Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board camp site questions

I remember that there was a discussion on whether we need to camp at designated camp ground (trail camp, outpost., etc) or not. The conclusion is that we could camp anywhere in the mountain as far as we meet the camping requirement (away from creek,.. etc). Right? Is this also true for other mountains / national parks? (Except Yosemite).

If I go to a camp site which is full, could I just find any spot (not in the camp ground) to set up my tent?

Thanks
Mt_hiker

You can camp anywhere except for Mirror Lake and Trailside Meadow. You can only camp at Lone Pine Lake if you have an over night permit. But it is unlikely that you cannot find a spot at Outpost or Trail Camp, if you don't mind a lot of company. I would not call either site a true camp ground anyhow, since there aren't any permanent, assigned sites and there are no real facilities.