Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Horseshoe Meadows

Anyone know how many campsites are located at Horseshoe Meadows? I would like to camp there for several days while acclimating by taking day hikes in the area. My usual routine for acclimating is several days in the Horseshoe Meadows area, then a hike or two up to Lone Pine Lake. I then go over to the Bristle Cone Pine trails in the morning,hike that four mile trail followed by the drive up to the White Mountain trail head. Spend the night at the trail head at 12,000' then trek to the summit in the morning. Did that last year and it was just awesome. One day rest, followed by the Whitney hike with no problems with altitude. Thanks in advance.

I remember about 10 campsites being there, although the Forest Service website says there are 18. They may rotate them to lessen impact. The downside for you is that there is a 1 night stay limit and the fee is $6. It has a reduced stay limit due to the fact that this one of the most heavily used trailhead areas in the Sierra.

There are about 30 sites if you include Cottonwood Pass, Cottonwood Lakes and the Equestrian site, which cost more.

I've been going up there for about 7 years and I have yet to be shut out, close a couple of times. However, I've seen people camped in locations which are not campsites. Let's put it this way the forest service isn't real active in the area.

To assure a site on a Friday be up there by 5 PM, it does fill up with late arrivals.

Bill

How about any other camp sites up out of the heat of Owens Valley. Last summer we stayed at the Diaz Lake campground and between L.A. party folks and the heat, and the fact that they have one solar shower for the entire place, it was not a good experience. Also stayed at Lone Pine Creek campground on the Portal road, but way too hot. Thanks in advance!

We had a rude surprise when we were picking up our permit at the Lone Pine Ranger Station last Thursday. The ranger who was putting the permits out in the night pickup box saw my <a href="http://gary.mggm.net/camper" target="photos">pickup truck/camper</a> and said that RV's are not allowed at Horseshoe Meadows.

I never saw these rules on their website nor on the info sheets at the ranger station. Is this a new rule? After much discussion, and since we had driven 5 hours to get there, she "allowed" us to go this time provided that didn't sleep in the camper because "self contained vehicles" aren't allowed at Horseshoe Meadows.

She also tried to tell us that we couldn't get up Horseshoe Meadow Road with an RV because of the switchbacks. We pointed out that this is a 4wd pickup, not an RV, and has no problems on 4x4 roads in the desert and ought to be able to handle a paved road.

If we hadn't arrived as they permits were being put outside for night pickup we never would have known about this new "rule". Has anyone else ever heard of this?

However, in the end we had an easy drive up the well paved road and a very nice weekend and no one hassled us about leaving the pickup at the TH while we camped at Cottonwood Lakes and climbed Langley.
--GaryM

It's too bad when the rangers try to exert control & power beyond their authority. I had a ranger try to withhold my permits from me because she insisted I could not complete a 30 mile hike in 3 days. Give me a break! So I had to spent 10 minutes convincing her that I knew what I was doing. She then gave me my permits. And I did finish the hike in 3 days easily.

I think that they may be trying to protect us from ourselves.

Thanks for giving me a chance to vent my frustrations.

Gary,

First they have to have a ranger go up to Horseshoe Meadow to enforce this rule. Personally, I haven't seen one in the last 2 or 3 years checking the campgrounds.

I have seen people sleep in the back of their trucks, on the asphalt next their vehicles and next to the bathroom which is nowhere near a campsite.

This was just someone who thinks they have a bit more power than you. You might have asked this person if they were personally going up there to enforce this rule.

Bill