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

Help??? Being 15 Feb. and all......
Is today the day when the lottery starts?
pulling the permits and assigning of
dates in and out of the Whitney Zone?

I'm not sure if today is the deadline and they do the lottery today, or if they do the lottery tomorrow. I've trying to fax my application since yesterday with no luck. Either busy signal or dial tone with no pick-up.

The actual drawing of permits starts today, Feb. 15, per the Inyo web site:

When to Apply: Applications for the Mt. Whitney Lottery are accepted from February 1st through the last day in February. Applications received ANY TIME between the 1st and 14th of February will be processed by a random lottery beginning on the 15th of February. Applications received February 15th or thereafter will be added to the lottery at the end of the business day they are received. Mailed applications must have a February postmark.

Shoot! It wasn't correct on the Application Instructions PDF. "Applications received after Feb 15th will be added to the lottery at the end of each day".

Will it be impossible to get a weekend date in June or July? Should I just shoot for a midweek date now?

It's never too late to try.
Why not list midweek as an alternative? Better late than never.

Nothing's ever impossible.
Put down your preferred dates (if those are June or July weekends) and your mid-week "Plan B" dates as alternate dates. Ask for what you want, but also include alternate dates.
As for faxing the application, just keep on trying until it goes through (this may take some repeated attempts at this particularly busy time).

Well then! My responses came faster that my permit will
that's for sure. Sure hope my comes threw with flying colors.
We mailed it 1 FEB and watched to make sure it was post marked
then.
Happy Trails to All!!

I faxed mine in at 6:00am on feb 1st
cant wait to get back up on the mountain

I have found it is less stressful to wait until after the lottery is over say around March 15, check the availablity at http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/whitneyavail.shtml , call up the NPS, (they are very helpful after the rush is over), and make and pay for a reservation over the phone. I have always been able to get a permit up the main trail or MR for myself and a few friends. Yes, you may not get a weekend, but I think it is worth taking a few days off work to avoid the traffic and crowds.

I couldn't agree more!
We're heading up during the week and
during what will be a FULL MOON!!
Heard it's the time to go and see the sites
on the summit!!!