Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion What on earth is going on with permit pickup?

Found this thread extremely useful for trying to 'pick up' my permit so wanted to provide an update as of Jun 26 (e.g. post earthquake).

I spent a lot of time trying the 760-873-2483 number, probably about 3-4 hours in total over three days. I also tried the *-2400 number. Both had zero luck.

I then tried calling the "Lone Pine Area – Mt. Whitney Ranger District" number (per this link: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/passes-permits/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5144746) - the number is 760-876-6200 ... got through within an hour of trying.

The lady with whom I spoke to on the end of the line told me that as of yesterday, all Whitney permits are being cancelled, however she indicated that I should call back daily leading up to my permit date (July 4th) to check the latest status. She also added that in her personal opinion, based on the damage she has seen, it would be unlikely to open in that time frame (7 days away as of this post).

I'm lucky in that I live in the Bay so only a half day's drive away so can make my go / no go decision <24 hours before my hike. Will be calling back Mon-Thurs next week to get the latest & will update here.

2020 ... what a year!

Here's my experience:
...
June 26, 4:15 PM - Spoke with a ranger and tried to get my reserved permit for July 13 since I figured that July 3 would be a lost cause due to the earthquake. Was told to call back on or after June 29 since they couldn't process permits until 2 weeks before the reservation date. But she did process and email me both my July 3 and July 6 permits and said that I would get a refund if the trail remained closed during those dates.

The phone system for the Inyo National Forest is being upgraded over the next week.

The telephone replacement project is necessary to upgrade the Forest Service’s outdated phone system to meet U.S. Department of Agriculture and security requirements. People should expect that there will be breaks in phone service while this upgrade is completed.

As much as possible, we encourage people to use email to continue service for the next week. If your issue isn’t time urgent, we suggest waiting a week until the phone system is upgraded.

For people requesting wilderness permits, please follow this process if you cannot get through on the phone:

To request your permit by Email up to 14 days in advance (allow at least 2 days for processing)
Subject line: [Entry Date] [Trail Name] [Reservation Number]
In your message answer the following;
• Have you viewed the Leave No Trace video?
• How you will store your food?
• What is your final group size?
Email to: SM.FS.WildPmt_Inyo@usda.gov

The forest thanks people for their patience. Our phone system has been taxed while we have shifted to a virtual and online systems this year. We acknowledge that the process has not gone as smoothly as we would want, but we are adjusting to help address the concerns.

Lastly, please understand that our visitor centers and wilderness permit office are staffed, and people are working with other customers. Please be kind to our employees when you do get through—they are all working very hard.