Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Camping this Weekend at the Portal

How far up the Portal Road can I get in a 4 wheel drive SUV given the current snow conditions? I would like to spend Sunday evening in my tent at the Portal. I presume the bears are hibernating!!? Is the road blocked before the Portal and if so, is it ok to leave the SUV on the side of the road. Will loose boulders be a problem as things are forecasted to be warming this weekend. Do I still need to stop at the Ranger's office and get a permit?

I have all the winter gear and need to give it a try within the safe confines of the Portal, where I have spent many summer nights but never in winter. I'll be in Mammoth skiing the next day and thinking I could acclimate a night at the Portal instead of in a $$$ condo in Mammoth.

Any current information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks everyone.

I got my low-clearance Nissan Sentra to the Meysan Lakes Trailhead parking area last weekend. It looked to me that a 4WD could have made it farther up the road.

If you do head past where the "deeper" snow is, use common sense and get your vehicle clear of the road. Every once in a while we see dolts who leave the car/truck parked smack dab in the middle of the road, assuming that since they couldn't make it, nobody can. I often wish that I'd come back down the road and see that a monster truck has crawled over the thing.