Mount Whitney

Whitney reaches 4,421 metres, the highest point in the lower forty-eight states, and Badwater Basin in Death Valley - the lowest point in North America at eighty-six metres below sea level - is only about a hundred and thirty-five kilometres away, which is the geographic fact usually attached to it. The main trail runs about seventeen kilometres each way from Whitney Portal with around 1,900 metres of ascent, including ninety-nine switchbacks up to Trail Crest. It requires no technical climbing in summer but the altitude does most of the damage: acute mountain sickness turns back a large share of attempts. Permits are allocated by lottery for the main trail through the season, and demand far exceeds the quota.

What you actually see

• 4,421 metres - the highest point in the contiguous states.
• Ninety-nine switchbacks - up to Trail Crest below the summit.
• A day hike of about thirty-four kilometres - with 1,900 metres of climb.
• Badwater 135 kilometres away - the continent's lowest point.

When to go

July to September, when the trail is snow-free. One long day or two.

Honest expectations

Permits are lottery-allocated and most applicants do not get one. Altitude sickness ends a large proportion of attempts regardless of fitness. Afternoon thunderstorms are frequent and lightning has killed people on the crest. Snow and ice persist into July in some years.

Nearby

Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills are east; Sequoia's backcountry is west.