So my girlfriend got permits to do Whitney for July 2nd-4th and I wanted to do it from big horn plateau as opposed to starting from portal. Anyone know the mileage from big horn? How many days would you all suggest we need? We would be able to start out the 30th of june so we would have 5 days up there. Also any suggestions for areas to acclimate to the elevation or would starting at big horn be enough time?

It's about 14 miles from Big Horn Plateau to the summit of Mt. Whitney. In terms of the timing it's more a matter of how your getting to the Big Horn Plateau since the Big Horn Plateau I aware of is a long ways from any trail head. You might consider coming in over Kearsarge Pass and heading south to Whitney or coming from the south going in at the Cottonwood Lakes trail head. The logistics would be easier at Kearsarge.. Personally I would leave my car at Whitney Portal and hitch a ride (or pay for a shuttle) from there to Independence and then up to Onion Valley were the Kearsarge trail head is. A night at the campground in Onion Valley at 9200' would be good for acclimation.

Good Luck

Edited by amrowinc on 05/24/2012 15:59:00 MDT.

I don't understand how your question relates to your girlfriend getting permits to do Whitney.
Aren't permits trail specific ?

Is your girlfriends permit for the Whitney Main Trail or for a westside approach? Makes a big difference, if it's for the Main trail then you don't have apermit to come from anywhere else. But, if you want to go by way of Bighorn Plateau, the shortest route to get to Bighorn is Shepherd Pass. 2 days from the Shepherd Pass trailhead should put you at Bighorn, and you can be at the Whitney summit in a day from there, with another day to get to the Portal - although you could do Bighorn to the portal by way of the summit in one long day if you are in shape for it.

Acclimatization depends on you and how you handle altitude. A night at 7 or 8,000 feet before you start would be a good idea.