Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Permit

Is anybody getting excited about their permit coming? It's been 5 years for me and I am planning on taking my 16 year old for his first attempt. We should start seeing them after the 15th correct?

You probably won't see anything until after April 1st. I don't think they send anything out until 4/1 at the earliset. A few years ago when I got permits, my credit card was charged on April 1st. The confirmation in the mail a few days later.

Last year I received my permit Saturaday March 13th (credit card hit) and had it in my mail Wed March 17th. A number of others received theirs starting a few days earlier. Most it seems received notification of their permits later. So, hopefully we will be getting them soon. Also, last year the team processing the requests was fighting the flu or something during part of the time.

It seems to be going slower this year. They have extended the time window to collect permit applications.

Good luck to all

Jim

To me this is part of the fun, filling out the request and then checking for the hit on my check card everyday. Even if I don't get the permit we will try and get a walk up or summit another peak. We will at least get a burger I guess!

Well if anyone starts seeing credit card or check activity, please post here!

I'm looking every day hoping.

I'm turning OCD over the permits too. No CC hit yet.

Someone on the Whitney Zone board had their check cashed yesterday.

I have been rejected . I asked for 1 person entering any day from last week in July through 1st week of Sept. The stamp on my returned permit was Feb 11. The 2nd stamp was "No Quota Space For Dates Requested".

Guess I'll have to wing it. Show up and hope there is a cancellation. Sounds like many others have been successful doing this.

Good luck to all

Jim

Even though I have to travel 2000 miles to play on Whitney, and even though I've only hit the lottery once in five years of trying, I've moved pretty strongly into the Eastern Sierra locals' mode of thinking regarding permits.

In other words, NO WORRIES. Here's why:

During the Whitney high-demand season of July, August and September, there are 92 possible days to snag a permit. In 2010, how many of those 92 days would you guess that there were ultimately no permits available for people that wanted them?

The answer is a grand total of 4. Let me say that again - 4. That's 4 days out of 92 that someone might have walked up to the Inter-Agency center in Lone Pine seeking either/or permits - a dayhike permit for the next day or an overnight permit for the same day - and walked away without one. And, predictably, all four of those days were Saturdays (1 in July, 2 in August, 1 in September).

Now, if you break that down into "I must have an overnight permit", the numbers go up a bit - to 15 out of 92 days. However, if you're willing to take what's available between dayhike and overnight combined, the number is just 4 days that you would have left empty-handed. Another tasty number-crunching factoid: No one was turned away for either permit on Wednesday last year, except for the one Wednesday in mid-July in the middle of the Badwater Ultra-Marathon - day permits were exhausted, but overnight permits were available. In fact it was the next day, Thursday, that Joe and I went up Whitney on an overnight permit I snagged from calling for cancellations just two days prior - during Badwater!

Another 2010 factoid: there were never two conscutive weekdays during the summer when permits of either type were unavailable, and only rarely 2 consecutive weekend days.

The lesson? Chill about the lottery. Yeah, I know it's nice being certain, and having your permit letter in hand before you make your plans, but history shows that if you simply head to Lone Pine in the summer and (1) have a little bit of flexibility, and (2) try to avoid weekends, you will almost certainly snag that permit to climb Whitney.

So folks, do not tank all your plans and walk away because you don't get a lottery permit - big mistake! Use a little smarts in organizing your trip and a permit will be there in Lone Pine waiting for you.

The first word to come out of my mouth when I read the "We are unable to reserve a Mt. Whitney permit for you" letter from the USDA, "UNBELIEVABLE". I took last year off from backpacking Mt Whitney, but was successful in obtaining permits for the previous three years (2009, 2008, 2007). I was hoping I'd luck out AGAIN and get permits.

I was trying my best to increase my chances to obtain a permit by having a small group and asking for weekday trip. NO LUCK. I'm pretty bummed out. Maybe taking last year off was a bad idea! Oh well.I'll probably keep at it for a solo permit once April 20th rolls around.

Kristen

Thanks for the great post Gary.

It easy for me to say essentially the same thing, but since I only live an hour away, it doesn't hold much credibility.

You can get a walk-in permit IN MOST CASES. (I wasn't skunked once last year (all weekend climbs), but was five times the year before (again, all weekend climbs).

Richard, I see it the exact opposite - you and others living near Whitney know the game, so your credibility is very high. I'm certainly a believer now, and don't allow lottery failure to affect my plans at all.

I posted the above because I know from both personal experience and speaking with others that a big zero in the lottery often results in people abandoning their Whitney plans, even for folks just a few hours away in So Cal. They simply assume demand is ridiculously high and they'll never get a permit.

Demand is high during the lottery period, as people all over world make tentative plans in February when they send their app in. However, a big percentage of those plans naturally fall through by summer and they either cancel or no-show. When you look at some of the unused permit numbers from last summer, it's mind-boggling. And remember, these USFS unused permit numbers are after all the cancelled re-reserves and walk-ins have been distributed.

Let's just say that if Vegas gave you these same odds in the casinos, the lights would have gone out after the first day.

Gary,
I agree that nobody should let the lack of permit shut down Whitney plans. However, I think that it is a good idea to have a backup plan.

If I'm able to get walk-in permits, GREAT! and if not, no big thing. In fact, I have to admit that I was a little bit excited at the prospect of doing the Meysan trail instead of Whitney.

Not getting a permit through the lottery isn't the end of the world.
and
Not getting a walk-in permit is not the end of the world either. There are other great hikes beyond MW.

You bet'cha Tom! Joe and I were going to do Meysan last year if we bombed on the WZ permit. Still have Meysan on the agenda.

Opp, it happened four years in a row, got rejected letter yesterday.

Who in the heck is going up if we all got rejection notice's???

Yes, even Crazy Jack gets them too!!

See you on the mountain ( I hope )

Wtny n1 Jack

Ok, so what is a good back up plan that doesn't require a permit? Does Langley require a permit? White Mountain? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Kevin

White Mountain does not require a permit. And, the first Sunday in August, they have an open house that allows you to drive right up to the lab and start your hike there, which shaves about 2 miles each way off the total hike (i.e, it becomes about 10 miles RT rather than 14 miles RT). So you can hike up in the morning and be back in your car early afternoon. Last year, the open house happened to fall on a gorgeous, sunny day -- could not have been more perfect.

You can car camp the night before at the gate. A good acclimatization hike/side trip you can do the day before is a loop through the ancient bristlecone pine forest, which contains the most ancient living tree in the world (4700 years old), and is right off the road that takes you to the TH. I don't believe there is water at the TH. There was a pit toilet.

It is nice to have a some high clearance to do the drive up to the gate. We did it in a Volvo stationwagon, and saw some several sedans do the trip. It was fine, but some extra clearance would have made the trip more enjoyable.

I am still holding out hope for a Whitney permit. No rejection yet, no credit card hit yet. Last year, I did both White and Whitney, and may do a repeat this year if it works out (and throw Shasta into the mix this June...).

Got a rejection yesterday in the mail. My wife and I were bummed. I guess we'll just crash it like a course in college. There are usually permits available if you show up.

They usually have a second day, in September, which is an open gate day. It's not an open house to tour the facilities, but it does allow you to park higher up.

In either case - get there early. They're not enough spaces to meet the demand.