White Mountain Peak
14,252′
09/21/2026
Class 2
15.3 miles, Total gain: 3,553′, 5h 18m.
White Mountain Peak is one of only two peaks above 14,000′ in California outside of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the other being Mount Shasta. White Mountain Peak is also the third highest peak in California.
We had planned to hike Mount Williamson and Mount Tyndall in the Sierra Nevada and had a 3 day permit reserved. The day prior to our departure, the weather changed and we had to rethink our plans. Looking for a hike we could knock out before the weather moved in we decided on White Mountain Peak. It was a nice, easy hike as there is an old 4×4 road to the summit and we made it to the top in only 3 hours. The weather looked good as we set off back down, but within 45 minutes there were ominous clouds around us and lightning on the next ridge along. The hike became a trail run to get over the final saddle on the ridge and descend to safety.
After the hike we stopped in at the Patriarch Grove to see the largest Bristlecone Pine in the world. The White Mountains are also home to Methuselah, another Bristlecone Pine recognized as the oldest non-clonal tree in the world (just shy of 5000 years old). To protect Methuselah they do not identify which tree it is.
