White Mountain (California)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

White Mountain
White Mountain from trail, June 2004
Elevation	14,252 feet (4,344 metres)
Location	California, USA
Range	White Mountains
Prominence	7,196 ft (2,193 m)^[1]
Coordinates	37°38′04″N 118°15′17″W / 37.63444, -118.25472Coordinates: 37°38′04″N 118°15′17″W / 37.63444, -118.25472
Topo map	USGS White Mountain Peak
Type	Sedimentary rock
Easiest route	Road hike

White Mountain, or White Mountain Peak, is the highest peak of the White Mountains of the US state of California. It is also the highest peak in Mono County and the third highest peak in the state, after Mount Whitney and Mount Williamson. It is the fourteenth most topographically prominent peak in the contiguous United States.^[1]

The University of California operates the White Mountain Research Station, comprising three high altitude research stations, on the mountain: Crooked Creek Station at 10,200 feet (3,100 m), Barcroft Station at 12,500 ft (3,800 m), and a small summit station. These stations study the effects of altitude on animal physiology.

One weekend each year the White Mountain Research Station opens the locked gate at 11,680 feet (3,560 m) that leads to Barcroft Station. The normal round trip hike from the gate is about 14 miles (23 km) round trip with less than 3,000 feet (900 m) of vertical gain. The open gate shaves about 4 miles (6 km) and 500 ft (150 m) of gain off the round trip. This route is often ridden with mountain bikes and has even been negotiated on a unicycle.

If the peak is California's easiest fourteener via the jeep road, it may be the most strenuous via its western ridge, an 8,150 ft (2,500 m) climb out of Owens Valley via a steep ridge from the end of a rough road. The peak is rarely approached from the north where it is guarded by a narrow arête or knife-edge ridge. A better nontechnical alternative to the jeep road would be to drive as far as possible up Leidy Canyon from Fish Lake Valley, then take a graded cattle trail up the broad ridge to Perry Aiken Flat. From the flats it is an easy traverse south into the cirque of the North Fork, North Branch of Perry Aiken Creek. A moderate scramble up the ridge between the North Branch and the larger cirque of the main North Fork leads to the easier upper slopes of the peak.