Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Long Term Parking @ Whitney Portal a good idea?

Just paid off my PT Cruiser, and am looking at reports of bear damage in the W.P. parking lot. Is it foolish to leave my little ride in the parking lot for twenty days, or would it be wiser to park it somewhere in Lone Pine? Obviously, I would not leave any food in the car . . . I am afraid that my car may resemble a easy-open red cooler to a curious bruin (it is painted candy-apple red).

use a car cover, thats what i do.

Make sure there are no french fries under your seat from the last in-n-out burger visit.

Make sure the vehicle is free from food and smellies and anything a bear might construe as goodie basket...like a cooler or something that looks like a cooler and you will be all right.

I've made some minor mistakes over the years and never even have had a bear paw up on my car.

I've left cars up there for weeks many times, and never had a problem. This year I'm adding the car cover because the sap dripping from the trees and baking on the paint for weeks is really hard to get off, plus my vehicle this year is black. Not the best for parking in the sun with windows rolled up.

Clean it out - leave nothing smelly in it. That should be good enough.

I found a $32 car cover on ebay and it actually is pretty decent. Not something that will last forever, but for Portal use or other desert parking, it'll do.