I have reservations for a campsite at Whitney Portal but i'm thinking I would camp at Outpost instead to acclimatize better.

Question - how are the facilities at Outpost? Is there adequate space to pitch a tent? Does camping for an evening at 10,000 vs 8,300 make that much of a difference?

There is lots of space for tent pitching, and creek water near by . If by facilities you mean bathrooms and running water...well, this is the wilderness. You must purify water and there are obviously no bathrooms. In my opinion 10K would help much more than 8K. I spent my first night last year at Outpost: very relaxing and quiet.

cool.. seriously considering it, if I decide to do it then I can release my camping space to someone else? since I've already paid for it someone may as well use it!

We're camping at Lone Pine, then Whitney Portal, then doing Outpost Camp - just to make sure we don't rush things (and because we like any excuse to get out of L.A. for longer.) Of course you need a permit to camp at Outpost.

Answer to your questions....First...no, but used to be years ago. Second...Yes. Third...Yes.

I suggest pitching your tent as far away as possible from the trail and try to pitch camp underneath a tree. Those dayhikers tend to be noisy at zero dark thirty. I recommend bringing ear plugs.

As far as filtering your water...it is up to you. That is another topic on another thread.

Outpost Camp is 3.5 miles and 2000+feet up the trail from Whitney Portal. If you are looking for a place the night before you permit start date, better acclimation than Whitney Portal would be Horseshoe Meadows at 10,000 plus. Is that what you meant?

And yes the additional elevation would make a difference. But if your WP reservation is for the day before your permit date, you can't go to outpost on that day anyway, so yeah, HM is a better choice.

Well, for starters, there are no cheese-burgers at Outpost Camp, and the toilets at the Portal are cleaner.

Since Outpost is apparently 1,700 feet higher in elevation than Whitney Portal, you will probably sleep better at the Portal.

Portal toilets are pretty clean, but cleaner than a fresh WAG bag?

My permit is for Fri Jul 24 and i'm going up Thu Jul 23 so yes, I prob will not be able to camp at Outpost on Jul 23...just realized that.

Where does Whitney zone begin? Is it at Lone Pine lake? How is camping at Lone Pine lake?

The issue with Horseshoe meadows is that it's an hour from Whitney portal trailhead, I have to pickup my permit then retrace back to Horseshoe meadows then on 24th head back probably 1.5 hrs to Whitney portal. I would like to avoid all that driving before I start hiking.

The higher the better but will it make that much of a difference? I stayed at the portal out of my van for 10 hours before the hike and I was fine. I did get tunnel vision and peak syndrome at trail crest and stopped drinking water which resulted a very mild head ache coming back down. I'm also a smoker which probably didnt help although I didn't feel out of breath. Good luck.

I would recommend camping at the Portal and taking a day hike up to the Lone Pine lake sign, which is around 10000 feet. It's 3 miles one way and it's just before the permit zone area.

I believe active acclimation, without overdoing it, is more effective than just hanging out. Of course you can always turn around early, before you get to the sign (heck, you can also head over to the lake by turning left at the sign, which is only about 5 more minutes away) if you don't want to exert yourself too much.

Trident, you can pick up your permit any time in the 2 days before you start your hike. If you call the Wilderness Permit Office, you can even arrange to pick it up at night in their drop box.

As for camping at Lone Pine Lake, you still need the same overnight Whitney Wilderness permit to camp overnight there. It is outside the w-zone, so day hikers can visit, but overnighters still need a permit.

When you pick up your permit, it is quite possible that there might still be an unused permit or two available for the day before your start date. You could exchange yours for one, and then start early and camp at either Lone Pine Lake or Outpost.

Acclimatization is gained by spending time at altitude, regardless of whether you are active. In fact, being active, as in hiking hard, seems to bring on more AMS symptoms for me. The higher you are during the time, the better -- up to a point.

You don't need to hike hard to go up the main trail to Lone Pine lake (unless you walk too fast or decide to bring along a 20 pound pack). Personally I go with my wife and we rarely make it up to the lake. We usually just turn around whenever we feel like it. It breaks up the monotony of spending all day at camp and yes it does help with acclimatizion.