Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board 2025

Interesting webcam image this morning.

Glad I'm wrong and right...
They were saying we might've had snow in RC...didn't happen but I can see the Indian Wells Canyon got snow again...
Looking at the sensors this morning...over 6 feet of snow now at CL and CM...

The only interesting thing is my OCD being triggered by the 24 still on the hill...

Yesterdays storm hit Indy and north plus I made a run down to Socal rain heavy around Victorville and into the Basin but not much in Corona area.

Webcam still showing rock on the north portion of Thor and I still see rock in the North Fork . We have had spring storms that cover from the Top of the Inyos to the Sierra crest and the valley floor covered.Early to plan for summer.The west side always will get a different weather/snow /rain amounts.

I did one of my at least once a year rides up to Lone Pine and home thru Death Valley...dang warm...in my opinion...

Made it to only about 7300' on HM Rd and not even 7k' on WP Rd...(Loads of rockfall...)
There were vehicle tracks beyond where I stopped...

Here are a few photos:










The NPS has opened up some of the Wildrose Canyon Road:

I'm getting that "take a week off work, summit something" itch again, same one I had last year. This Feb it looks like I won't be able to drive up as far as last year if I interpret your pics correctly. I think I made it to 7.5k to park, sleep, and take off in the morning.

The conditions look otherwise easier at least from last months photos. Tx to everyone for the pics and data.

For reference, here is the stopping point in 2024 (Feb) for my awesome all terrain killer vehicle.

When I'm on the e-bike, I have a tendency to "push it" farther because it's light...(I made the Portal last winter with loads of snow on the road...) the KTM I was on yesterday is close to 400 pounds...I don't want to drop it, so when I get to ice/snow $$$$, I usually quit...

I'm sure I could have made it a lot farther up HM Rd and definitely would have gone farther up towards the Portal had I been in a car (on WP Rd.), or the e-bike...

My guess is a skilled driver could probably make the Turnout at the top of the 2nd switchback...a few more days of warmer weather may guarantee that...

Adding the warning that driving past the Road Closed sign may get you a really expensive ticket...

And another comment from yesterday...there were a LOT of cars parked at the lower Turnout...guessing there must be a bunch of Guided Groups up there now...

Regarding: "Adding the warning that driving past the Road Closed sign may get you a really expensive ticket..."

Does this mean the initial partial closure point, right where the road starts really inclining and getting twisty?

Also, does this mean the road past this point is being patrolled for parked cars, or is the ticket risk if someone required a tow out due to being snowed in?

I know your comments don't guarantee anything. I'm just looking to see what has changed compared to recent years gone by.

Doug doesn't appreciate it when I make comments about driving past the Road Closed sign...so now when I do, I put in the warning...

I'm talking about the Road Closed sign down at the Turnout...there's also a gate there, but it's rarely locked...mostly in the Spring when Inyo and the FS are clearing the road (again, this is an opinion...that's the only time I've seen it locked).

Read the bottom of this document for the official Inyo County stance on signage...

I've seen Inyo Deputies/CHP twice on WP Rd (during the closure)...I got the fine from Inyo...probably more than 15 years ago...(I think 5-6 vehicles got tagged that day)...it didn't stop me...

Concerning the ticket risk "if someone required a tow out due to being snowed in.":

If one willingly drives past the ROAD ClOSED SIGN (just past the big parking area on the right at the start of the first big switchback), a ticket will likely be a minor concern compared to the possibility of being stuck in the snow on the Portal Road for weeks.

For a stranded AAA member, I believe the AAA tow service does not apply to those who request assistance on clearly closed roads, unless the stranded party has a compelling reason for driving past the ROAD CLOSED SIGN ( such as fleeing a natural disaster, responding to a medical emergency, etc.). However, if the stranded driver stuck in snow waves a hand loaded with a sufficiently large number of C-Notes, he might get a tow attempt from some enterprising party.

As I recall, in the past on the WPSMB have appeared photos of vehicles which have been stranded on the Portal Road for months.

Jim

Pinto we had a Pinto parked just below the campground for 2 winters, One tow was a group drove to the Portal parked in the lower lot below the Trailhead bathroom and was snowed in , another vehicle parked next to the bathroon and iced in. The person didn't understand winter driving and keep spinning the tires and creating ice , that vehicle stayed to mid June the other 2 One person paid $2500 for a snow cat and plow to get his car out after several weeks coming up and shoveling and couldn't get out. These vehicles were parked for trips that went up and a system moved in and snowed for several days.

The road will hold snow till late April from the shaded area starting at the campground to the Portal and around the pond , the county will plow a lane in and this melts out the road. 1997 Doug and I shoveled 8 days from the campground to the Trailhead( the spring we finished the store) we would dig squares to the pavement haul our material for the morning work and make a cut list go back down and have lunch haul that back up on the sled we made dig more squares and see if we could drive a little futher the eight morning we got the truck and camper to the flat area just at the top of the hill before the trailhead bathroom Living Large! The last area 300' to the store always holds ice and snow as under total shade and around the pond before the current weather pattern this snow would stay until we cleared it again digging squares and shoveling.

The county /FS will clear the road some years but last resort we try to get the road cleared by mid May at least the bypass road before the pond.

Think about having cars, trucks and campers parked in the middle of the road or infront of the gate when the county or FS brings equipment up to clear the road ?

Okay I'm getting the idea.

I grew up driving in snow with rear wheel drive so I have that going for me (in the flat northwestern OH area). Last year I got to the switchback at 7k and parked there (the green integra), and I was checking the weather forecast every day on my Bivy Stick (satellite device) while I went upward. A snow storm that was supposed to come on Sunday was coming in earlier (3 days earlier), so after only two nights up at Lower Boy Scout I hiked down and made no more attempts at the summit, and happily drove my car down WP road and home, all in perfect sunny weather. IIUC the storm that came in later that night or the next day was substantial. In short: I had every intention of driving my own car home, and prioritized that well over summiting.

That link to Inyo's official stance does say "open/closed", so it sounds like the usual situation where the plowing stops down around 6-6.4k ft, take your own risk past that and don't attempt to go through any locked gates.

I haven't camped up there is years...but you used to be able to connect (regular phone) at the "edge" of the LBSL area and UBSL...I've had phone calls and texts from both locations and even posted from UBSL...

I believe I called your car a Lexus last year...someone who grew up in the snow would fall under what I call "skilled driver."

If I head up there, I'll try to remember to DM you with the itnierary so it doesn't look like a SAR event, unless of course my car is there well past the intended exit date. The weather is pretty nice as far as one can see from here.

Just following up here: the weather forecast for Lone Pine is fantastic all week but after digging in at NOAA and mountain-forecast.com this week is a bit colder than I think would make for fun for 5 days at and above 10k. I'd love a window to hang out up high for 3-5 days if it presented itself. Going by Tremper's book and what little else I know about avvy risk that a few inches of snow (predicted up higher) if blown properly can accumulate into quite a sizeable deposit, and create avvy conditions. LMK if you agree, or have general info about where/when that happens on the MR of MW. Having the option to wait, I will. My boss does SAR (volunteer) and are very flexible with time off, nice thing for an outdoors person.

I think the ideal situation is to be retired and have unlimited flexibility, and live close to MW to jump on any pristine weather when it presents itself. Sounds like a few people here maybe

Is that smoke I'm seeing in the webcam image?

Holy smoke!



(It must be Sunday...)

Maybe there's a new pope up on Cardinal Mountain.

Pappy on the ava thing Bob Rockwell some years ago posted his thoughts on the most common areas that slide , I would add a few lower down and on the road just above the first switchback , also the NRT trail as it comes into the canyon and all the way to the Portal , Always the question is it rock fall or avalanche ? Spring conditions we have rockfall that starts small slides . Correct on loading/drifting the backside can be dry as all the snow has blown down and drifts in the lower canyons . I recall one trip up the mountaineers route I had very little snow and wasn't a big event a group from China Lake SAR was in waist deep snow at trailcrest!

Taking a look at Bob R's many contributions to the WPSMB Member Photo Album link on this Message Board, I can't find the paper Bob wrote on Avalanche Risk in the Mt Whitney Area. But two albums are relevant to recent discussions here:

January 6, 2011. "Whitney Portal Road." Vehicles are parked at the Road Closed Sign. Bob, Bill, and Tom hike up the Portal Road to the Overflow Lot. Doug Sr and Doug Jr go further to check out a big branch that fell of the roof of the Store. They all pass the stranded blue Subaru. Above the first switchback is indeed a small avalanche. Note the rockfall on the Road.

In Bob R's March 17, 2009 Album, the Road appears very dry. So why is the Road Closed Sign still there? Dynamite blasting of massive boulders on the Road give a clue!

Jim