Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Permit Questions

Hello all, I'm a long time WPSer back on the boards for the first time in about 5 years. It's been many years since I climbed Whitney, some of my now grown nephews have expressed interest in climbing Whitney, but to be honest I've forgotten how everything works and it looks like there is more red tape than ever. I have two questions I haven't been able to find the exact answer to (maybe I missed them), maybe some of you can help.

1. Assuming we get the date we want, Can I pick up our permit from the FS office on the day of entry or do I have to pick it up a day or so in advance of my intended entry date? Is there a way to let the FS know that I want to pick it up day of entry?

2. If, say, our entry date is for a Monday and I do have to pick up our permit on a Sunday, can we hike up to and camp at a point before the Whitney Zone begins, perhaps Lone Pine Lake, if I get a seperate permit for the John Muir Wilderness?

Thanks for your answers and sorry if these topics have been covered elsewhere. It's good to be back.

I'd call the Visitor's Center to verify this, but I believe you can ask to have your permit left in the Night Box.

You need a permit to overnight anywhere in the Inyo National Forest, so in order to camp at LPL, you would have to try and modify your permit. They won't issue you back-to-back permits either.