Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Walk on odds

Hey everyone

My husband is in the military and his schedule is so unpredictable that it was impossible to plan a trip using the lottery.

He's away for work and gets back on July 22nd and then leaves for 6 months on August 10. We really want to hike Mount Whitney before he leaves, but I'm hesitant to arrange child care for our daughter and drive all the way there from San Diego and not be able to hike...

Do you experienced hikers feel the odds would be good for us to get a permit if we took the plunge? I'm hoping to hike on 8/4. Thank you!

sarasal, the odds are excellent -- you can count on getting a walk-in permit, especially for a Thursday. Check out last year's unused permits for similar mid-week numbers.

The tough part, though, is the parking situation. If you can get a reserved permit, they give you a parking pass to park at Whitney Portal. It's even good for the night before so you can camp in the walk-in sites near the trailhead. But without the reservation, no parking pass! So you need to watch the online system and reserve one. (Even one, since there will be plenty of no-shows so you can add the second.) Bookmark this link, and check it regularly (make it your browser's home page!) Permits show up on-line, especially in the week before you want to go.

Best wishes to you and your husband! My s.i.l. just returned from an 8-month deployment (he's in Lemoore.)

Update! I have learned from the Wilderness Permit Office that walk-in permit requests will ALSO get a parking permit for Whitney Portal.

Apparently the parking restrictions have freed up so much space that they can give out more permits.

Thank you so much for your reply! We're going to go ahead and plan the trip