Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board high altitude camping

Hello to all!! My hiking crew and I are doing the day hike on June 24th. We have camping spots reserved at the portal the night of the 23rd.

We want to camp "up high" the nights of the 21 and 22nd. somewhere in the area....maybe even Mammoth area.

We are new to this area.....just wondering if you have any suggestions, favorite camp sites, etc that are at higher altitudes??

Thanks

I would camp closer to where you are actually hiking. The Portal itself has a nice campground where you could begin to acclimate.

If you are just screwing around and want to camp somewhere else, Mammoth or June Lake would be good but you would have a bit of a drive to get to Lone Pine area.

Bishop is a closer alternative with plenty of high campgrounds in the Upper Intakes or back-country.

Basically, there are a ton of places to get away between Mammoth and Lonepine. It all depends on what activities you are looking for.

Ordinarily, I'd recommend Horseshoe Meadows which is at 10,000'. It's near Whitney Portal (south of it), less than one hour drive. A paved road takes you all the way to the campground. Options exist for acclimization hikes in the area.

I'd easily recommend that, but not sure if all the snow on the road will be melted by then.

--Amin

My suggestions would be:
#1 - The North Fork campground out of Bishop is a good base to hike to the Lamarck Lakes and Piute Pass, or a short drive to Sabina Lake for a hike to Blue Lake and beyond;
or #2 - make the Onion Valley upper campground your base and hike to the Kearsarge Pass or Golden Trout lake.

If you can get there, Horseshoe Meadow campground is fantastic. I absolutely love it there. It is high altitude, beautiful, very well maintained, not very busy and that is just the start.

Either Whitney Portal or any of the Horseshoe Meadow Campgrounds.

Try going up to the Grandview Campground in the White Mountains (across the Owens Valley from the Sierra Nevada Mtns). Its at 9000 ft and on the way to the Bristlecone Pine Forests. Its a 'dry' campground, so you'll have to bring up all the water you'll need for your stay. Pit toilets and picnic tables. Nice and quiet. Drive north on 395 out of Lone Pine to Big Pine, take Hwy 168 east up towards Westgard Pass (168 is the road just out of the north end of Big Pine). The turnoff to the Bristlecone Pine Forest is about 12 miles up, the only paved side road. Grandview campground is about four miles up the road, and the Bristlecone Forest's vistor center, and Schulman Grove area, are at the end of the pavement another 5 miles up Even if not staying at the campground, a visit to the Bristlecone Pines, and the fantastic views across the Owens Valley to the Sierra Crest, make this a great worthwhile day trip.