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

Hi Locked gate installed at the road closed sign. Thanks Doug

How sharp is the razor wire?

It sounds like someone has got tired of car rescues ? I wonder if the 2 vehicles that were stuck at the Portal over the New Year are still there ?

Oh yeah?! Cooks get a key?

Oh, wow, I guess I made it out just in time, then - I drove out around 4:30pm that day.

The NPS ranger at the visitor center did mention to me the day before that he thought Inyo County was going to put up a barrier - he said they were getting tired of writing citations.

Were they citing tickets to cars parked at the gravel lot by that road closed sign, or were the citations for something/somewhere else?

It sounded like they were ticketing people who drove past the Road Closed sign, and parked up closer to the trailhead - although there were plenty of cars up there last weekend, and none seemed to be ticketed.
I think the gravel lot before the barrier is kosher to park in, though.

I called the Whitney Ranger station, and obtained some intel. Hope this will help others interested in Whitney before they open the road.

They do not know when the gate will be unlocked. In the past years. Sometimes the Road Closed sign was removed earlier, as in before May 1st. They said this year the roadClosed sign may be removed later than usual due to the need for removing trapped cars higher up there.

It is okay to leave our cars parked on the gravel lot by the RoadClosed sign/gate for a couple of nights; however, the ranger does not recommend hiking up from the road closed sign on the actual road, because that would be, according to him, 5+ miles of hiking. Instead, he recommends hiking up using a trail from the Lone Pine Camp Ground. He said the distance from that area to the Portal store (AKA Whitney trailhead) is about 3miles. Is there a trail from that campground to the Whitney trailhead? Can anyone confirm this? I have never hiked up to the portal store area from that campground.

The information over the phone appears to be inconsistent with googleMaps and other info I found on the web. For example, on googleMaps I don't see a trail that connects the Lone Pine campground with Whitney trailhead, but of course that doesn't necessarily mean there is no trail. According to this website, the Whitney trailhead is 7 miles away using a trail from the Lone Pine Campground:
http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/Lo...mp;parkId=70292

I also plotted the distance to Whitney trailhead from the RoadClosed sign, and the distance from the campground. If one were to hike up using the road, the distance from the RoadClosed sign is about 3.5 miles, and from the campground it's 4.7 miles. If there is no trail from the campground, parking and starting from the gravel lot looks to be the better option.

The ranger/staff stated that there are cars stuck somewhere up there, but he doesn't have the information as to the exact location. He said citations are certain if somehow people park/drive pass the locked gate. He told me that the reason for the locked gate is to more easily coordinate the equipment that will pull the cars out, and the concerns of people going into the Whitney zone without the permits and wagBags.

If available, please add more information you have on this topic.

Keep in mind that many of the "rangers" you talk to have never even been to the portal before---in summer or winter, on foot or otherwise...

I have a suggestion for National Trails Day this June...

Turn that Use Trail up from tne Turnout into something a bit better...


The trail up from Lone Pine Campground to the Portal can be EXTREMELY ICY in the "winter" season. You may end up needing to use those crampons you'll be carrying up for the climb very early..

I've always thought the walk up the road from the Turnout is close to four miles... Done it billions of times. If you are humping a heavy pack, it doesn't seem any longer than heading up directly off-road.

Hi Grande I think the distance on a straight line from the locked gate to the trail head is just over 2 miles big stress straight line!!!!!!! , Taking the road adds some distance but also cuts the grade down.

Now on the trail from LP Campground it is the NRT Whitney Portal Trail following the "old 1904 " somewhat to the Portal and on to Whitney , don't use this trail in the winter or before it is melted out, very steep sideslopes and a slip would take you into Lone Pine Creek. The sign in the Portal say 3.7 miles and 2700' elevation gain to Lone Pine Campground.
Giga Mike, Richard and I did a map of the gate closed area to the Portal some years ago and if I recall the elevation at this start is about 6600' so you gain 1700' in the 2+ miles.

Get a nice early start since you will be walking in the open and direct sun on you till the campground. Now that many cars will be parked at the gate do not leave anything of value in the car.Guides have had vehicles broken into.
The first day the gate is open I will post , many times in the past the Chamber or Visitor Center may not get the word for several days or never. Pattern has been they will open the road when it is clean, swept and safe for travel.

Thanks

Is this trail the trail? I think it is labelled 'Mount Whitney National Recreation Trail?'
http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=36.594701,-118.199910&z=16&t=t2

That's a good map. It even shows where everyone falls in. (I guess it's time to put the sidecar on the dirtbike...)

Thanks Doug and Chevy for the info.

A fellow took a photo of the gate yesterday:



Here is the gravel lot near the gate:

Hi Parking area by the gate was full yesterday.School group and other hikers going up. Plenty of parking along the road and the lot should clear once the School group leaves.


I checked the distance from the gate to the Trailhead: road travel 3.3 miles, the upslope direct is 1.7 miles gate to trailhead. The direct is one large a..beater so stay on the road. Look at the picture of the gate and the direct is up THAT slope! Thanks Doug

I just came off Whitney today. The parking lots at Whitney Portal have been plowed and a new barricade has been added just below the overflow lot.

Kurt, does mean that the lower gate was opened but that you cannot get all the way up to the parking area because of these barricades? Or these are in addition to the gate being locked? Which seems odd since you cannot get past the gate?

As of today it's the latter. The gate is still locked down at the bottom.

Wow, that's amazing,

have been hiking the mountain since 1999 summer and winter MR and Main Tr. always with permit!!! Too bad, that they make it so much more difficult for the people who know what they are doing(like Kurt & Richard P. etc) to even get to the trail head.

Berne Mettenleiter the "Goat"

The double rock block still exists...