Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Clarification please: how to get MR dayhike permit

After reading several posts here and on Summit Hut, my Mt Whitney book, and a few .gov website pages, I'm still not sure how to go about getting a permit to day-hike the Mountaineer's Route this coming August (2010).

Can I apply for a reservation (like the overnight folks do?), must I subject myself to the lottery (like the main trail folks do?), or do I just have to show up and hope there are permits available (like the lucky folks do?)?

I can't afford to drive up hoping to get a permit, or wait around until one's available.

All insights and advice welcome - many thanks!

Hi please go to the Front page of our site and click permit info , this links to the Inyo National Forest site and today they just posted dates now open after the lottery ,so many many days are open , several years ago the Main Whitney Trail and the North Fork are the same DAY permit , overnight is different .Thanks Doug

Dayhiking the MR is subject to the lottery, which is already over for 2010 (lottery applications only accepted during February).

Take a look at this link, which should reflect an April 1 update by the time you see this and click on it. Read all the info on the page, as well as noting the spaces available each month for dayhikes (and overnights -- there are separate calendars for both kinds of hikes for each month). It also talks about the timing and availability of being able to reserve these unreserved permits.

Hope this helps.

CaT

Holy Crad- June 30 has 78 available but then you hit July and there's nothing! I'm sort of working on a Big Deal Adventure that would involve a Whitney day hike. Looks like it better be in June!

July dayhike spots remaining:

July 1 - 56
July 5 - 4
July 6 - 43
July 7 - 32
July 8 - 5
July 13 - 1

So don't write off July just yet.

On the other hand, August dayhikes are totally "sold out" on all days.

There is a lot of non-weekend availability in September (early September is personally my favorite time to do Whitney - no bugs, no daily afternoon thunderstorms, usually very decent weather).

CaT

I think they're still updating the numbers. I swear that all of July was zeros for dayhikes earlier today. July 1 looks good for my trip so I guess I'd better plan to send in my application for the April 21 "second chance" permits.

jscot, here's another helpful link:

http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthreads.php/topics/20/Wilderness_Permit_Options#Post20

Thanks guys. Yeah, I see how it works now. As a result, I'm now doing an overnight in late June - which is better anyway, since I want to summit Russell on the same trip (and maybe now will add Carillon on as well).

My climbing partner's wife is a little concerned with possible winter weather, so.. tips on being best prepared, and/or easing her mind are greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!

That would be a real trifecta! From IcBg Lake the trail to Russell east ridge goes right by Carillon. Don't be tempted on the way up, because Russell might be more than you planned for, but pick off Carillon on the way down.. it is awesome in its own way. (email me and I can send you the GPS coords, or a PDF withthe use-trail marked on it).

Don't take any NooBs up Russell's kniferidge; but if they have no problems at all on the MR then they will do OK on Russell E Arete; it is longer and much more exposed than the MR, less steep, but certainly more dangerous. Carillon will be a cake walk afterwards.

Of course, another option is to do the MR, come down it, and go to the Whitney/Russell col and do the S. Face of Russell and come down the E. Arete (instead of going up it and back down it). I got stumped on this route late fall last year and will try it again in this August. But this scenario misses the best part of all the above, namely going up the E. Arete of Russell... it is not to be missed!
cheers,

Thanks for the insights and offer, Melville1955! Your idea to head up south side chute of Russell (and then down East Arete, or over to Carillon) sounds good, and I'll defintiely take you up on the offer for GPS coords, and trail-marked PDF.

We weren't planning on taking ropes, and though both of us have top-roping experience, we're not rock climbers, so... since I've read that, at the top of the south chute of Russell there are spots where, if route not chosen carefully, you can end up having to do some class 5 moves, but that... a class 3 route (or two) exists. Can anyone share first hand experience about this?

Many many thanks to Whitney Portal Store for hosting this site, and to all who help others have fun and stay safe.