Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Camping options night before hike?

We plan to stay one day/night at Cottonwood Lakes hiking around and hopefully acclimating, then move to Whitney Portal the night before our Whitney hike. Our permit is for July 4-6 and I waited too long to reserve a campsite at the WP campground - according to ReserveAmerica, the campground is already booked. Other than sleeping in our car, are there any other options for sleeping close to the TH?

Thanks!

Tuttle Creek?

Lone Pine Campground (elev approx 5200).

I would suggest staying at Horseshoe Meadows. 10,000", and really ony a 30 - 40 minute drive to the portal.

Thanks!

Who administrates that site? It's confusing with so many agencies in the area!

Never mind, I found it (Inyo). Thank you all!

Aren't there a number of non-reservable sites for walk-ins on a first-come first-served basis at the Whitney Portal?

Good luck on your upcoming Whitney hike.

There are several non-reservable sites (walk-in only) at the Whitney Portal family sites. These hold a maximum of six people per site if I remember correctly. Otherwise several of my friends would camp the night before at Horseshoe Meadows. Because this is at 10,000 feet, it is a great way to acclimate. These sites are walk-in only, and cost $6.00 a night per site. A friend of mine and I will be staying there one night next month before we tackle Langley. Whitney Mike

Another great option is camping in e Alabama Hills. It is free and you can essentially camp anywhere, however there are no facilities so if that is a requirement it won't work for you. You should be able to sleep really well as it will be warmer, quieter, and low altitude. Often people forget that an excellent acclimitization plan is to climb high and sleep low. You mentioned you will already have a day previous up over 10k so this could be an excellent option for you.

I believe Veraun is correct. We've always arrived early in the day & had no trouble getting a campsite @ the Portal Campground. I believe about 1/3 of the sites are not on the reservations system, & are available on a first-come, first-served basis.