I am planning to make a last minute trip up to the Portal on Friday night, Sept 18th. I see that no camp sites are available.

Where can I find the process for getting a walk-in site?

Are there ever cancellations of sites??

Thanks.

My limited experience with trying to secure a camp site at the Portal is if you can get there as early as possible, like before 4pm, your chance of getting a walk up is good. If not check with the camp host when you get there for any cancellations.

There are other CGs lower down the hill. I don't know how set you are on sleeping at the Portal. Another option is finding a parking spot in the trailhead/hiker lots. But if you value getting any sleep I wouldn't recommend doing that.

Good Luck

Hikerneil,
You should be able to find a one-night spot at the walk-in sites (these are not the drive-to camp sites that are in the reservation system.)

Here's a thread on the walk-in sites, with a good map.

I was up there last weekend reconnoitering with the group that I am going with in October. Some of them were concerned with acclimating to the elevation and proposed camping the night before near Lone Pine Lake. Is this allowed?

If so it seems to me that the day hikers would be jammed in around the lake waiting to jump off.

DaBaba, you need an overnight Wilderness permit to camp overnight at Lone Pine Lake, the same permit required to camp at Trail Camp or other places on the Main Mt Whitney trail.

I think most people just go for it and try to get to their overnight camping spot in one push. But a few people do camp there.

Acclimating by car camping is easy if you head up to Horseshoe Meadows, off the Whitney Portal road, 45 minutes from Whitney Portal.