Mount Whitney, California

Mount Whitney, in the southern Sierra of California, is the highest peak in the contiguous United States, at 14,496 feet. The peak likes within the John Muir Wilderness and the Sequoia National Park Wilderness. The summit of Mt. Whitney is the southern terminus of the John Muir Trail. Mt. Whitney is an extremely popular wilderness destination, and so activities in the "Mt. Whitney Zone" are highly regulated, as discussed on the Inyo National Forest Mt. Whitney website. Permits are required for all ascents of Whitney, and quotas are in effect from May 1 to November 1.

Jason Lackey appears to hold the fastest known time car-to-car on Mt. Whitney at about 3h08m via the Mountaineer's Route. Vernon Morris has the FKT for the main trail at "just over" 3h20m car-to-car in 1991. Apparently, Morris did the route twice that day as training for the Pikes Peak Marathon and Pikes Peak Ascent combo. He did the PPA that year in 2h34m45s, and the PPM the next day in 4h02m19s.

"How was your hike today?" - Doug Thompson Sr., owner of the Whitney Portal Store