Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Winter Access Forum Portal accessibility

I'm considering taking a trip up Lone Pine Peak in a few weeks on my way up to Mammoth, and had some questions regarding getting to Whitney Portal.
1st, how far down is the road closure sign from the Portal?
2nd, Is it possible to drive past the sign, if so any idea how close one can get?
3rd, Is it ok to park along the street at the sign or were the snow cut off is??

thanks

The road closure is right where the road leaves the desert and starts up the mountain. I don't recall the exact mileage, but the elevation is roughly 6500 feet. The road closure is nothing more than a sign standing in the middle of the road. You can drive around it. There is a huge parking area right at the "road closed" sign. There are several pullouts on the road above that, which should be fine for parking year round. As to how far you can get, it all depends on your vehicle and how much it has snowed/avalanched recently. I drove all the way to the portal last month before the recent series of storms. The year before the road was covered by avalanche debris at the first switchback.

Cool,
Thanks Steve, hopefully I will have some time to check it out. If not hope to at least check it out for a trip a few weeks later.