Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board portal camping

i'm thrilled i got my overnight permit for june 17, however, i totally forgot to reserve a campsite at the portal for june 16 to acclimate. does anyone know how difficult it might be to get a first come first served spot on a saturday? should i come up thurs or fri instead? anyone know how many first come first served sites there are?

Hi First answer is 44 total sites at the campground about 1/2 mile from the trail head 40% are first come status.

The walk in campground at the trail head is very seldom used because few know it is here. It is not on the reservation system all sites are by first come . Camping at the trail head camping saves unloading /loading twice since you will store your extra food and items in the bear lockers at the trail head area the day you arrive.

Another nice thing is if you decide using the trail head camp you will be with other hikers and at 2 AM you will avoid the lights and doors slams bothering the other campers that are not hikers. You will have a front row parking spot and start the trail without unpacking your car in the dark fighting off the bears!!

Update bears are home now . Thanks Doug

Th

I've been to whitney 6 times, and never knew this campground was there! i always camp at the group campground by the stream or the family campground. what side of the road is it on?

If you walk uphill from the overflow parking lot bathrooms towards the trailhead, you're walking through the walk-in, first-come-first-served campground.

thanks so much!