I recall hearing that walk-in permits were eliminated some time back. But if you go on rec.gov to get a same day permit, it will often show a ‘W’ for ‘walk-up’ rather than a number of available permits. Unlike the situation with a number, when there is a ‘W’, you are not able to actually purchase a permit. I’ve tried calling a number of places, including Inyo National Forest headquarters, Wilderness Permit Office, and Eastern Sierra Visitor Center, and nobody seems to know how that works. They either try to find someone who does to no avail or even outright deny the existance of the ‘W’. Has anyone actually gotten a walk-in permit in recent years? If so, how did you go about it?
