Mount Chamberlin

Overview

Mount Chamberlin is a 13er located Southwest of Mount Whitney, in Sequoia National Park. It is on the SPS list. It does not receive many visits, and when it does it is usually in conjunction with ascents of Mount Newcomb, Mount Pickering, Joe Devel Peak and Mount Guyot, or a subset of these peaks.

Getting There

Hike over New Army Pass or Cottonwood Pass. From there, there are three options: 1) Head for the Perrin Creek drainage (to climb easy sand/talus routes up the West or South slopes of Mount Chamberlin). 2) Head up to Miter Basin and climb Mount Chamberlin by traversing from Mount Newcomb. This option will likely involve some 3rd class climbing. 3) Head up to Crabtree Lakes. This affords access to the steep Northern aspect of Chamberlin, featuring several technical routes.

Routes

There are several ascent options:

1. The easiest option is to climb the West or South slopes from Perrin Creek (class 1 or 2).
2. From Miter Basin, one can climb Mount Chamberlin from Crabtree Pass, by following the ridge to the summit of Mount Newcomb (class 3), and traversing from there to the summit of Mount Chamberlin (class 3). The difficulty of this option can be kept lower by dropping down on the south side of the Newcomb-Crabtree Pass ridge, and then on the traverse from Newcomb to Chamberlin to similarly drop down toward Perrin Creek below some steep cliffs that are located between the two peaks. Both options would go at Class 2-3, with routefinding that is slightly more involved than staying tn the respecitve ridges proper.
3. Finally there are options for technical climbs from Crabtree Lakes: North Face, V, 5.10a A2, North Pillar, V, 5.10, Asleep at the Wheel, V, 5.11... If you have climbed any of these, please add comments here.

Red Tape

Overnight trips in the Inyo National Forest and Sequoia National Park require wilderness permits. Consult recreation.gov for further information.

When to Climb

Chamberlin can be climbed any time of the year, conditions and access to the trailhead permitting.

Camping

There are excellent options for a basecamp in the Perrin Creek drainage, at Crabtree Lakes or in Miter Basin.

External Links

Bob Burd's Mount Chamberlin trip report.

Mount Chamberlin at Peakbagger.com.

Romain Wacziarg's June 2020 Miter Basin trip report.