Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Roads in Winter

Good morning all,
Do the roads to Whitney Portal and to Horseshoe Meadows always open during Winter season?

Thank you

No.

The road to Horseshoe Meadows is gated several miles from the trailhead, and it's not possible to drive around it. The road to the Portal is usually blocked by a sawhorse at the 6K' level, which is just beyond the large turnout. People often drive around it, but it's not plowed or otherwise maintained beyond that, so one does so at their own risk.

Of course, you can hike/snowshoe the roads -

Com'on Kevin, it's more fun gambling you ain't snowed in at the Portal. Where's you sense of adventure?

How far you get up Whitney Portal Road is a function of conditions, forecast and car crampons. Most of the time we make it past the road bound VW sized boulders and reach the Meysan Trailhead parking area. We've made it to the Portal as late as February and as early as March.

Actually, it's the not so much the snow that I'm concerned about. It's those boulders that come down with some regularity. No amount of buddies are going to help move some of them, unless they also have access to a bucket loader...

Like this car smasher boulder that fell on the road a few years ago.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1254614021061435028TTclpd

In that one section, there can be hundreds of rocks, in all sizes, scattered across the road.

Kevin,

The only winter I haven't made the beyond the switchback on Whitney Portal Rd. was because of small avalanche. My guess is that occurred in 2005.

I've never seen that boulder field when it could not be negotiated by a car with chains, YMMV.