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

I am preparing to hike Whitney for the first time next weekend. I've been using all the great information on this site and it has been super helpful. Thanks to everyone on here for making this such a great resource! This is my first post so far and I have 2 questions for my trip:

1) I am planning on camping at Horseshoe Meadow Friday night before a Sunday hike to acclimatize before camping at the Portal on Saturday night. How fast does Horseshoe Meadow fill up and what time should I be there by in order to secure a campsite?

2) The campsite I was able to reserve at Whitney Portal appears as though it might be quite a hike from the Trailhead. Is it possible (as well as advisable) to swap this for one of the Walk up Backpacker sites that are closer to the Trailhead?

Just hoping to tap some of the experience/expertise on this site.

I am no expert but over Labor Day weekend we camped at Horseshoe Meadows/Cottonwood Lakes. There is a one-night restriction in the walk-in camp areas where we were and by 1 pm the Cottonwood side was like a little community so... we headed over to the Horseshoe Meadows side. Less people, nice spacing between the sites and yes, we even had choices, even on Labor Day. Again, this was the "one-nighter" area which, to me, seemed to be more heavily used than other sections. So, if you are hunting for a multiple night site and are on the Horseshoe side (and it NOT being Labor Day), I would have to surmise that you will easily obtain a nice campsite without needing reservations whenever you arrive this time of year. Any differing opinions?

Some of the reserved campsites are a bit down the road. So if you're staying there, the morning of your entry you'll have to pack up and drive up and park near the trailhead. This parking lot is the same place you'd be parking if you stayed at the walkup sites.

So you're not saving any distance.

Also, even if the reserve sites are farther away, THEY'RE RESERVED! The walkup sites are not. Big difference between knowing you have a site for the night, and hoping you have a site for the night.

Yes! stay in your reserved spot where you have your own bear box! your stuff will be there when your done.Drive up & park at the trail head. remember to clean out your car. its easier to do this at your own baer locker.

As noted earlier, the family campground is about 2/3 of a mile from (give or take) and about 300 feet below the trailhead, but you can park closer to the trailhead when you hike. It definitely is worth the drive to park near the trailhead as long as your vehicle is cleaned out.