Hi, can anyone help me with a question about permits? :-) In June, I want to do a backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevada, from Onion Valley to Mount Whitney to Whitney Portal. I tried to make reservations on the website of Recreation.gov, but somethings not right. I first set my entry date + exit date. Next step, I have to set my camp locations. But the dates don't match with my entry/exit dates (see screenshot). Am I doing something wrong?
[img]https://ibb.co/6wtrS5N[/img]

Hi Kaurie, I spoke with the Wilderness Permit office, and they said that once in a while they have seen a date mismatch -- especially when they have tried changing their start date in the middle of the process. Best thing to try would be to close your browser and restart the process.

Second item: I tried, using Firefox (version 60.4.0esr 32-bit) and at the shopping cart screen it reports: "Your browser is not supported. You must install a new browser or update it to check out." But that may be the "esr" part of the version. I am told that Chrome is the best browser to use if you are having trouble.

I hope all the above gets you going. If not, please report back!

Please be aware, if there is an average or above-average amount of snow this winter, the trail descending from Trail Crest could have some icy spots in June, and you might want to bring micro-spikes and hiking poles, at least.

I am trying to do something similar, but I'm having a different issue. On a trip from Cotton Wood Lake to Whitney Portal, I clicked on "visiting Mt. Whitney" option and my last day is a Trail Camp. All that is fine, but I cannot find Whitney Portal as the exit point. The closest I get to is North Fork of Lone Pine Creek. Am I not able to exit through the main trail?

G4u2, when you start your trip setup, on this screen:
https://www.recreation.gov/permits/233262/registration/detailed-availability
in the upper left, it shows Overnight. Click that, and change it to "Overnight exiting Mt Whitney". Then set your date and group size, then "Is this a commercial guided trip" = No.

That should open up the list of starting points where you scroll down to Cottonwood Lakes. Select your entry date.

THEN, note there are TWO tabs below the Yes/No question. Click the "Exit From Mt. Whitney" tab, and there you get to select your exit date.

edit: just for fun, I stepped through the "Questionnaire" version using my Firefox version, and selecting "Yes, ending at Mt. Whitney" (which really means "exiting via Trail Crest"), and it stops at:
Finished, You will need a... Overnight Exiting Mt Whitney Permit
but the button to "Check Availability" is disabled. USE Google Chrome, NOT Firefox!

Thanks a million Steve! I totally missed the pull-down menu with the "Exiting Mount Whitney" option. Also, it is very easy to miss the two upper tabs to select the exit date - thanks for pointing this out! The new website seems more powerful, but it takes some used to.
Best,

Gustavo

Thanks for your help Steve!

Unfortunately nothing seems to work. I tried an updated browser, other browers, other computers, ... but the problem keeps appearing..
I will make a phone call to Recreation.gov and see if they can help me

Kauri, the important part is to reserve the entry date and exit date. If it is showing different dates for your overnight locations, that isn't a big issue. Just put something down -- you can always modify those later, even when you pick up the permit.

Wilderness permit office number is 760-873-2483

That's right!

I called the wilderness permit office and they also said it's no problem, as long as the entry and exit dates are correct. So I made the reservation and will be hiking Mt Whitney next year :-)

Thanks for the help!

I have read all the posts...I have a permit from June 11 to 17 thru onion valley......I need to refine this a bit but my question is do you think we can hike the trail this year with micro spikes? I have no idea of the snow and when it melts there. One post states it is above average snowfall. Do you think it will be melted by mid June?
Thanks for all your help.
Nancy

You will have to wait until mid April to see just how much snowfall we get for the winter. That pretty much determines when the switchbacks start begin used.

This might give you something to look at:   When will Mt Whitney switchbacks open?

Steve, I have look at the data. Is this an above average snowfall year? I am not very good at reading all the beta. Will route finding be an issue or does this still depend......
I guess I look at Wa state and we have had a very mild winter thus far....Was hoping for the same down there!
Thanks, Nancy

Nancy, there is no reasonable way to make any predictions as to how heavy or light the snow will be by April. Right now, we're pretty close to the average. But that can all change in the next 3 months.

Mid-June is the marginal time. Right now, I would assume you will encounter icy spots coming down the 99 switchbacks. You will have to watch the trail conditions reports just before you start the hike. If the switchbacks aren't in use by that time, you should bring an ice axe and know how to use it, so you can get down the chute.