Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Lottery for permits

I'm sure that this question has probably been asked a kazillion times already, but here it is for the kazillion plus one more time . . . The lottery postmark parameters are Feb.1-Feb.15. When the requests are received, are they just thrown in to a big bucket? Are they stirred and mixed around before opening? Any insight would be very helpful. We've been lucky in getting a day pass every year for the past 3 years - was just wondering how it all worked. Thanks!

> The lottery postmark parameters are Feb.1-Feb.15.

Actually, requests arriving Feb 16 - 28 are also accepted, only they have a lower chance of being successful.

> When the requests are received, are they just thrown in to a big bucket?

Not sure what the actual container looks like. But there are thousands of requests, so a "big bucket" wouldn't be big enough.

> Are they stirred and mixed around before opening?

The INF website says several times that the applications are "stirred" to assure random order.

You haven't been lucky. Thank is just the way thinks are...day hike permits are under no pressured during the lottery, except the summer holiday weekends.

If I were a day hiker I would not even enter the lottery. I'd wait until I had a better read on the winter and call the day the leftovers are available. I've been to Whitney Portal on 4th of July Weekend a few times...in '05 after a big winter it was a ghost town. A few years earlier after a mild winter it was like they were giving stuff away.

wbtravis5152- I had not thought about it that way. We would prefer an August pass, especially this year with all of the snow (we aren't keen on snowhiking). Waiting isn't too risky? Thanks ahead for your input!

I've been looking at the leftovers day hike permits for years, the only consistent weekends selling out are the holiday weekends. Beyond that one or two others. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

All I'm saying is that what would do if I were a day hiker. I haven't made a reservation on a Inyo backpacking trip in 5 years...including two trips to Mt. Whitney. In that time frame, I have had to alter my plans once.

Here the link to what was left over after all was said and done last year http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/whitneyavail.shtml

Thanks again. I think we just might follow your suggestion. I love this board . . . so informative and everyone is so friendly.

Actually, WBT, dayhikes are pretty much fully booked during the lottery process for July and August. I am not sure what those numbers are on the INF site -- they don't match very well with what I recorded in the Unused Whitney Permits 2007 thread. This year, I'll add another column showing the post-lottery number.

Nevertheless, it IS correct to assume that day hike permits are available without reservation the day before the hike on practically any day, due to the large number of cancellations and no-shows.

Steve,

I've checked every year since the lottery and the dates available page was instituted. It has been very consistent, the holiday weekends and a few other Saturdays are sold out from the lottery, the rest of the dates are open.

Backpacking permits are gonzo between 4th of July and Labor Day. In a slow year there might be a total of 4 permits leftover in this period.