lee vining and whitney - march 2017

I will be doing a trip with a guide in Lee Vining and then Whitney in mid march 2017. I will need to rent a vehicle. Ill be at Lee Vining ice climbing for 2 days, then to Bishop and Whitney portal for a mountaineering class.

I need to rent a vehicle. Renting something with 4wd will be very expensive. Will it be necessary? Will I be OK with a standard car? Thoughts?

If you are renting in Reno it should be easy to rent an AWD like a Subaru Outback or similar. With AWD you will avoid the potential need for tire chains. Highway 395 is kept in very good condition and, typically, 24-48 hours after a storm clears much of the asphalt will be snow free. That said, I recommend you have AWD. Also, the roads that access the ice climbing in Lee Vining and June Lakes can easily be snow covered. (Hey, if you want to ice climb you should be hoping for cold temps.)

If you have not made flight arrangements, I recommend you consider flying into Reno. You will have a 2.5-3 hour drive to Lee Vining, but it is MUCH better than driving from the San Francisco Bay Area.

I hope this helps. Will you be looking for ice climbing partners?

John

It's possible, in March, that chains could be required on 395. That's hit or miss, depending on the weather when you're there.

Have fun. I recommend Murphey's Motel in Lee Vining!

I say wait till a few days prior. Like the above comment, it can be hit or miss. I've driven up to the areas in a Jetta in March with no issues.

Thank you and thank you. I'm booked at Murphys already ;). I'll wait till much closer to the date to make the call on vehicle.

John Vanek wrote:If you are renting in Reno it should be easy to rent an AWD like a Subaru Outback or similar. With AWD you will avoid the potential need for tire chains. Highway 395 is kept in very good condition and, typically, 24-48 hours after a storm clears much of the asphalt will be snow free. That said, I recommend you have AWD. Also, the roads that access the ice climbing in Lee Vining and June Lakes can easily be snow covered. (Hey, if you want to ice climb you should be hoping for cold temps.) If you have not made flight arrangements, I recommend you consider flying into Reno. You will have a 2.5-3 hour drive to Lee Vining, but it is MUCH better than driving from the San Francisco Bay Area. I hope this helps. Will you be looking for ice climbing partners? John

I actually didn't see this post earlier. Thank you. Yes flying into Reno. I am actually flying into Reno, driving to Lee Vining for 2 days of ice with AAI, then to Bishop for a 5 day mountaineering class on Whitney with AAI, then a day off. The driving to Vegas and doing 2 days in red rock, also with AAI. My wife is taking the kids on a trip with her folks and told me to go do something...so I am :) I am new to ice climbing but I plan on getting in a couple of days with folks here in the North East before March.

Excellent! Good climbing.

John