Mt. Whitney is the tallest 14er in the lower 48 and the highest point in the continental USA. If you missed the Mount Whitney lottery in February and March we show you how you can get one as late as the same day on Recreation.gov. 2/3 of lottery applicants were turned away in recent years, but there are alternatives to the 100 day and 60 overnight permits per day during the summer climbing season between June through September. Instead, of accessing the high Mt. Whitney trail by the Whitney Portal parking lot and trailhead approaching the mountain from the east, hikers can more easily get permits to climb on Mt. Whitney by accessing Trail Junction and the the John Muir Trail and approach Mt. Whitney from the west. The three shortest section hikes which exit at Whitney Portal are
1. Kearsarge Pass, 43 miles one-way (Onion Valley trailhead, near Independence, CA)
2. Cottonwood Lakes, 40 miles one-way (Horseshoe Meadows trailhead near Lone Pine, CA)
3. Cottonwood Pass, 40 miles one-way (Horseshoe Meadows trailhead near Lone Pine, CA)
40 percent of the 3 section hike permits terminating at Whitney Portal are held until 7AM Pacific Time 14 days prior to the start of the hike. Those three permits can be found by searching "Inyo Wilderness". The Inyo National Forest is in charge of Mt. Whitney permits. Then select "exiting Whitney". There are dozens of permits that exit Mt. Whitney, but those permits are the shortest. You don't have to hike the entire 200 mile John Muir trail to summit Whitney. You must start at the trailhead on the permit on the first day of the permit. You can exit the wilderness or Whitney Portal at any time. The # of days on your permit does not matter. The John Muir wilderness does not begin until a mile from the Whitney Portal parking lot.
The section hike permit holders should pick up a wag bag at Whitney Portal prior to starting their section hike at Kearsarge Pass, Cottonwood Lakes, or Cottonwood Pass. Poop (not urine) should be deposited in wag bags packed out until deposited in an approved refuse container in Whitney Portal. Wag bags are required in Guitar Lake and all of the Whitney Trail. Outside those areas 6-8" rabbit holes or the rare pit toilet as in Crabtree Meadow can be used for poop. Bear Cannisters are also required for all overnight hikers on Whitney Trail.
Permits overnight and day only starting at Whitney Portal were available same-day when I checked at midnight on July 19, 2021. Thus, last minute permits may be available that way too. The Mt. Whitney trail from Whitney Portal to the summit of 14,505' (or is it 14,495' or 14,508'?) is 21.4 miles. Overnight permit holders have a better chance of completing the nearly 22 mile round-trip and about 6,100 feet of elevation gain with shorter hiking distances per day and more time to acclimate. Day permit holders should start at midnight on the permit day or even earlier, because the Whitney Zone (which is only for permit holders) is three miles from the parking lot. Thus, most day permit holders will not reach the Whitney Zone until over an hour into the hike. 2/3 of the 160/day permit holders do not summit Mt. Whitney despite the trail being rated class 1.
The section hike permits are much less expensive $31 versus a spot on commercial mountain guide expeditions. Mountain guides will likely charge about $1,000 for a two-day trip and will not take you on the safest route (Whitney Trail). Instead, they will take climbers on the Mountaineer's or even more technical routes up Whitney where the permits are easier to get or there are no permits needed. Guides will tell you how fast to hike where to camp, what to pack, et cetra. The section hike alternative gives the hiker much more freedom, saves money, and uses a better route to the highest point in the continental USA (the lower 48).
Section hikers instead of being more tired than the overnight of day permit holders actually have an easier time to the summit. Section hikers are acclimated to the altitude and used to mountain trails and barely notice the 99 (or 97) switchbacks from Trail Crest to Trail Camp. Section hikers entering from the JMT can stash their heavy packs at trail junction and do the final two miles (four miles round trip) to the summit with no pack or a much lighter pack.
We also give tips for multi-person parties so they can expect to win a permit in their first year of the lottery. If the chances of success in the Whitney lottery, is 1/3 as in 2019, then three people can have a 70 percent chance of winning if they all pay $6 for their 3-person party to enter the lottery in February and early March. 1 - (1-(1/3))^3 = 70%. If just the "leader" of the party enters they can expect to wait 3 years before winning.
Associate Producers
Ben Dahle, Kevin Yager, and Rick Moore (SSL)
Man on thumbnail is a free to use photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels.
Copyright Linus Wilson, Vermilion Advisory Services, LLC, 2021.
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