Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Where is Lone Pine Ranger Station?

I'm not sure where's Lone Pine Ranger Station that we supposed to pick up the permits?
I saw a post said it's at "across the street from McDonald's"
Can anybody verify that for me, please?.
Thanks a lot.

where's Lone Pine Ranger Station?

That would be your first route finding objective. McDonald's is a good landmark and the station is on the 'Main Trail' through town.

Thanks a lot Alpine Swine, this Aug. 1st will be my attempt to summit after my last successful one in 1978! I know where McDonald is but never know about the Ranger Station, I think I must mistakenly took the Visitor Center on 395 instead.

It's on the NE corner of Inyo & 395 before you get to McDonalds if you are coming from the south.

If you are coming from the north, you can pick up your permit at any Inyo NF ranger station.

Bill

You can only pick up your permits for Mt. Whitney at the Lone Pine Ranger Station. For any other trails you are correct. They can be picked up at any Inyo National Forest Ranger Stations.

Thanks for the heads up on the permit pick up. I just figured if the computers are networked for all the other trailheads why not the Main Trail. This would make too much sense.

I guess it's the Inyo being the Inyo ;-).

Bill

I'm betting the other stations do have the networked capability to access, print, and hand
out Main Trail permits, just like other trails. However, limiting Main Trail permits to the station in Lone Pine likely has more to do with the Lone Pine rangers' familiarity with Whitney (which rangers in other areas may not have), which would also relate to the pre-hike checklist the Lone Pine rangers go through with everyone picking up their permits. Many people hiking Whitney for the first time will, no doubt, have questions resulting from going through this pre-hike checklist; the familiarity of the Lone Pine rangers with Whitney will allow them to better address those questions than rangers in other areas.

Thank you all very much to the members that answered my questions and helped me aware of something else of that nature, I know I can depend on you guys, if you happen to see the little old, oriental looked guy on the trail on Sunday Aug.1st and/or Monday Aug.2nd that could be me.