Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion cooking allowed at campsite just below the switchbacks?

I search through the web and I keep getting references to getting a campfire permit, but it there is no clear mention of campfire or portable stove is allowed.

Technically in all parts of the state your supposed to get a fire permit which is good for a year. I don't really know why the state even does this, it's not like they teach you about fire safety when you get one. They just sign your name and send you on your way. I've never heard of anyone getting checked for it.

Using your stove is certainly allowed. I don't know if you need a permit for it but they can give you one when you get your wilderness permit.

I am not sure if an open fire is allowed anywhere on the Whitney trail but I doubt it. Other wise typically 10,000 feet is the rule.

RoguePhotonic,

Thank you for taking time to reply.

10,000 feet is the rule?

Generally speaking, yes, because 10k is the tree line. You don't find a whole heck of a lot growing that can burn up above 10k.

Outside of the Whitney Zone 10,000 feet is the most common rule for fires although Yosemite does 9,600 and there is a section South of the Glacier Divide that allows for 10,400 feet but since most of that area is in Kings Canyon National Park it still defaults to 10,000. It would mostly apply to the Red Mountain Basin area.

I've usually but not always been given a quick "don't do this" when I get my annual campfire permit. But even if they tell you nothing, the permit itself has some good fire safety info. AND, by having a permit you can't say you didn't know!



Even for stove use you need the campfire permit. In some jurisdictions the wilderness permit is a campfire permit; I'm not sure about here because I get a campfire permit every year anyway.

For purposes of cooking only is there a single campfire permit that applies to the entire JMT (TH in Yosemite)?

CaT

The permit applies to both cooking and open pit fires and is state wide.

To answer your question, NO there is no open camp fires on the Whitney Main Trail, I distinctly remember seeing a sign at Trail camp that said that.