Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Number of boxes in a group camping site

Can anyone tell me how many bear boxes there are in a group camping site at Whitney Portal campground? We will have 15 people in the site and will need more than one box, I think, even if we try to minimize what we bring. We called the number on the campground website but the person who answered did not know.

If you're talking the 1 day hiker site I think there's about 4 boxes.

You will probably not find any bear box that is empty. Normal protocol is to share space with the other users. Many overnight hikers will leave extra food in the boxes (removed from their cars), sometimes for days. I would plan on using several boxes to accomodate a group your size.

As mentioned above, four boxes in the Portal Campground sounds about right. If memory serves me, there is another 2 (or 4?) in the overflow parking lot that have less demand. Also, I believe there is a pair of boxes on the left as you approach the area. Someone with a sharper memory may be able to provide more help (I am sure Mr. Bruin knows ).

I think bbocon is asking about the group sites at the portal family campground, not the backpackers campground.

Unless more boxes have been added this year, there is only 1 bear box for each group site 1,2 and 3 ... the same size/amount for the smaller campsites which always presents a challenge. You need to pack only what you need for such a large group and resupply if needed in Lone Pine or essentials such as milk at the Portal. If you have backpacking bear canisters you can use those for additional storage. Have fun.

Thanks for all the comments. We have group site three. We'll make sure that we bring a minimal amount of stuff and resupply at the store and in Lone Pine. Maybe we can invest in backpacking canisters too. We've made so many trips to REI to prepare for the hike, what's another trip? Thanks! This website is a helpful one!