Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion 2016: Whitney Portal parking & Road Construction: Completed

My friends and I (total 7) hiked Mt. Whitney July 27-July 29th, staying at Trail Camp the 27th and 28th. We were extremely concerned with the parking situation and ended up renting a passenger van after our shuttle service dropped us due to fear of getting stuck in traffic.
We arrived at the trail head at 4am with more than enough parking spaces available! As a matter of fact, there were only a handful of cars there when we got there; confirming what we heard at the visitor's center the day before when we grabbed our permits and wag bags- parking has not been an issue for those arriving early.
Things to keep in mind:
- Arrive before 5am to beat crowds, heat, and parking issues.
- You are only issued one wag bag a person (holds up to 3 poops), so if you are staying multiple days on the mountain and are a frequent user, you may want to consider buying extra. They sell them at the visitor's center for 3.50 a piece. We bought 2 extra a piece and we each used them all. The altitude does a wonder on your digestive track so don't go into this thinking you will hold it. You won't- and if you do- you'll be uncomfortable and it will make your hike terrible. Just keep in mind- you MUST carry it out. Don't be the guy who leaves your wagbag on the trail-nobody likes that guy.
- Marmots will tear into your wagbag (this happened to us!) so be sure to put a rock on it or hide it well when leaving camp. It's a mess to clean and the last thing you want to arrive to after an amazing summit!
- Expect afternoon rainshowers/hail storms- even when the weather shows clear with no chance of rain! We all checked the weather the morning of and it showed 0 chance of rain and we were hit hard with a storm and about an inch of hail. Luckily we all brought our gear (just in case!)
- We left the trail head at 11:30 to head back to Lone Pine and had a 30 min delay, total. Once at the beginning and once toward the end. Expect delays regardless of the time you leave. The 11-1 window we all have been reading about will still produce a delay, plan accordingly.
- START EARLY, BRING A LOT OF WATER, ELECTROLYTES, and pop aspirin if you don't live in high altitude. I had to give electrolyte tablets and water to some people who were not prepared to drink as much as they did. Always happy to help a fellow hiker but preparedness will get you to the summit, being IL-prepared will get you sick. This is especially true for the day hiker.
- Lastly, when you do get to the top- walk around the entire peak. People get excited and stay on one side-forgetting the entire world around them. Let yourself feel humbled. Enjoy what you just conquered.

Happy Trails!