Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Portal Road Status

I'm looking to do my first Whitney ascent the weekend of April 21/22 and was hoping to get some info about the road to the portal. I've read that while it is usually "closed" in the winter, it usually becomes CLOSED for a period right before it opens while they do maintenance. Does anyone know what the road status is now and what it might be in a couple weeks?

I called the Inyo County road department, and they couldn't say exactly when they would work on it; that it depends on what other emergencies and jobs crop up. A front loader has been moved up there and they are hoping to get the road cleared in the next couple of weeks.

The gentleman I talked to asked me to pass along that the "Road Closed" sign really means the road is closed.

Sorry I can't provide a better answer.

Edit 04/18/12: Word from Inyo National Forest is that there is word from the Inyo County road department that, if all goes according to plan with road crew work schedules...

    The Whitney Portal Road should be officially opened Friday, April 27.

Hmmm...if the road was really, really closed, don'cha think they would put a gate there with $2.00 lock? Or at least a clip like they have at the closure just before White Mountain Research Station on White Mountain Rd.

Steve - Did you happen to inquire about the status of the road to Horseshoe Meadows?

Yeah as long as I can get through I'm going to go past the closure, I'm just concerned about showing up while they are doing road work in preparation for opening it up for the summer

Copied from my 3-30-12 MR TR:

The road crews have started work on the portal road. When we drove down Friday night, there was a big rock, a second sign, and some chains across the road at the "ROAD CLOSED" sign. It was much harder to squeeze by. A grader had been doing a lot of work between the signs and the first switchback. It may be tough to drive to the Portal, especially if you're on the road during daylight hours when they are actually working on it. The local authorities have tended to look the other way when climbers sneak around the sign. Please don't do anything to make them change that policy.

My group is going up the last week of April, we are looking for a backup plan if the road is CLOSED CLOSED. Are there any 14'rs close by that would be a good alternative.. we will be going up Tues morning returning Thursday evening, so we can only spend 2 nights.. any suggestions?

If you park at the road closed sign, it adds two hours to your hike, but I think you can walk up the road.

Add about 6.8 miles RT and 1,800' of gain from the car park east of the normal winter road closure.

My guess would be this is still better for your time restraints than attempting Mt. Langley via Tuttle Creek or Mt. Tyndall from Shepperd Pass.

Friends just got ticketed yesterday by the CHP for bypassing the sign and parking at the Portal.

We've all done it, but if the chippies are cracking down, and I don't know how hard core the judge is (it was the weekend and no work was being done on the road presently), it may not be worth the drive up.

Now, why would the CHP drive 26 miles to Whitney Portal then back to 395, other than to enhance the state's coffers. There is a word for this...disgusting.

So you are saying that the Chippies drove 52 miles to ensure the pubic's safety ? That is what they will say if the ticket is contested. I know, we all know, 395 never lacks for speeders.Most mountaineers and backpackers have safety foremost on their minds plus there has to be more to this story, something that would explain what looks like "abuse of power." I wonder if one of the workers complained? In simple terms, This appears to suck!

Thanks for the stats of how much it will add to our hike. I agree an extra 7 miles in two days is not that bad. In the past do they open the road early if they clear it before permit season? Cause I am sure the Portal Store guys and rangers need to get up there prior to May 1st

Don't want to get into a political discussion as politics is not why most of us participate in, or enjoy, this website. Just want to point out that there are a lot of different viewpoints on this board. Thus, if law enforcement are policing a road, some of us may see that as evidence that they are, well, doing their job.

As I said in the TR of my 3-30-12 MR trip:


I interpret the added rock, chains, and sign across the road as an indication that they don't want people driving up to the portal until they finish clearing the road. I can't find the post on WPSMB, but they were warning people back in February.

I don't like to see anybody, especially my favorite moose, get a ticket for parking at a trailhead. However, these guys are just doing their jobs. This crap about it being "disgusting" or an "abuse of power" will just make it worse. If we act like we have a right to drive around all those barricades whenever we like, the result will be more enforcement, not less.

I have to agree that you can't really blame them for wanting to make sure no one is driving through while they are doing roadwork, although tickets always suck no matter what the reason. I guess I will just have to stay optimistic that they finish up in the next 2 weeks, and suck it up and walk the extra miles if not. Either way I am super pumped for my first time on Mt. Whitney!

Thanks, Bob, but it wasn't me who got the ticket.

And, I agree, the guys are just doing their jobs. And, for further clarification, it's 13 miles from town to the Portal, so 26 RT. And, by going around the sign, we are, indeed breaking a law of some sort. I admit I've done it many, many times, but you do run the risk of citation by doing so.

Bitching about it "disgusting" is moot. BTW: the last time you were pulled over, was it justified? I know my speeding ticket, last year, was absolutely the fault of my own lead foot and good music...

Bob,

It was stated the ticket was issued by CHP. To me, CHP job is to patrol highways like 395 and our interstates. I do find it disgusting they would travel 26 miles off the beaten track to issue a parking ticket.

However, I would not feel the same way, if an Inyo Co. Sheriff issued the same ticket or if CHP chased someone up there on a violation from 395.

i have always believed the bottom line reason is - truth be told - because we are caught doing something we know darn well we shouldn't be doing in the first place.

have a great hike, no matter where you park.

for over 12 years i have worked in a street level office, at a desk with a direct view of the street, in an unicorporated area of ventura county.

in this area the california highway patrol is responsible for street / traffic related issues.

and the ventura county sheriffs department is responsible for typical "police" type issues.

both agencies appear to be complaint-based when it comes to parking citations - blocked driveways, double-parking, etc. in my experience they do not go looking to give citations willy nilly. they don't have the manpower to do so.

i find extremely unlikely that a chp officer would drive 13 one way miles on the off chance someone might be parking illegally.

likely they received a complaint.

and they did their job.