Mt. Whitney From Cottonwood Lakes

The old trail scores the head of Guitar Lake. The new bypass trail is actually much better. Stay on the new trail.

Back Among the Green

Mt. Whitney Trip from Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead. June 2000.

On a rocky knoll above Guitar Lake (with a camp nearly on the trail), I noticed the distinct trail below near the lake. There were at least two routes to this trail, one nearby and one down the trail a ways.

The beautiful lawn at the head and inlet area of Guitar Lake.

While the main higher trail should be used by hikers intent on Whitney, I decided to tour the meadow below for a few pictures. The trail below was beginning to heal, and a long section passed through a wet boggy area best avoided by hikers.

This is the view from the trail looking up towards Arctic Lake.

I decided to spare the fragile banks of the lake my footprints and made my way back to the main trail while avoiding small flowers. Where the old trail met the new was yet another small exposed camp.