Distance: ~20 miles

My rating: Strenuous

Do you want to hike one of California’s 14,000 foot peaks? Mt. Langley is long, steep, sloggy, but very accessible. It’s one of  very few CA 14ers that is Class I hiking virtually the whole way (I’d argue there was ONE Class II move when you start the slog to the peak). If you’re on the east side and don’t have a permit for Mt. Whitney, this may be a good runner-up option.

Wikipedia says it’s the southernmost 14er in the US, the 7th highest in the Sierra, and the 9th highest in the US.

My friend Carmen and I planned to meet up on a Friday evening to attempt to get walk-in permits for Whitney. We already had permits for October, but since the weather becomes very unpredictable around then, we wanted to try to hike it earlier in the summer.

Permits were gone by the time we got there, so we decided to do Langley instead. At 14,026 feet, it’s almost 500 ft shorter than Whitney, but the route we took was almost as long as the Whitney trail (22 miles). Mt. Langley ranks as the 11th highest of the fifteen 14k’ CA peaks.

We camped at Horseshoe Meadow Campground, which is around 10,000 ft in elevation. I don’t seem to notice much difference while hiking at high elevations, but many people do, so it’s a good idea to spend the night before at a high elevation so you can acclimate. We set out around 5 AM via the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead.

The first 2 miles or so are fairly flat and pretty forested. It was dark when we started, but on the way back we were able to see what we had missed in the morning. I was extremely surprised to see a bunch of donkeys behind a fence lining the trail! I didn’t know donkeys liked to roam around the tall peaks.

There are two main options when coming from the campground. At around 3-3.5 miles, you can hang a left to take the New Army Pass Trail, or go right for the Old Army pass. We went left on the New Army Pass Trail, which is a little longer of a route.

Around 4.5-5 miles, you’ll reach the first lake. For Carmen and me, this was breakfast time. The sun was coming up, and it was a beautiful view.

The second lake is right after the first. You’ll wind your way through a flat section before coming upon Long Lake around mile 6.

You’ll start climbing again around 6.5 miles, then you’ll see the last lake, High Lake. This is the last lake to filter water before the summit.

You’ll then start a steeper climb of switchbacks for about a mile. At the top, there’s a beautiful view of the lakes you just passed.

The next part was discouraging to me. You’ll walk downhill for about .5 miles, losing a lot of elevation you just worked so hard to gain. At least you have views of the Great Western Divide! 🙂

At the bottom of the hill, keep walking right, and you’ll get to the intersection of the Old Army Pass Trail. Switchback to the left, and start climbing up again. You’re still about 2.5 miles from the summit.

The final mile or so is the hardest part to me. This is the slog. It starts with the only move that I would call a class II move, where I hoisted myself up between two boulders. Then, it’s a steep and sandy/scree-filled faint path. There are HUGE cairns to mark the general trail, but you basically make your own switchbacks until you find the next cairn peeking up above your horizon.

When you finally reach the summit and empty the sand out of your shoes, you’ll be greeted with incredible views. Enjoy spotting Mt. Whitney, the Great Western Divide, and Highway 395.

We ate some lunch and procrastinated a bit, knowing we had TEN miles to go for the return trip. At least most of it is downhill.

Don’t forget the one uphill section after New and Old Army Pass split. Otherwise, the hills are much smaller on the return trip.

My feet and back started aching from the distance when we still had about 4 miles left. I was over it at that point. ☺

We were happy to get back to the campground and sit. We crashed early, got up around sunrise, and headed back to Fresno.

I’d definitely recommend this hike, and all of the variations. The scenery is beautiful. Many people opted to camp around the Cottonwood Lakes, then use a day to summit. Whatever you choose, take in the scenery, listen to your body and it’s reaction to the altitude, and enjoy a long day in nature.