Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Whitney/August

I'm hoping to do Mt. Whitney again this year but as was the case the last two years, I did not win a lottery permit in the early lottery. Fortunately, we did manage to get a permit in the daily lotteries both years and I'm hoping for that again.
we're coming from Michigan and will be heading to Lone Pine in early August regardless. In the event that we do not luck out again and get a permit in the daily lottery, can anyone give me some suggestions as to other mountain trails near that area that can be hiked without a permit. The beauty out there is awesome and, while I'd love to do THE highest peak again (Whitney), I need a backup plan. Appreciate any suggestions

Well part of me hopes you don't get a Whitney permit so you have an excuse to see another area of the beautiful Sierra .

Check out Onion Valley which is out of the town of Independence about 15 minutes north of Lone Pine. Or climb Mt. Langley from the Horseshoe Meadows trailhead just south of Mt. Whitney. There are of course many others but there's a couple good ones to start considering.

Hi Joe,

Day hikes can be done without permits on every Eastern Sierra trail, except for Whitney. All trails have a maximum daily quota for overnight hikes, and can be made with advance reservations. Here is info from Inyo National forest:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/inyo/passes-permits/recreation

Here is tip if you haven't made a reservation in advance:

It is still possible to get an overnight permit by showing up in person at the White Mtn Ranger Station in Bishop, at 8 AM on the day before you expect to begin your hike and apply for a permit for the next day. Be early and be the first in line! There will almost always will be extra permits available. Then...at 11 AM that same day the "standby" permits for the next day are issued , at which time you can pick up yours. If you fail for show up at that time, they might give your permit to someone else. As a local resident, this is what I do every year and have never failed to get a "next day" permit. The only exception might be the Mt. Whitney trail quota, which fills very quickly.

This technique might involve an overnight stay in the Bishop area, which isn't bad. Camp at Brown's Town campground just south of Bishop or stay in a motel.

It will always be easier to get a permit for a hike that begins Monday - Thursday, than for weekend trips.

The Eastern Sierra has many beautiful trails, most of which cross over the high passes into the west side. Bishop Creek trails, Big Pine canyon, Pine Creek, etc. Just be flexible in case the trail you want has a filled quota for that particular day. The ranger station staff will be glad to help you make alternate plans.

Any questions?

Bob is correct, I do the same thing to get my backpacking permits. I've been able to get on heavily impacted trails on holiday weekends that way. The only time I had difficulties was at the Mammoth office when I wasn't first in line. The Ranger spent a long long time planning someone's trip for them while a long line of frustrated hikers went out the door. Meanwhile, the permits got snatched up from other Inyo offices moving much faster. That could happen anywhere, so be early if you try this approach.

Boy! I know that pain -- standing behind someone who has no plan, and the ranger spends time discussing the pros and cons of camping at one location versus another, for many days of their hike.

And all I wanted was to pick up my paper showing I was permitted to go. They really do need an express line.

Bob, Steve...everyone,
Thanks for the info. You guys are all a wealth of information and I appreciate it.
My wife got lucky at about 4:30 am Michigan time today. She got up for work and gave it another try and whaddaya know, we managed to secure an overnight for Whitney on our planned day in early August. For the first time in two years we'll actually board a plane out of Detroit Metro knowing that we have already have a permit. The past two years we've gotten one but had to do the "pick a number out of the hat" deal and I'll be glad to bypass that process this time.
Again, thanks for all your info. I really enjoy reading these posts.

Joe, sure glad you got your permits.

I just checked, and I can't believe how many day hike permits are currently available. There are 24 available for Tues, Aug 22!

The overnight permits are pretty well wiped out. It looks as if someone made a mistake, and set up the release date to be May 2 on the day hike permits, and nobody is looking for them.

One more question....I just watched a youtube video of a group at the top of Whitney back in mid August 2011. I know that was a very heavy snowfall year and there hasn't been that kind of accumulation since....until this year. I noticed on this video that there was a fair amount of snow near the summit. I'm reasonably sure that was the only spot that there was snow that late in the summer but just curious....should I anticipate seeing snow on the trail this August. I don't care about the patches here and there, I'm just wondering about a lot of it in certain areas near the summit.
Thanks guys...as always, I appreciate your feedback.

I did a dayhike on the Main Trail August 17, 2011. There was only that one patch of snow about 1/4 mile from the summit. There was a well packed path through the snow with no exposure.

Thanks Reno,
Good to know. Appreciate it.