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

Steve, what is the basis for your understanding that? Some official notice? If this is a "go", what does the permit applicant need to do to show he/she has transportation arranged? (Seems that a simple verbal affirmation would not be enough?)

I have Inyo N.F. contacts. (They like to get the info out to the public in as many ways as possible, and this forum helps. So passing on the info helps them.)

They are working on better-defined details regarding walk-in permits and parking. But the no-parking-permit part sounds pretty sure.

Actually, if everyone who parks up there MUST have a permit, and you don't get one, verbal affirmation should be enough.

If I get a dayhike permit in the lottery, does this mean I'll have a parking permit? How do I get one?

Dayhike permits would be good only for the (extended) day of the hike. The parking permits will have dates written on them.

You get the parking permit at the Visitor Center from the same people that hand you your hiking permit.

The first of many weekly updates...

From the Inyo N.F. Road Construction notices web page:   weekly update.

Inyo N.F. has updated their map and notes of parking at the Portal. The original PDF document is here: Map of Portal Parking

Here is the map. Click for a full-size view.


Notes from the Inyo document:

#1. Whitney Portal Campground: Group and family campground parking is limited to registered
campground guests. Vehicles must be parked within the designated parking space for their campsite.

#2. No Parking: This area is for Forest Service administrative use only. No public parking on side roads or
dirt lot.

#3. Loading and Unloading Zone: Whitney Portal Trailhead, from rockwork identifying the trailhead pedestrian
way, west to Whitney Portal Store pedestrian way is roadside loading and unloading zone where
terrain allows while maintaining a clear safety lane. Additional loading zone is located near the pedestrian
way to the fishing dock and pond.

#4. Picnic Area, Pond, and Whitney Portal Store: No parking pass is needed. Parking is permitted 6am to
8pm for spaces shaded yellow. Whitney Portal Store parking spaces are for store customers only. Day Use
Parking has 12 parking spaces for visitors using the picnic area, fishing pond, or short hikes that do not
enter the Mt Whitney Zone, like Lone Pine Lake.

#5. Hiker Parking: Parking pass required to park after 8pm or prior to 6am. Vehicles not to exceed 20’. No
long term parking. Vehicles parking overnight must display a parking pass on the dashboard with expiration
date visible.

#6. Recreation Residences: Recreation residence road parking by permission of residence permittee only.

Additional notes:
Vehicles are limited to 20ft. in length in the portal parking lots.

Two locations have been identified for loading zones. (blue on the map. North side of road at the trailhead.)

Parking any time after 8pm or before 6am requires a parking pass.

Walk in permits will be issued if quota space is available. However, walk in permits will not be issued a
parking pass so it is essential the party has alternate transportation that does not require parking.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for all the parking information.

I've been planning a trip to the Whitney area for next weekend and just stumbled upon this.

As I understand it prior to May 1st you can self register to go into the Whitney Zone. Will there be self register parking permits as well?

I'd like to know either way for planning and timing.

Thanks again!

I called the wilderness permit office and was told the road is currently closed and work had begun. However, that may change and to call back next week to get a more up to date status.

I'd still love to hear info from this forum as it's been my experience that visitor/information centers don't typically have the best information.

"Currently closed"???

...oh right... As in winter closure. If you go, you will find the "road closed" sign that many (or most?) people drive around (and travel at their own risk!). See the picture here. Inyo County Road Dept installed a locked gate that only lasted one season, because of all the ruckus raised by local businesses -- locked gate = tourists not stopping in Lone Pine! Before the gate installation, the CHP went up once in a blue moon and wrote a few parking tickets. Who knows what they will do after the gate fiasco.

The most recently posted info is that they have one-lane access, with a flagman and pilot car running one-way traffic. They have warned that the road could have long (i.e. several hours) closures on week days, but I don't think that is the case just yet.

...and you will have to head over the Sierra at either Tahoe or via Bakersfield, since all the passes in between are closed. But you knew that.

By the way, permits are available to all until May 1, and after that, they have never reached the daily quota until Memorial Weekend, so there is no hurry yet to get over there to do any hiking.

The five days we were in the Portal area last July was the worst parking situation I've run across there yet. It was an adventure finding a spot every time. The roadside parking was packed all the way from the overflow lot PAST the switchback. Doug seemed to think that the excessive traffic was attributable to the interest in hiking in general and the PCT in particular generated by the movie "Wild". Hopefully all the publicity about the Portal road work will have the same but opposite effect this year, but I have my doubts. If the upper stage work coincides with the high-volume summer months, as appears likely, this could be an epic CF.

I've depended on snagging mid-week walk-in permits the past few years, but that may not be the case this year. This will bear watching closely in June, but we have to lock our travel plans down well before then. Usually we stay a week up north around Yosemite then another week south in Lone Pine and on Whitney. We'll likely plan to spend both weeks up north this July. It's hard to imagine a Sierra trip that doesn't put boots on Whitney, but this seems to be the year that could happen.

I scored a day permit in August. I booked a camping permit for one night at Whitney Portal. I assume they will let me up the road with that camp permit. I'll camp or "sleep" in my car till sometime after midnight. (I know I'll be restless anticipating the next day's adventure).

I plan to start my day hike up the Mountaineers Route around 2AM. I assume I will have a day parking permit for the Portal area and that I can park there at 2AM. Will this plan work? Anyone want to join me?

Are you solo, Frank? Bea had enough of the MR? Descending the main trail?

Yes, Gary, I am solo this time. I plan on starting early and carrying a fairly light day pack. That time I carried an overnight pack I was exhausted just climbing 4,000 ft. I haven't decided which trail to come down yet. I'll be coming down the main trail one week before this trip when some others and I finish a 5 night trip from Onion Valley. Bea will be there for that one.

According to what I've been told, you will have a pass to park up at the portal, so it should work. ...so what date in August?

In August, if you choose to descend the MR, you may be able to keep the Easy Walk-Off in mind as an alternative to downclimbing the F400. Would love to join you, but we'll be there in July. I'll definitely be looking for it on FB!

2:00 start - that means the E-ledges by headlamp. Fun!

Gary, I've navigated the E-Ledges three times now. I know every rock and crevice. No worries there.

Steve, I submitted a lottery app for three different dates in August working around my Onion Valley to Whitney Portal trip which finishes on Tuesday 8-16. I'll be camping at the Whitney Portal campground one week later Tuesday 8-23 and going up the MR Wed 8-24. Please join me. However I must warn you that's three weeks after my 65th birthday. I may slow you down (I've seen your video going up the MR). But I WILL be in top shape. I've got a 5 day hiking trip to Bend,OR mid July and that 5 day backpack trip ending one week before this MR climb. I do want to go up the Final 400 not the easy walk-off.

Jont Turner from Sierra Elevation posted this on Facebook today.


So... I called Inyo County road dept, and they had not been notified. Inyo N.F. has not changed their notices yet. Hat Creek Construction has not changed their "weekly" notice dated March 3 yet. I called the Interagency Visitor Center (where people pick up permits), and they are working on getting more info out. The official I spoke to said the "gate would be locked and the construction company flaggers will also be out there."

Here's what Kurt W has reported:

March 31 on twitter, @MtWhitneyInfo:


And from Inyo N.F.
Forest Service Engineering Department reports that people should NOT ignore the road closed sign, as they are indeed doing very hazardous work.

Scaling is due to start Monday, April 4th and it is possible they may need to go longer than April 11 to complete the work. Scaling is the removal of boulders and rock fall hazard uphill of the road bed, ie lots of large rocks falling onto the road and being cleared away

if they can complete this phase of work while the road is still under winter closure, we may have fewer long closures later in the season.

I'll post more updates when I see anything.

Posted on FB by Inyo N.F.

So has there been any word on a safe/good parking area for people catching shuttles/taxis/uber/hitching to the portal from Lone Pine?

Either offical or unofficial?

Yes: Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce and Mt Whitney Golf Course