Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Whitney Portal to Lone Pine

My group (4 total) is hiking the JMT (north to south) starting 8/31. We anticipate arriving at Whitney Portal on 9/22 or 9/23.

We have previously hiked Mt. Whitney and have left a car at the portal, but this time we are being dropped off in Yosemite and picked up in Lone Pine.

I'm sure we are not the first group to have this problem, but how are people getting down to Lone Pine from Whitney Portal?

Also, once off trail we would like a fresh set of clothes to change into. Are there rental lockers at the portal or in Lone Pine where we can store our personal effects ahead of time?

Thanks in advance.

Mail your stuff to the Lone Pine post office. The whole town is really small, so it's not a pain.

If you go to the parking lot below the backpackers camp at the portal, I am sure you can get picked up within an hour. Better yet, just ask around the portal for a ride.

Hitching in this area is really easy.

Good reminder to people who might not be aware--be kind to hikers!

We often hike in the vicinity of the AT (in the White Mountains in NH), so we're accustomed to seeing thru-hikers hitchhiking to (and from) town. Two weeks ago, when we were checking out the Portal the day before our hike up Whitney, we spent some time chatting with 2 pleasant PC/JMT hikers who had just come down from 3 weeks on the trail. When we asked if they wanted a ride into Lone Pine, they seemed surprised and quite delighted. Their first order of business in town was finding a pizza, so we dropped them at the Pizza Factory.

I met a JMT hiker on top (August 5) and when I exited at the trailhead after a quick bite at the store I ran into him again. He had just put his thumb out for a ride.... I hit the brakes and picked him up. In Lone Pine I gave him a tour of the town all the way out to the Inyo Vistitor's Center. He ended up checking into the Dow. So, yes, there are people who give rides to other hikers.

Paul