Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board camping at portal

Hey guys!
Recently, I registered for a campsite at the portal for the night of June 23rd. We will be day hiking the MMWT on the 24th.

After booking the campsite, I realized that maybe I should have booked it for 2 nights. Our original thought was to camp at the portal, do the hike, then sleep at a motel night after hike.

My main question: do most people take tents down, break camp, etc before they hit the trail OR after. I certainly dont want to get bcak to camp and have somebody waiting there, mad as ever, that we are in their campsite.

Any thoughts??

I definitely recommend reserving two nights. I am not sure if there is an offical check-in or check-out time, but it is highly probable that you won't be back until late afternoon or early evening. So the likelihood of someone waiting like you describe is high. Last year I had a motel resrvation for that night plus the camp site. The incremental cost was minor. I got back down a little before 7:00 PM and broke camp and drove into Lone Pine for a shower and celebratory dinner.

JamesC,
Thanks for the advice. I think I will check and see if I can extend the reservation for 1 more night.

When we camp at the portal before our trips, we always break camp before we leave. One reason if you do not have reservations for the second night you have to be off the site well before you get back down. I am not sure the exact time you have to be off. We always sleep under the stars to expidite our departure. We always head down to Lone Pine for a room and a nice dinner. Happy Hiking!

According to Reservations.gov website, check out time is 1:00 PM.

Its better to pay for the extra night and pack up after the hike. It takes a lot of time to pack up in the dark. Also you would need to place all your food in a bear locker at the trail head parking lot if you pack up your camp before you hike.