Mount Whitney Permits & Lottery Guide

A Mount Whitney permit is the one document standing between you and the highest summit in the lower 48, and from May 1 to November 1, most of them are handed out by lottery. At 14,505 feet, Whitney is called Tumanguya, “very old man,” in the Newe (Shoshone) language, according to the Forest Service. The trail up it starts at Whitney Portal, 8,300 feet above Lone Pine, and climbs more than 6,200 feet over a 22-mile round trip. Day hikers are advised to start before sunrise and be ready to hike in the dark, and the Forest Service tells hikers to expect 12 to 14 hours round trip.

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission. Know that I only recommend hiking gear I personally stand behind; when you use my affiliate links, it helps me run this blog and keep all of this content free of charge for readers (like you).

Getting to that trailhead is its own contest. A Forest Service accomplishments report from 2021 said more than 65,000 people enter the Mount Whitney lottery each year, and the daily quota is 100 day hikers and 60 overnight hikers.

This guide covers how the Mount Whitney permits work, the lottery dates, the fees, how to improve your odds, and what to do if you lose.

Key Takeaways

• A wilderness permit is required year-round for the Mount Whitney Zone. From May 1 to November 1, entry is capped at 100 day-use and 60 overnight people per day.
• The Mount Whitney lottery runs February 1 to March 1 on Recreation.gov. Results post March 15, and winners must pay and claim by 9 p.m. Pacific on April 21.
• Unclaimed dates open to everyone on April 22 at 7:00 a.m. Pacific, first come, first served. After that, cancellations are your best chance.
• The cost is a $6 non-refundable reservation fee plus $15 per person, with no refunds, rain checks or credits.
• Day use and overnight permits are not interchangeable, and consecutive day-use permits are not allowed.
• From November 2 to April 30, permits are not capped and can be booked online up to two weeks before your trip, but snow and ice make it a winter mountaineering route.

Mount Whitney Permit at a Glance

Why Mount Whitney Needs a Permit

The trail begins in Inyo County at Whitney Portal and ends at a summit inside Sequoia National Park, but the Inyo National Forest issues the permits for trips that start from Whitney Portal.

The Forest Service says that if your trip begins on Inyo National Forest land, your wilderness permit must come from Inyo even when your first night is in an adjacent park. A Forest Service order restricting the Mount Whitney Zone is currently in effect through June 18, 2027.

Whitney is also the southern end of the John Muir Trail, which runs more than 200 miles north to Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley. If you want to see the other trails in the area, our guide of hiking trails near Mount Whitney covers options that do not require the lottery.

Mount Whitney Trail Permits: Day Use vs Overnight

The lottery covers two permit types, and you cannot swap one for the other once you win.

If your trip spans more than one calendar date, you need the overnight permit. Backpackers usually camp at Lone Pine Lake (about 10,000 feet), Outpost Camp (about 10,500 feet), Consultation Lake (about 11,000 feet) or Trail Camp (about 12,000 feet), according to the Forest Service.

Two Whitney Zone trips sit outside the lottery. Climbers who approach the East Face, East Buttress, Mountaineers Route, or Mount Russell via the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek need a separate overnight permit listed on Recreation.gov’s Inyo National Forest wilderness page.

Hikers who finish a long trip by exiting over Trail Crest to Whitney Portal need the “Overnight Exiting Mt. Whitney (Trail Crest Exit)” permit, which can be reserved up to six months ahead.

Mono County tourism materials list a quota of 25 people per day for those exits. If that is your plan, our John Muir Trail planning guide walks through the larger permit picture.

Mount Whitney Lottery: Dates and Deadlines

The Forest Service’s Mount Whitney permit page lists the calendar below. It does not print a year, and it was last updated December 16, 2025, so confirm the 2027 postings before you apply.

How to Apply for a Mount Whitney Permit

Create a Recreation.gov account before February 1, then open the Mt. Whitney permit page on Recreation.gov when the window opens. Choose your permit type, entry date, and group size.

Group size is the number of people you are requesting, including the leader and children. You may list up to 10 alternate choices, and the Forest Service asks you to submit only one application.

Guides report that the lottery awards a date only if enough quota remains for your whole group, and that groups are capped at 15.

If you win, the $15 per-person fee is due by April 21. The $6 reservation fee is non-refundable. The permit leader and alternate named at application are the only people who can use or pick up the permit, and reservations cannot be sold or transferred.

Mount Whitney Permits Cost

All people count toward quotas and fees, and prices are the same for military, seniors, and children.

Totals are my arithmetic from the published fees. There are no refunds for Mount Whitney permits, no rain checks, and no credits, and fees cannot be moved to other dates.

How to Improve Your Odds

Nobody can promise a win, but the official mechanics point to a few choices that help.

• Use all 10 alternate dates. More options give the draw more ways to place you.
• Be flexible on weekdays and shoulder dates. Guides report that weekends and mid-summer dates draw the most requests.
• Consider day use if you can handle it. Guides report that overnight permits draw more requests than day-use permits, though a 22-mile day is not for everyone.
• Keep your group small. Guides report that the lottery needs enough quota left for your whole group, so a smaller party is easier to place.
• Set an alarm for April 22. The Forest Service releases unclaimed dates at 7:00 a.m. Pacific, and they go first come, first served.

Missed the Lottery? Your Plan B

Cancellations are the main route once the lottery closes. Dates freed by group-size reductions and cancellations appear on Recreation.gov throughout the season, and guides report that checking daily, especially in May and June, pays off.

The Forest Service lists no phone sales, and one Recreation.gov listing states that Mount Whitney permits are reserved online only, with no walk-up.

You can also shift your season. From November 2 to April 30, there is no quota, but Recreation.gov warns that when snow or ice is on the mountain, winter mountaineering skills and equipment are necessary, and the Forest Service says to expect ice and snow until the beginning of July. Our guide to winter hiking in California covers the traction and cold-weather basics.

If Whitney stays out of reach this year, other Sierra permits run on their own calendars. Our Half Dome permit guide covers the Yosemite lottery, and our Rae Lakes Loop guide covers the quota permits in Kings Canyon. If you decide to pivot your itinerary, our guide to Sequoia National Park attractions highlights top spots to visit nearby. Trips that start inside Sequoia and Kings Canyon use that park’s wilderness permit system instead of Inyo’s.

After You Win: Printing and Changing Your Permit

• Printing. You can print or request the permit one week before the trip. It is canceled as a no-show unless printed by noon the day before for day use, or by 10 a.m. on the entry date for overnight trips.
• Carrying it. The signed permit must be with the group leader on the trail and shown to rangers on request.
• Changing dates. You can change the entry date online if it is 12 or more days ahead and quota is available. You can reduce group size, with no refund, and change an overnight exit date.
• Entry and exit dates. The permit is valid only to start on the entry date. Do not list nights spent in motels or at Whitney Portal Campground, which is not in the wilderness.

Rules at Whitney Portal and on the Trail

Whitney Portal has a high level of bear activity. All food and scented items must come out of your vehicle and into the bear-proof lockers in the parking areas, and day hikers should keep their packs with them.

Overnight hikers must carry bear-resistant containers for food and trash. Our guide to wildlife hazards on California trails explains how marmots and bears work the Sierra.

You must pack out solid human waste. Kits are available at the visitor center and the trailhead, and used kits go in the disposal box near the Whitney Portal restrooms. Drones are prohibited in wilderness, and most of the trail has no cell service, so download maps in advance.

Planning Around Your Permit

Whitney Portal Campground typically operates late May through mid-October, depending on snow, and Recreation.gov takes its reservations. Our guide to campgrounds near California’s top hiking trails covers other options if it is full.

Altitude is the other planning problem. The Forest Service advises arriving a few days early and sleeping at 8,000 to 10,000 feet while day hiking higher.

Our guide to high-elevation hiking in the Sierra Nevada explains acute mountain sickness, and our guide on how to train for a difficult California hike builds a plan. For a wider look at passes across the state, see our guide to California hiking trail permits and passes.

Frequently Asked Questions