mt. Whitney

The High Sierra lies in the Sierra Nevada mountain range which is located primarily in California and runs 400 miles north-south and 70 miles east-west. The High Sierra is one of my favorite mountain ranges in the world.

I completed most of my training for high altitude mountain climbs in the High Sierra. There is an abundance of challenging mountains in the High Sierra and the views are breathtaking.

The High Sierra is home to Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous United States (14,505 feet).

I have climbed Mt. Whitney 19 times. There are two main climbing routes on Mt. Whitney-the Whitney Portal Route and the Mountaineer’s Route. The Whitney Portal Route is the most popular climbing route and is 22 miles round trip with 6,000 feet of elevation gain. The Mountaineer’s Route is more steep, rugged and challenging. Thirteen of my 19 climbs of Mt. Whitney were via the Mountaineer’s Route.

Many of the photos in this slideshow featuring my favorite mountains in the world were taken in the High Sierra. See also High Sierra Backpack. The Whitney Portal Route can be seen in this video and the Mountaineer’s Route is seen in this video.

Click each photo to enlarge the images.