Mt Whitney Zone Forums WhitneyZone Reserving camp near High Lake for Langley

I hope to camp near Cottonwood Lakes (the actual lakes, not the Horseshoe Meadow trailhead) in order to overnight hike Mt Langley this July. I went to the recreation.gov site. I entered JM39 (Cottonwood Lakes) and July 29th, 2025 as the entry date. It said 'NR' and to check back on July 15th. I texted someone at recreation.gov, but they seemed to not know what to do.

Can I get a permit, enter a lottery or whatever I need now that I'm within 6 months? Any help with terminology or the process is appreciated. I'd prefer not to wait until 2 weeks before. Thanks!

It's really just what the site says:

"For permits beginning on 07/29/2025, check back on 07/15/2025 at 7:00 AM PDT."

There must not be any permits available and the walk up permits are released 2 weeks before at 7am PDT.

You can keep looking until then, since sometimes people cancel permits.

Also be open to other entry points. Cottonwood Pass is VERY much sought after and may be hard to get, but Trail Pass is non quota. Might add at least a day to your trip, though.