Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Portal Campground in a motorhome

Hi folks,

I have a few questions about camping at Whitney Portal Family Campground with a 30' motorhome...

• I really like the looks of campsite 17. Recreation.gov says Max Length = 28'. I assume that's the length of the paved pad. We have camped in many campsites that said our RV was too long, but we've always been able to let the back of the RV protrude out beyond the end of the pad. There's 10' of RV behind the rear axle, so we only need 20' of pad to have all wheels on the pad. Can we do that at campsite 17? How far is that tree from the end of the pad?
  
• The campground map on Recreation.gov shows that campsite 17 is at the end of a dead-end road. Is there enough space at the end of the road for us to turn our RV around (even if it requires a 3-point turn, or 5-point, or 10-point)?
• When I use Google StreetView to look at the first turn-off into the campground, there's a sign saying "Campsites 39-44". But the campground map shows sites 17 & 19 on the same road, beyond those campsites. Is the sign wrong? Is that really where to turn for campsites 17 & 19?

Thanks for your help!

Hey CampsiteVactionlover.

First off, the map that is provided by rec.gov is way off. Campsite 17 is located in the upper or main part of the campground loop not the lower loop. The section where you see campsite 17 located, is the the lower campground loop and has sites 39 to 44, and yes, that is a dead end road.

Also note, when you look at campsite 31, there is a road that decends from the main Portal road down to the campground loop. That road is a closed road, used by the forest service or camphost etc, so don't view it as an access road.

Finally, when you pull into the main campsite loop, the road, after several campsites turns into a oneway loop.

Take a look at the link for views of Portal Campsites: https://www.campsitephotos.com/campground/ca/whitney-portal/ (let the Portal Campsites load and select #17)

The camphosts are accommodating as long as your vehicle doesn't block the main loop road, however, I can't speak for them or the rules.

Most often it's the turn radius getting into the narrow sites and the narrow road , pick a site you can back in and worry about height clearance , the campground has a one way road and 17 is near the bottom of the loop so you have several tight turns just getting to the site Always best to park and walk in and talk to the host .You know it's 13 miles on a 9-12 % grade just to get to the campground off 395. If you have google earth pro you can drill down and see the layout of the campground.

Hi Paul. Thanks so much for this info! Wow, it's amazing that the map is that bad. I've only been able to find two maps of the campground online.
One at Rec.gov:
[img]https://photos.app.goo.gl/obnK4vHCKuJYLpJV6[/img]
and one at PerfectCamp:
[img]https://photos.app.goo.gl/r6z4pds96EEe12fX7[/img]
And they both show sites 17 & 19 on the wrong road!

Hi Doug. Thanks for your reply. Yes, I am a little concerned about making it around the loop in a 30' motorhome, but Rec.gov says some of the sites can accommodate RVs up to 35', so I assume they think it's possible to drive around the loop. I don't see any really tight turns on Google Earth, but it's always possible for a tree to be so close to the road that RV tail-swing is a problem. I'm hoping to find a phone number for a camphost or ranger that I can talk to about that.
Yes, I'm aware of the road up to the campground, and I've "virtually driven it" with Google Street View, so I'm not concerned about that. We've driven some steep and winding roads before, like going up to Cedar Breaks Nat'l Monument at 10,000'.

Here's some more questions about the map:
Why are so many sites (almost all of the even numbers) missing from the Rec.gov map?
What are the small structures along the south side of the loop road?

A little bit of history here. Prior to COVID, 2020, half the campsites were reservable and half were first come. However, that changed with COVID. Now, all the sites are reservable. The map has never been updated, and probably never will.....who knows.

As for the small structures on the south side of the road. Those are privately owned cabins that have been in families for years. Periodically, they come up for sale. However, the cabins are on federal land and have 30-year leases that are renewable.

Paul

Thanks for the explanation, Paul!

Looks like you have old maps , those even numbers sites were first come , those are gone now 100 % reservation and the structures are private cabins Campground closed for winter so no host until maybe May first , Rec .gov should list a number? we will talk with the area manager around mid April to see about opening Sorry since everything went to rec. gov we are out of the loop.

One question: Will you be towing a car with your motorhome? If so, I have some suggestions.

Paul

Nope, so if you were going to suggest that first I drive through in my tow vehicle, I'm afraid that's not an option. But thanks for thinking about me.

Just a thought.....I hope all works out.

Have you made reservations yet?

Paul

No, I haven't gotten that far in my planning yet. I only discovered this campground a week ago when I stumbled across some photos, and I was struck by how beautiful it looked. I've been trying unsuccessfully for a few years to get a reservation at Yosemite, and I thought Whitney Portal might be a good substitute with a similar feel.
What month do you think is a good choice for pleasantly warm temps during the day?

Chris
https://photos.vacationlovers.net/albums/

As a family, we started visiting the Portal back in 1955.

As you know, reservations are available 6 months from the date you want to reserve so reservations for August are beginning to be available.

Good luck

paul