Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board hitching from Horseshow Meadow

The PCT Handbook says that its a very hard hitch from Horseshow Meadow to Lone Pine. Is hitching from/to Cottonwood Lakes trailhead in June likely to be that much harder than hitching from/to Kearsarge Pass/Onion Valley trailhead?

Thanks,

Len

Yes. the primary reason is that there is a regular car campground at Onion Valley, and because of that, there is more traffic going up and down regularly.

However, it is relative. You may not see a car on either road for quite some time.

I was able to get a hitch from Whitney Portal back to Horseshoe Meadows without any trouble at all. In fact, the couple that picked me up drove me the whole way. I waited all of 10 minutes at the WP trailhead before I got my ride.

This was on September 8th, a Saturday. You may find mixed success if you try to do this on a day other than Saturday, I would imagine it especially challenging mid-week.

Ah, but that is not what was asked. I would agree that catching a ride from the Portal is not usually an ordeal.

Hours may pass before seeing a car leave either Horseshoe or Onion Valley.