Mount Whitney
East Face close-up seen from the way up on Whitney Portal.
Elevation	14,505 feet (4,421 meters)
Location	California, USA
Range	Sierra Nevada
Prominence	10,081 ft (3,073 m) Ranked 81st
Coordinates	36°34′42.9″N 118°17′31.2″W / 36.578583, -118.292Coordinates: 36°34′42.9″N 118°17′31.2″W / 36.578583, -118.292
Topo map	USGS Mount Whitney
Type	Granite
Age of rock	Cretaceous
First ascent	1873
Easiest route	hike
Listing	SPS Emblem peak

Mount Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous United States at elevation 14,505 feet (4,421 meters). It is located at the boundary between California's Inyo and Tulare counties. The western slope of the mountain lies within Sequoia National Park. Mount Whitney is the southern terminus of the John Muir Trail, which runs 211.9 miles (340.9 km) from Yosemite Valley. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1536x1024, 742 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The Himalaya as seen from the International Space Station A mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers. ... The Sierra Nevada (Spanish for Snowy Range) is a mountain range that is almost entirely in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of California. ... In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height or shoulder drop (in America) or prime factor (in Europe), is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains, also known as peaks. ... This is a list of peaks by prominence; that is, a list of mountains on Earth ordered by their topographic prominence. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... // Topographic maps are a variety of maps characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines in modern mapping, but historically using a variety of methods. ... InsertSLUTTY WHORES≤ non-formatted text here{| class=toccolours border=1 cellpadding=4 style=float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 20em; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%; clear: right; |+ United States Geological Survey |- |style= align=center colspan=2| [[Image:USGS logo. ... Mountains can be characterized in several ways. ... Close-up of granite from Yosemite National Park, valley of the Merced River Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... // For other uses, see time scale. ... The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ... In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. ... Southern and northern Mount Everest climbing routes as seen from the International Space Station. ... The mountains and hills of Great Britain, and to a lesser extent Ireland, are the subject of a considerable number of lists which categorise them by height, topographic prominence, or other criteria. ... The continental United States refers (except sometimes in U.S. federal law and regulations) to the largest part of the U.S. that is delimited by a continuous border. ... Inyo County is a county located in east-central California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada south of Yosemite National Park. ... Tulare County is a county located in U.S. state of Californias Central Valley, south of Fresno. ... Crescent Meadow in the Giant Forest, called by John Muir the Gem of the Sierras Sequoia National Park is a national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Visalia, California in the United States of America. ... John Muir Trail is a long-distance trail in California, running 211 miles (340 km) from the Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney. ...

Mount Whitney was named after Josiah Whitney, the State Geologist of California. It was first climbed in 1873 by Charles Begole, A. H. Johnson, and John Lucas (fishermen who lived in Lone Pine, California.) Portrait of Josiah Whitney by Silas Selleck, 1863 Josiah Dwight Whitney (November 23, 1819-August 15, 1896) was a professor of geology at Harvard University (from 1865), and was chief of the California Geological Survey (1860-1874). ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The main street in Lone Pine retains a frontier look Lone Pine is a census-designated place (CDP) in Inyo County, California, United States. ...

Mount Whitney is just 76 miles (123 km) west of the lowest point in North America, in Death Valley (282 feet (86 m) below sea level). Death Valley is a valley in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, and is the location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. ...

Geography and geology

Mount Whitney lies along the Sierra Crest: the range of highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Water to the west of the crest flows into the Pacific Ocean, while water to the east flows into the Great Basin.^[1] The eastern slope of Whitney is far steeper than its western slope: Whitney rises just over 2 miles (~3,300 m) in elevation above the floor of the Owens Valley. The difference is slope arises because the entire Sierra Nevada is one fault block that is analogous to a door: the door is hinged on the west, and is slowly rising on the east.^[2] The rise is caused by a normal fault system that runs at the base of the Sierra, below Whitney. Thus, the granite that forms Mount Whitney is the same as the granite that forms the Alabama Hills, thousands of feet below.^[3] The raising of Whitney (and the downdrop of the Owens Valley) is due to the same geological forces that cause the Basin and Range Province: the crust of much of the intermountain west is slowly being stretched. This article is about the mountain range in the Western United States. ... Drainage map showing the Great Basin in orange Various Definitions of the Great Basin (NPS) The Great Basin is a large, arid region of the western United States. ... Owens Valley is the arid ranching valley of the Owens River in southeastern California in the United States. ... Old fault exposed by roadcut near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. ... Close-up of granite from Yosemite National Park, valley of the Merced River Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... Characteristic rocks of the Alabama Hills The Alabama Hills are a range of hills in the Owens Valley of California, near Lone Pine, California. ... Basin and Range index map - USGS The Basin and Range Province is a particular type of topography that covers much of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico that is typified by elongate north-south trending arid valleys bounded by mountain ranges which also bound adjacent valleys. ...

The granite that forms Mount Whitney is part of the Sierra Nevada batholith: in Cretaceous time, blobs of molten rock that originated from subduction rose underneath what is now Whitney and froze underground to form large expanses of granite. In the last few million years, the Sierra started to rise, and glacial and river erosion stripped the upper layers of rock to reveal the resistant granite that makes up Whitney today. Glacier-sliced Half Dome, Yosemite, a classic granite dome of the Sierra Nevada Batholith The Sierra Nevada Batholith is a large batholith in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, USA, and is a continuous granitic formation that forms much of the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. ... The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ... The Juan de Fuca plate sinks below the North America plate at the Cascadia subduction zone. ...

Elevation measurements

The estimated elevation of the peak of Mount Whitney has changed over the years. This is not due to the peak growing (although it is): the elevation measurement has become more refined, and more importantly, the vertical coordinate system has changed. The peak is commonly thought to be 14,494 feet (4,418 m) high from a USGS brass benchmark. The older summit plaque (sheet metal with black lettering on white enamel paint) reads: elevation 14,496.811 feet. However, this is in the NVGD29 vertical datum from 1929. Since then, the exact shape of the Earth (the geoid) has become better estimated, with a new coordinate system NAVD88 established in 1988. In this new coordinate system, the benchmark GT1811 is estimated to be at 14,505 feet (4,421 m). [1]. See [2] for the elevation data of this benchmark, supplied by the United States National Geodetic Survey, the agency that estimates the horizontal and vertical position of landmarks. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Datum. ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ... The GOCE project will measure high-accuracy gravity gradients and provide an accurate geoid model based on the Earths gravity field. ...

The Needles and Whitney's East Face seen from the Mountaineer's Route

The Needles and Whitneys East Face, as seen from the Mountaineers Route. ... The Needles and Whitneys East Face, as seen from the Mountaineers Route. ...

Recreational opportunities

Hiking

Main article: Mount Whitney trail

The most popular route to hike to the summit of Mt. Whitney is the main Mount Whitney trail (MMWT) whose trailhead originates in Whitney Portal at 8,360' (2,548 m), 13 miles (21 km) west of the town of Lone Pine, CA. (Access from Tulare County, on the west side of the Sierra Crest, involves a much longer, multi-day excursion.) The hike is about 22 miles (35.4 km) round trip with an elevation gain of 6,100 ft (1,859 m). This trail is extremely popular and its access is restricted between May 1st and November 1st, permitting 60 backpackers and 100 day hikers daily for the MMWT. The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ...

Climbing

The steep eastern side of the mountain offers a variety of climbing challenges. The "Mountaineer's Route", a Class 3 gully to the north of the east face, was first climbed by John Muir. The East Face route, first climbed in 1931, is a classic easy climbing route of the Sierra; mostly Class 3, with the hardest parts at only 5.4 (YDS). Other routes range up to 5.10 in difficulty.^[4] Rock climbers on Valkyrie at The Roaches in Staffordshire, England. ... Scrambling on Crib Goch, Snowdonia, Wales Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. ... John Muir appears on the California quarter John Muir (April 21, 1838 – December 24, 1914) was one of the first modern preservationists. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Southern and northern Mount Everest climbing routes as seen from the International Space Station. ... The Yosemite Decimal System is a numerical system for rating the difficulty of walks, hikes, and climbs, primarily used for mountaineering in the United States. ... The Yosemite Decimal System is a numerical system for rating the difficulty of walks, hikes, and climbs, primarily used for mountaineering in the United States. ...

To the south of the main summit there are a series of minor summits that are completely inconspicuous from the west, but appear as a series of "needles" from the east. The routes on these include some of the finest big-wall climbing in the high Sierra. Two of the needles were named after participants in an 1880 scientific expedition to the mountain: the Keeler Needle and the Day Needle; the latter has now been renamed Crooks Peak after Hulda Crooks, who hiked up Mount Whitney every year until well into her nineties. Year 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... James Edward Keeler (September 10, 1857 – August 12, 1900) was an American astronomer. ... Hulda Crooks (b. ...

References

• Doug Thompson and Elisabeth Newbold, Mount Whitney: Mountain Lore From The Whitney Store (Westwind Publishing Company, September 1997)) ISBN 978-0965359603

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Nomad (left) and Roper from the December 10, 2004 strip Steve Roper and Mike Nomad was an American adventure comic strip which ran under various titles from November 1936 to December 26, 2004. ...

See also

• Mountain peaks of North America
• Mountain peaks of the United States
• List of California fourteeners
• Hawthorne Nevada Airlines Flight 708: a plane that crashed into the side of Mount Whitney in 1969, killing all 35 on board.
• Badwater Ultramarathon: a 135-mile (215 km) running race from the bottom of Death Valley to Whitney Portal.

Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska is the highest peak of North America. ... Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska is the highest mountain peak of the United States of America. ... In mountaineering in the United States, a fourteener is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet (4,267. ... Hawthorne Nevada Airlines Flight 708 was a domestic non-scheduled passenger flight between Hawthorne Airport, Nevada (HTH) and Hollywood-Burbank Airport, California (BUR/KBUR), that crashed into the tallest mountain in the Continental United States near Lone Pine, on February 18, 1969, killing all 35 passengers and crew on board. ... The Badwater Ultramarathon describes itself as the worlds toughest foot race. It is a 135 mile (215 km) course starting at 282 feet (85 m) below sea level in the Badwater Basin, in Californias Death Valley, and ending at an elevation of 8360 feet (2548 m) at Whitney... Death Valley is a valley in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, and is the location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ...

External links

• US Forest Service Information on Hiking Mount Whitney
• Whitney Portal Store
• Information on hiking Mt. Whitney on the OutdoorDB wiki
• Mount Whitney on Summitpost.org

• Maps and aerial photos
  • WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image from TerraServer-USA
  • Surrounding area map from Google Maps
  • Location in the United States from the Census Bureau

v • d • e U.S. State Highest Points
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming This is a list of United States states by elevation. ... Cheaha Mountain, often called Mount Cheaha, is the highest point in the U.S. state of Alabama. ... Denali redirects here. ... Humphreys Peak is the highest point in the U.S. state of Arizona and is located in Coconino County. ... Mount Magazine is the tallest mountain in the state of Arkansas and is the site of Arkansass newest state park. ... Mount Elbert in Colorado is the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains. ... Mount Frissells South Slope (2380 feet) is the highest point in Connecticut. ... Delaware High Point Sign Geodetic Survey Marker Marker Reads: U.S. COAST & GEODETIC SURVEY REFERENCE MARK FOR INFORMATION WRITE TO THE DIRECTOR, WASHINGTON, D.C. $250 FINE OR IMPRISONMENT FOR DISTURBING THIS MARK EBRIGHT AZIMUTH 1933 Southbound View of the Peak from the State Line The Ebright Azimuth is the... Florida High Point Marker. ... Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five volcanic peaks that together form the island of Hawaii. ... Borah Peak (also known as Mount Borah) is the tallest mountain in Idaho, located in the Challis National Forest. ... Charles Mound is a gentle, 1,235-foot-high hill in northern Jo Daviess County, near the small town of Scales Mound and 11 miles northeast of Galena. ... Hoosier Hill is the highest point in the state of Indiana at 1257 feet. ... Hawkeye Point is the highest elevation in Iowa. ... Mount Sunflower, although not a true mountain, is the highest point in Kansas. ... Black Mountain is the highest point in the state of Kentucky, USA, with a summit elevation of 4145 feet (1263 meters) above mean sea level. ... Driskill Mountain is the highest natural summit in Louisiana with an elevation of 535 feet (163 meters) above sea level. ... Mount Katahdin (USGS name) is the highest mountain in Maine. ... Backbone Mountain is a mountain range in the central United States. ... Mount Greylock is a mountain of 3,491 feet (1,064 m) in northwestern Massachusetts, on the Appalachian Trail just south of Vermont and not too far east of New York. ... Mount Arvon, elevation 1,979 feet (603 m), located in LAnse Township, Baraga County is the highest point in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Eagle Mountain is the highest point in Minnesota, at 2301 feet (701 m), located in Cook County at 47° 53′ 51″ N 90° 33′ 36″ W Categories: Mountains of the United States ... The mountain is located just off of Mississippi Highway 25, south of Iuka. ... Taum Sauk Mountain is part of a large parks-and-wilderness area. ... Granite Peak is the highest point in the state of Montana, USA. It lies within the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, in Park County very near the borders of Stillwater County and Carbon County. ... Panorama Point is the highest point in Nebraska, at an elevation of 1654 m (5424 feet) above sea level. ... For other mountains by this name, see Boundary Peak. ... The Summit Mount Washington is the highest peak in the American Northeast at 6,288 ft. ... High Point is located in the northwestern part of New Jersey in Montague, Sussex County in the Skylands Region of New Jersey, is the highest elevation in the state at 1,803 feet (550 m). ... Summit Sign at . ... Mount Marcy, at 5,344 ft, is the highest mountain in the Adirondack Mountain Range and the highest point in New York State. ... A view from the observation tower. ... White Butte, elevation 3506 ft (1069 m), is a prominent butte in of Slope County in the Badlands of southwestern North Dakota, located at 46°23′12″ N 103°18′07″ WIt is very small and easy to climb. ... Campbell Hill is, at 1,549 feet (472 m), the highest point in elevation in the U.S. state of Ohio. ... Black Mesa extends from Mesa de Maya in Colorado southeasterly 28 miles along the north bank of the Cimarron River, crossing the northeast corner of New Mexico to end at the confluence of the Cimmaron and Carrizo Creek near Kenton in the Oklahoma panhandle. ... For the community named Mount Hood, see Mount Hood, Oregon. ... Mount Davis is the highest mountain in Pennsylvania, located in the 5,685 acre (23. ... Jerimoth Hill is the name of the highest natural point in the US state of Rhode Island, at 812 feet above sea level. ... Sassafras Mountain is the highest point in the state of South Carolina, USA, with a summit elevation of 3560 feet (1085 meters) above mean sea level. ... Harney Peak is the highest mountain in South Dakota, located in Black Hills National Forest. ... Clingmans Dome (or Clingmans Dome) is, at an elevation of 6,643 feet (2,025 metres), the highest point both in the state of Tennessee and on the Appalachian Trail. ... Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas. ... For the mountain in Idaho, see Kings Peak (Idaho). ... Mount Mansfield is the highest mountain in the U.S. State of Vermont. ... Mount Rogers is the highest point in the state of Virginia, USA, with a summit elevation of 5729 feet (1746 meters) above mean sea level. ... Mount Rainier is a stratovolcano in Pierce County, Washington, located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle, Washington, in the United States. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Timms Hill is the the highest point in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, with an elevation of 1,951 feet (595 m) above sea level. ... Gannett Peak is the highest peak in the U.S. state of Wyoming and straddles the boundary between Fremont and Sublette Counties along the continental divide. ...