I was camping at the portal last year and when we got up at 1 am the day of our hike, I found a scorpion near my tent. I couldn't believe it - it's the last thing I would have expected to see at the portal. Needless to say, my boots went inside the tent with me at night for the remainder of our stay.
I have also seen scorpions in Idyllwild, which surprised me.
