Mt. Whitney

Rising 14,496 feet and nearly two miles above the Owens Valley below, Mt. Whitney claims the highest point in the contiguous United States. Its proximity to Bad Water, in nearby Death Valley National Park, the lowest point in the country (282 feet below sea level), has created one of the most unique and extreme regions on the planet.

Lone Pine is a popular spot for those traveling on US 395, along the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada. To the west lies Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and beyond, the fertile San Joaquin Valley. A magnet to hikers and climbers, Mt. Whitney is home to adventurers each summer and fall.

The magnificent escarpment crowned by Mt. Whitney was born from a rise of the Sierra block and the "dropping-down" of the Owens Valley. It is nearly 55 miles of solid granite and is clearly visible from the highway.

The distance from the Sonoran Desert in northern Mexico to arctic Canada is more than 2500 miles. Yet, in a very few hours a hiker on the western slopes of the Sierra may experience all five of the plant life zones someone traveling the 2500 miles from south to north would encounter.

Mt. Whitney is a must, but it's best from the top!