Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion options if unsuccessful May 1st

We have a group of 5 wanting to climb whitney this year. I did a day hike with a friend last Sept and it was grueling! I wanted to take my husband brother and two friends but enjoy the hike and spend a night or two on the mountain. I did not get any slots with the lottery and this morning unsuccessful in the mini-sale. I will try again May 1st but if there are no slots opened up what else do you suggest? we are coming from Pennsylvania so coming on a whim and not snagging an overnight will be a bit disappointing and a waste since we will be constraint on time with airline flights. My plan was two nights on the mountain. Trail camp and outpost but if we could only get one overnight then would camp out around Lone pine lake before permits are needed on the trail. My question is if we did come out on a whim in hopes for cancelled spots when is the earliest I could get permits? Is it the day of the overnight? Because we planned on starting the hike to outpost camp by the switchbacks shortly after sunrise so we could set camp and relax before the next day early morning summit. I think I read somewhere the permits are not released until 11am the day of the overnight permit? Which would make my plan not possible and would have to make the hike to outpost camp after noon by the time we got the permits and to the portal. ugh this is so frustrating! need some help with alternate plans if not enough slots open before May 1st or shortly after. which I assume they will not.

Hi Amie,

My guess is that you will be successful on May 1st. There are many cancellations, and often the group sizes shrink, which also frees up slots (Your group may shrink also, so you may not need a 5 person permit). Try to pick a midweek date if you can.

If the May 1st attempt fails, it is likely not a problem. Since you are coming from so far away, I'm guessing that you plan a several day trip. Is this correct? If so, you likely have the luxury of hiking during the week (not the week-end). If this is also correct, your odds of getting a permit for 5 are very high, and if you have the flexibility of one or two different entry dates (Tuesday/Wed., or Wed./Thurs for instance) the odds are truly close to 1 (a sure thing). Look at the 2014 unused permits:
http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthreads.php/topics/39655/Unused_Whitney_Permits_2014#Post39655

When would you like to do the hike? As you will see midweek there are many dates when 20 or more permits went unused.

A noon start is fine. I think you mean "Trail Camp" (near the start of the switch backs), and it is normally less than 5 hours from the trail head, so easily reached during daylight (sunset is likely after 7 PM). Outpost camp is closer to the trail head, so even easier to reach with time to spare.

As the British said in 1939: "Keep Calm and Carry On"

Amie, what John said. It depends on the dates you're looking at, but if you are flexible enough to start mid-week you shouldn't have a problem except possibly around a major holiday. I've been traveling out there almost annually since 2009 from Atlanta to climb Whitney, usually with my family. The first year I had a permit from the lottery, and I had the same concern you do - long distance, tight itinerary, can't possibly take the chance of hoping to snag cancelled or no-show permits. MUST have permit in hand before committing to the trip. I've learned better.

Every trip since 2010 has been with the full expectation I'd be able to snap up 4-5 cancelled or no-show overnight permits for a mid-week start. Batting a thousand so far. I completely ignore the lottery, knowing that as long as I avoid a Fri or Sat start, or holiday weeks, I'll get my permits. It's amazing how many permits go unclaimed mid-week, even in the height of summer. People from all over the world get a lottery date in March, but stuff happens and they can't make it. Few are considerate enough to cancel and free the permits up since there's no refund, but some will cancel a few days before the permit date. You can reserve these by calling the Bishop Inyo NFS office (the website availability is not always current), but you'll pay a reservation fee. The other option, for an overnighter, is to show up at the Lone Pine InterAgency Center the day before you want to start and claim available permits for free.

Worst case scenario: somehow, someway, despite all the history, no Whitney overnight permits are available. You divert from the Whitney Portal Road up to Horseshoe Meadows and do an overnight trip to Mt. Langley, another fourteener just south of Whitney. Permit required there as well, but a tiny fraction of the demand Whitney has.

if Amie is coming from PA and not allowing time for acclimatization, then going to Outpost Camp and sleeping at 10k instead of Trail Camp at 12k makes sense. OTOH, if there is a history of doing well at altitude, then either would work. I have done it both ways for one-nighters, depending on group dynamics.

Amie,
Some permits will show up as available throughout April. Any permits that winners decline online will show up on Recreation.gov "within 24 hours at random times" as it says on the Inyo N.F. Whitney Permit Reservations page. From that page "Timeline" section:


The April 1 7 AM PDT scramble was the ONLY time that the fastest fingers got the permits. From now on, it is whoever is most persistent in checking for permits that will pick up any online permits. Even on May 1, those permits not secured will be released throughout the day, NOT at any given time.

So, you need to create a bookmark/favorite in your browser that you can check often. Make it your "home page" even. Here is a link for June 15 for you to copy and use. You can alter the obvious date so the page opens exactly where you want it. (Note that rec.gov seems to ignore the group size parameter, so it will prompt you for that, but the link will certainly make it easier to find what you want.)
Here is the link to copy:

http://www.recreation.gov/permits//r/entranceDetails.do?arvdate=06/15/2015&contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72201&entranceId=315790&pGroupSize=1

Same as above, but clickable.

I guess I shouldn't be, but I am surprised people aren't cancelling any of their won slots. I've been checking the rec.gov site link above, and no slots are showing up.

So it may be that people will have to wait until the magical May 1 date, when the won slots that have not been "claimed" (paid for) will be returned to the online reservation system. Only thing is, on May 1, they won't show up all at once. Inyo's web site says they will be released "within 24 hours at random times".

Of course, for those who miss out on May 1, there are the nearly-always available unused permits -- those that are paid for, but the group either doesn't show up, or some members back out. They become available at the Visitor Center S of Lone Pine starting two days before the hike. People can Google "Whitney Unused Permits" to find the link.

Don't give up. My wife and I send our lottery application in on Feb. 1 (I know, early doesn't mean a thing), applied for a weekday and had only a party of two. We were unsuccessful. Our window to go was extremely thin. With her vacation time, we could only go on August 31, September 1 or 2.
We were diligent in checking. Every time I got on line, I'd check. Unbelievably, August 31 opened up and we snatched it up quickly. Got lucky but that's what it takes. Don't just wait till May 1, keep checking throughout April. One of your dates could very well open up and you won't have to hassle with the May 1 rush.
Good luck!

Sorry, we didn't apply Feb. 1 but rather the 15th.