elevation:	14,505 feet (4,421 metres)
location:	California, USA
range:	Sierra Nevada
coordinates:	36° 34' 42.9? N 118° 17' 31.2? W
first ascent:	1873

Mount Whitney was named after Josiah Whitney, the chief 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.)

Mount Whitney is less than 90 miles from the lowest point of the United States, in Death Valley, and immediately rises just over 2 miles (~3300 m) in elevation above the floor of the Owens Valley. The Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135 mile (215 km) running race from the bottom of Death Valley and ending at an elevation of 8360 feet (2548 m) at Whitney Portal, the trailhead for Mount Whitney.

It is possible to hike up Mount Whitney from Whitney Portal. The hike is 21.4 miles (34.4 km) round trip and 6100 feet (1900 m) of elevation gain. There are two places to camp on the trail. Outpost Camp is the lower of the two, while Trail Camp lies just below a long series of switchbacks up a steep face.

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.

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