Hiking White Mountain Peak Trail: Road Trips From Los Angeles

White Mountain Peak Trail, The White Mountain Wilderness of California

By Armando Ortiz

The White Mountain Wilderness hike is a visit that brought me great pleasure. Driving from Los Angeles, I took Interstate 5 north and continued on highway 14 until I eventually reached U.S. Highway 395. From there, I drove on the 395 until I reached Big Pine, CA, and soon afterward turned on highway 168, which heads east. After a few miles of climbing, I reached a slight plateau that led me to the intersection with White Mountain Road. This road takes you all the way to the White Mountain Peak Trailhead. 

It took me four hours to reach Grandview Campground, where I camped for the night. The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Visitor Center is about 15 minutes away from here, but this time does not include driving the final fifteen miles of gravel road, which can take up to an hour and a half.

One of the highlights of hiking this trail is the drive up to the trailhead, and how the terrain changes as you drive. Starting from the valley, I wound my way up to camp, driving through narrow canyons that took me through lime green pinyon groves. The road to this area is steep and winding, but the views are fantastic. Later, I learned that Native Americans seasonally lived in the pinyon sections of the mountains, harvesting the nuts inside pinecones and making homes from the bark of the tree. They also formed artificial ponds to have water accessible to them throughout the year. As you continue, pinyon trees get replaced by dark green junipers as big as oak trees, producing a purple berry that was also harvested and processed by the Paiute-Shoshone people. 

Additionally, this hike requires a car with good ground clearance to reach the trailhead. Although the dirt road to the trailhead is only 15 miles, the rocks and gravel  make it so that it takes more than an hour. So, as you plan this trip, take this into consideration. There is a camp 5 miles away from where the road turns into dirt - Grandview Campground. This place is an excellent spot for stargazing and a good rest stop.

The next morning, as I drove to the trailhead, I began to see fauna that you hardly see anywhere else in California, such as the ephedra plant, and mountain sagebrush. In addition, the juniper trees found at Grandview Campground were huge compared to other groves I saw in Utah on my visit to Zion National Park.  As these groves begin to thin out, ancient bristlecones begin to appear in small patches that top the slopes of the mountains. There is a grove of trees along this road called the Patriarch Grove that has a tree called Methuselah, and it is supposed to be 4,854 years old. You drive into an ecosystem that lives according to its own time, and its reality is far more enduring than all our lives.

Regarding the hike, make sure to pack snacks along with the 10 basic essentials for hiking. The fifteen-mile trail is a round trip hike with an elevation gain above 3,000 feet, so being well-prepared is of utmost importance. I remembered to put my phone on airplane mode to be accessible along the trail since the GPS continues to work even in airplane mode, making it convenient. Nevertheless, the trail is well defined, and seeing the directness of the path allowed me to focus on other matters.

As I started the hike, the trail’s grade was steep, but I paced myself, and all was fine. If you are unsure if you can make the hike to the top or because the fear of AMS is lingering on the back of your head, make the first section to the Research Center your goal. Then, try hiking about two more miles before you reach the high valley, where you will be granted a downward slope. 

Along this section of the trail, I occasionally spotted marmots watching my every move, and the clouds on both sides seemed out of this world. The ancient people would seasonally hike to these areas and hunt mountain sheep, processing the meat on top of the boulders laying across the ridge and valley. The brief descent was pleasant compared to the work ahead because once you hit the bottom, it will be all climbing, with the elevation increasing. Along the way, a runner passed me by, and a few minutes later a person who looked as if they had camped at the top of the mountain.

As I reached the high point at the other end of the valley, I began to see White Mountain Peak. Hiking this section feels like a dream because you feel like you’re walking on land floating in the clouds. The rocky trail that snakes itself to the top is also visible from here. Turning around, I could see the progress I’d made, enjoying views of the solitary valley that is peppered with boulders, wildflowers and unique wildlife. 

Next, I followed the trail down and soon found myself descending to the base of the ancient volcano, where I had to begin the climb once again. I ascended, and the air became crisp and thin, making breathing a conscious effort. At times I wondered if I was winded and needed to turn around, but my legs kept pushing forward. Upon reaching the point where there is an outcropping of black rock, the wind began to pick up, and I began second-guessing myself. The winds felt unusually strong, and looking around, I realized I was exposed to nature’s whims and desires. I paused for a moment, feeling the light drizzle, and could see the mountain ranges on the other side of the Owens Valley. 

I kept climbing, and the trail became rocky. The colors of the path seemed to change into darker and muted colors, black, rusty reds, and oxidized browns. I reached a point where there was a big snow patch blocking the trail, but the path took a sharp left turn, with small cairns serving as sign posts, reminding me that I was approaching a special place. The climb was steep, and at this point, I was taking breaks every couple of steps, but I knew that somehow I was nearing the top. 

Reaching the summit of White Mountain Peak, I was awestruck getting sight of melting ice forming trickling rivulets, splitting and flowing delicately towards the lower valleys thousands of feet below. This is where water originates, these mountains are sacred. But then again, our whole earth is just really a magical place. The views from here were incredible, with the Eastern Sierras in view, the southern mountain ranges I was hiking, and parts of Western Nevada. At the top. you look around and are in awe of everything. If you get near the edge, you’ll see drops that are hundreds of feet down- scary.

Driving to the trailhead takes you through many old trees, some of which look like they have been uprooted naturally, while others may have been affected by the road system that was recently built, according to human years, impacting these delicate groves. Driving through here is like a continuum into this other world, a vortex or earth ventricle of time and reality. You truly don't appreciate the sights until you drive through here and touch the trunks of these ancient ancestors. Later, as I was descending the trail, I suddenly heard the singing of a bird. As I searched for the origins of the sound, I saw a small bird with a yellow crest, and black horns. At this point, I felt like being at this high elevation was really having an effect on me. Later, I discovered that it was a horned lark greeting me along the trail. As I walked past the bird, I could see that I was actually walking on an Alpine saddle that was perfect for hunting.

Knowing that one can escape into such a different world that is actually tangible and yet so far from our daily lives makes hiking and the search for such adventures invaluable. It's one thing to visit temples and buildings that were built hundreds of years ago, but to drive through groves that are thousands of years old, to see rocks that had been in some way affected by humans that were in these areas hundreds if not thousands of years ago, made me reflect on how our interactions with nature are sacred and very special. On my return home, I did some research and found an online edition of the book Natural History of the White-Inyo Range: Eastern California published by the UC system, which provided me with valuable information in writing this piece.