Mt Whitney Zone Forums Reference Orientation Notes for Whitney first timers

Here are some posts from other members on picking airports: flying in from east, flight options, and more info.

Your primary airport options lie to the north and to the south of Lone Pine. (You can use airports to the west such as OAK, SJC, SFO, FAT, SMF, or MOD, but the trip to Lone Pine is longer, as noted in Driving in from the west). You have a lot more airport options if you come in from the south, but the terrain is mostly desert and can get HOT on summer days (particularly in Death Valley). The route from Reno is longer but is generally at higher elevations and more scenic. You also can make stops in Lee Vining or Mammoth Lakes and make side trips to Mount Dana and Yosemite NP (if Tioga Road is open). AAA members can also get information on the area between Bridgeport and Lone Pine with their Eastern Sierra Guide map.

There also is limited bus service from Reno Airport to Lone Pine as well as transportation connections further south. For more information see Using bus/train service. You would still need to work out transportation to the Portal from Lone Pine. Whitney Portal is about 12 miles west of (and about 4,600 feet higher than) Lone Pine.

Here are the approximate distances of various airports from Lone Pine along with some airport information links. I stopped at Palm Springs, since it is about the same distance away as Reno. I also included some general aviation airports that are closer than Inyokern. As noted in the other posts, the driving times are affected by a number of factors besides distance. I-405 and I-5 can get pretty jammed during rush hour, and I-15 can get a lot of traffic as well. For additional information on California freeway exits see Exit Numbering.

Commercial airport north of Lone Pine
  Reno (RNO) - 257 miles (US-395)

Commercial airports south of Lone Pine
  Inyokern (IYK) - 70 miles (US-395)
  Bakersfield (BFL) - 165 miles (Cal-178, Cal -14, US-395)
  Burbank (BUR) - 197 miles (I-5, Cal-14, US-395)
  Ontario (ONT) - 197 miles (I-10, I-15, US-395)
  Los Angeles (LAX) - 215 miles (I-405, I-5, Cal-14, US-395)
  Las Vegas (LAS) - 224 miles (I-215, I-15, Nev-160, Cal-190, Cal-136, US-395)
  Long Beach (LGB) - 232 miles (I-405, I-5, Cal-14, US-395)
  Orange County (SNA) - 237 miles (I-405, Cal-55, Cal-91, I-15, US-395)
  Palm Springs (PSP) - 259 miles (I-10, I-15, US-395)

General aviation airports
  Lone Pine (O26) - 1 mile
  Independence (2O7) - 16 miles (US-395)
  Bishop (BIH) - 60 miles (US-395)

Eastern Sierra Transportation Authority provides limited bus service up and down US-395. There is limited bus service between Reno Airport and Lone Pine. The Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) also provides bus service between Merced and Mammoth Lakes via Yosemite National Park when Tioga Pass is open. Check out the following links: Eastern Sierra Transportation Authority, CREST Lone Pine-Reno, YARTS. For hiker shuttle service in the Lone Pine area, look at the following links:   Bob E/Mount Whitney Shuttle,  Mammoth Shuttle, John Pennington and Dave Sheldon, Wilderhouse Shuttle, High Sierra Transportation. NOTE: The shuttle services are only accessible certain times of the year, so don't be surprised if you cannot reach anybody months in advance of your date.

To find out more about other mass transit systems in California go to the California Transit Links web site. See Sea To Summit for information on a member's trip south using Kern Regional Transit and Metrolink. You can also take the Metropolitan Transit Authority trains on the Red Line, the Blue Line, and the Green Line to get to a shuttle stop for LAX, and now there is Flyaway bus service between Union Station and LAX.

The route from Reno is at higher elevations than the southern route, and the route is more scenic than the desert route to the south. US-395 starts at around 4500 feet in Reno and climbs as high as 8138 feet at Conway Summit just north of Mono Lake before going back down to around 4000 feet around Bishop. The highest elevations are between the California-Nevada Line and Sherwin Summit (just south of Tom's Place). Here are the approximate milages from Lone Pine of several landmarks:

Here are links to several attractions along the way:

From the Ontario Airport area, the route is urban until I-15 starts gaining elevation. Once you go over Cajon Pass, the remaining route up US-395 is mostly desert with only a few places to stop for gasoline (also parts of the road are two-lane highway). There are gas station/convenience stores at Pearsonville, Coso Junction, and Olancha. Stop at the Interagency Visitors Center to pick up your wilderness permits as well as get general information on other attractions in the area. Here are the approximate distances of several landmarks from Lone Pine.

From Bob Hope/Burbank Airport, I-5 north (Golden State Freeway) merges with Cal-170 (Hollywood Fwy), crosses the 118 freeway, merges with I-210, and merges with I-405 (San Diego Fwy) before the exit to Cal-14 (Antelope Valley Fwy). From LAX, I-405 crosses two other freeways before merging with I-5 (Note: from rental car agencies you can also take Airport Blvd north, turn right on La Tijera, and left on I-405 to avoid a lot of airport traffic). All the freeways can be jammed during rush hour. Once you get on the 14 freeway, you leave LA and enter Santa Clarita before going into less developed canyon areas after Sand Canyon Road. As you approach Palmdale, the route leaves the mountains and becomes desert the rest of the way. Mojave is the last major stop before Lone Pine and is where the freeway becomes a desert highway (now mostly four lanes, but still with several two-lane stretches by Inyokern and Olancha). Red Rock Canyon SP is a popular OHV area (and there is an info station at Jawbone Canyon). Route 14 eventually merges with US-395 after Inyokern Airport. Here are the approximate distances of several landmarks from Lone Pine.

It is not any shorter coming from the west side of the Sierra Nevada than from Ontario Airport. Of the three commercial airports in the SF Bay area (SFO, SJC, OAK), Oakland is the easiest to access. The shortest route from the SF Bay area is Cal-120, and in 2005 it was closed until June 24 (from the winter snow). Cal-108 through Sonora Pass is also closed in the winter, but it usally opens earlier in the spring (Check the CalTrans road condition link for the current condition of the highway. Also look at Route 108 for more tips). The most reliable route is to head south and take Cal-58 through Tehachapi, since that route is mostly freeway and four-lane highway, and any winter storm effects are only temporary. Of course, you have to go out of your way for that convenience (see quickest route from SF).

Yosemite National Park has some beautiful views along the way. If you go that route (and pay a $20 park entry fee), you might as well add 34 miles to your trip and visit Yosemite Valley if you have the time (by going straight at Crane Flat).

Here are some approximate milages from Lone Pine for Cal-120 starting with the freeway exit in Manteca (east of Oakland and south of Sacramento).

Here is the general layout of Main Street in downtown Lone Pine (Note: The data was based on an unofficial visual survey taken in December 2005 and does not include every storefront in the business district). Aside from Statham Way, Tim Holt, and Gene Autry, most of the street names are listed on the right side of the map. The only traffic signal is located at Whitney Portal Road (about 0.2 mile south of the 58-mile marker on US-395 for Inyo County).

                               DOWNTOWN LONE PINE
                                    (north)
                                       |
                                       |  Sierra View MH & RV Park
                                       |  Frosty Chalet (closed)
                                       +--------------------------- BEGOLE
                Carl's Jr. Restaurant  |  Dave's Auto Parts
                     & Shell Gasoline  |  El Dorado Savings Bank
STATHAM WAY ---------------------------+--------------------------- LOCUST
                    Mt. Whitney Motel  |  Mobil Gasoline
           ----------------------------+--------------------------- WILLOW
                 Lone Pine Budget Inn  |  
                       (760-876-5655)  |  Double L Bar
                Lone Pine Thrift Shop  |  Lone Pine Drug Store
           ----------------------------+--------------------------- BUSH
                        Lloyd's Boots  |  Silver Star Real Estate
                      Expresso Parlor  |
                        Jake's Saloon  |  
                     Lone Star Bistro  |
                    Subway Restaurant  |  Bonanza Mexican Rest.
           ----------------------------+--------------------------- MOUNTAIN VIEW
              Joseph's Bi-Rite Market  |  Gardner True Value/SpGds  760-876-4208
                           Totem Cafe  |  Wild West Show Gallery
                  Indian Trading Post  |  Old Lone Pine Hotel
                                       |  Slater Sporting Goods     760-876-5020 
                                       |  Elevation Mountaineering  760-876-4560
(to Portal)<===========================X--------------------------- WHITNEY PORTAL
               Mt. Whitney Restaurant  |  Seasons Restaurant
                                       |  Merry Go Round Restaurant
              Lone Pine Rocks & Gifts  |  Lone Pine Sporting Goods  760-876-5365
           Alabama Hills Cafe <=       |  Whitney Portal Hostel     760-876-0030
           ----------------------------+--------------------------- POST
                        Pizza Factory  |  Historic Dow Hotel &
                      Bakery (closed)  |  Dow Villa Motel
TIM HOLT   ----------------------------+
                             Car Wash  |  High Sierra Café(closed)
                         Portal Motel  |  
GENE AUTRY ----------------------------+
                            McDonalds  +--------------------------- MUIR
                         Trails Motel  |  Lone Pine High School
                                       |  Mt Whitney Admin Office
           ----------------------------+--------------------------- INYO
                Lone Pine Film Museum  |
                                       |

To the south there are more services such as:
   Best Western Frontier Motel                 (about 1 mile from center)
   Comfort Inn                                 (1¾ miles)
   Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitors Center  (2 miles)
   Mount Whitney Golf Course

You also can get information on the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce page. People can now get permits at the Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitors Center.

There are about 10 restaurants as well as a couple of saloons in Lone Pine. Note: The High Sierra Café (formerly PJ's) is closed. The Mount Whitney Restaurant has a lot of b&w photos on the wall from the movie days. As for restaurant chains, there are Pizza Factory, Subway, McDonalds, and Carl's Jr restaurants in town. See Best Food in Lone Pine for a more complete list. There also is a small supermarket in Lone Pine (Joseph's Bi-Rite) if you need to buy groceries.

Note: The Whitney Portal Hostel is now open in downtown Lone Pine. There are several posts on the subject of lodging in Lone Pine such as Lodging Recommendations. A topic in 2003 has a list of motels and phone numbers in a post near the bottom, and the Chamber of Commerce site has a LP Lodging page. The Comfort Inn is the newest motel but it is not in the center of town. The Best Western Frontier Inn is on the southern edge of town and has good reviews posted by members on other topics. The Dow Villa Motel is right in the center of town and also has good reviews (Note: Please do not confuse the Dow Villa Motel with the Historic Dow Hotel even though they are next to each other and have the same owners. As noted on the Dow Villa web page, the hotel is not AAA rated and the historic rooms are not air conditioned).

Whitney Portal Road starts at the traffic light in Lone Pine and gains about 4,600 feet in about 12 miles of road as you head west. The rise is very subtle at first, since the terrain is at a fairly constant slope of about 300-400 feet per mile. (It is easy to think that you are level, until you try accelerating, plus you will need to watch your downhill speed when coming back). When you reach the end of the Owens Valley, the road traverses across the first cliff face (right for almost a mile and then left) and then enters the canyon leading to Whitney Portal along Lone Pine Creek. The main Whitney Portal Campground is about two-thirds of a mile from the trailhead and the WPS. Beyond the WPS there is a day use parking loop for Portal visitors. On the left side of the trailhead area there is parking for hikers and backpackers (and the walk-in camp area). See the next two sections for more information on the Portal area.

Here are the approximate distances of several landmarks from US-395 in Lone Pine.

You can learn more about individual sites in the Whitney Portal Campground at the Recreation.gov web site. The family campground is about two-thirds of a mile down the road from the Whitney Portal facilities as you can see on the Recreation.gov map:

Note: there are several errors on the Recreation.gov Web site:

• The name of the creek should be Lone Pine Creek.
  
• The S-curve [with two 180 degree turns] in the road is just past the group campground.
  
• Only the reservable sites are shown on the map (the FCFS sites are not displayed).

Some sites are larger than others, and several sites do not have a lot of space for tents (and are designed for short RVs. See additional discussion on campsites). Some sites are also not reservable (About 18 sites are first come first served. Note: Just because they are FCFS does not mean that all sites will be available on any given day. Most people stay at least two nights. There are also 10 walk-in backpacker sites located across from the trailhead that are first come first served, if there is no room in the campground). Each site has a picnic table and a fire pit. Most sites also have a small charcoal grill (I did not see one in three sites, but there could be more without one). There are water spigots in several locations, but the only restroom facilities are pit toilets (that were installed in 2003). There are no electrical hookups. The only shower in the area is two-thirds of a mile up the road at the WPS, and the pay phone at the store is on a shared phone line.

In 2013, more walk-in sites were built, just below the backpacker overflow lot. See this description: Sleeping in your car at Whitney Portal

The Recreation.gov site states that the bear boxes are 18" high, 18" deep, and 50" long, but they were upgraded about the same time the new pit toilets were installed (2003). The new boxes look the same as the boxes that were originally installed in the group sites and the outside dimensions are about 30" high, 34" deep, and 48" long. The old boxes could barely hold a medium sized ice chest, but the newer boxes should have enough room to store your toiletries and scented items as well as your food. You definitely want to make sure that your bear box is properly latched since bears are very active in the area. In 2004 they got in one of the boxes that was not properly latched and somebody reported a missing camera.

After the campgrounds, the road switches back twice in a S-curve before heading toward the Portal area. As you approach the Portal, you will see parking on your left, along with signs to the backpacker area. The Mount Whitney Trail trailhead is on the right side of the road and the Whitney Portal Store is located just past the trailhead. At the WPS, the road becomes a one-way loop around a pond. The loop crosses the main outlet from the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek, loops to the left by the old trailhead, and comes back around next to the main part of Lone Pine Creek (on the south side of the pond). There, you can view the cascading waterfalls on the creek.

At the Whitney Portal Store grill, you can get a huge "10 inch" pancake for about $3 and get eggs for a few dollars more at breakfast time. For lunch and dinner you can get hot dogs, burgers, and chicken sandwiches. The burgers are huge, come with fries, and cost around $8. The chicken sandwiches also come with fries and cost about $9. The store hours are posted on the WPS home page.

May 2006 Update: The store hours listed on the home page should be correct in 2006. They changed in 2004, and in July 2005 the hours were 8 am to 8 pm (with grill orders ending at 6:45 pm). You can see a 2005 post on Portal Store/Food and a post on WPS showers.

Aside from the grill, the food items in the store are mostly cold beverages (including beer), energy bars, and snacks. (Note: Fountain beverages are no longer available). On our last trip, we did not bring along a lot of food and ate all of our evening meals at the Whitney Portal Store grill. It was a lot more convenient considering the bear activity in the area. The store also sells "last minute supplies for hiking, camping, fishing, and related items for the portal visitors" and rents out bear canisters.