Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board ok to sleep in car, at Portal??

Is it ok to spend a night at the whitney portal in your car or are the rangers POLICE-ing that also?

Officially there is no camping at the portal, except in the campground spots. From time to time you will see someone next to their car or in the back of a pickup. Sometimes you see trucks with camper shells.

If you do sleep in your car, keep a low profile. Go to bed after it gets dark and get up before it gets light. I don't think the rangers are usually around the portal at night to search cars for sleepers.

i slept i my mini-van september of last year. i didn't think it was a problem and just went and did it. no rangers came around to check my van. i did put all food stuffs in the bear continers tho. and that day i did get to meet moosetracks.
chris

Scary isn't it?

Having to put your food in the bear containers that is.

Dale B. Dalrymple

SDweller:

I car camp every year at the Portal. Motels in Lone Pine are waaaayyyy too pricey with very noisy traffic and teenagers on the streets yelling until it's time to get up and head up the mountain.

I have never seen anyone patrolling the lots. I put blankets over the windshield to keep out headlights of cars coming in late. Also hang up blankets in side windows. It muffles the loud noises in the lots. The lots are full of people until the store closes down. Around midnight hikers are moving and their headlamps will shoot right into your car and that's the end of sleeping.

But Please, please, please if you sleep in your car, for God's sake TURN OFF THE @#$%#$# CAR ALARM!!!!!!

Last year we were all sleeping good....for one hour and ONE MINUTE when someone sleeping in the car left the alarm on. Every time they turned over it went off! Myself and a lady sleeping in her car next to me got up at 1 AM, just gave up sleeping, and were on the trail by 2 AM. I did make it to the John Muir Junction at age 62 on one hour's sleep at 1 mph up, but my shoes ate my feet at that point. With a couple of hours more sleep, I could have made it (with better shoes.)

i always sleep in the back of my truck. i just bury myself in blankets and sleeping bags and if a ranger shines a light or knocks on the window i dont move or respond. after 2-3 minutes they go away, lol.
sometimes in yosemite i'll park in the hikers lot and leave a note on the windsheild saying i left two days ago. i have seen rangers read it while i am inside and move on.

just got back. spent sunday night scarying off the bears from camp site six alnight wish we slept in our car had to start around 3 am with very little sleep. good luck

I don't find 4,000 pound tents to be very comfortable, pick up trucks and vans are another thing entirely.

If you are going to do this, get thee to the Overflow Parking Lot away from the traffic and bring ear plugs and a sleeping mask. This does not insure a good night's sleep but it optimizes your chances of getting one.

You might look at camping at Tuttle Creek instead of the Portal:

Tuttle Creek Campground