It's not new - the quota goes back at least to 2012, see
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Day Use for Mount Whitney Zone ~ Updated October 20, 2011 This is not a live link, indicated space may no longer be available. The number on each calendar date is
www.fs.usda.gov
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and a table of quotas including the trail crest exit that is fairly current (2021):
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Inyo National Forest wilderness permit office phone line is open 8:00 am to 4:30 pm daily in summer. During winter season, closed for lunch and closed on Holidays (760) 873-2483 Wilderness Permit Requirements
www.fs.usda.gov
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There are 25 exit permits per day spread across all Inyo trailheads, 15 reservable and 10 "walk up". It is documented somewhere on the Inyo NF site.. in a pdf.
Starting outside of Inyo isn't subject to the exit quota, or at least not from the parks or Sierra NF. not sure about Sequoia NF.
I don’t think that is 15 total but 15 per trail head per day otherwise the system wouldn’t make sense. ?Then again nothing has ever made sense with Rec. Gov. ?I have decided to go up the food chain to get an answer.
On Jan 22, 2025, at 5:28?PM, Frank via groups.io <frankdpct@...> wrote:
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To continue, that's not many so they would go quick and then you would see 0 for all trailheads if requesting a whitney exit.
Frank
The inyo site states there are only 15 whitney exit permits available in the first release. Ten more are available 2 weeks prior.
The biggest advantage of exiting Horseshoe instead of Whitney portal is that you don’t have to witness the idiocy that happens when monstrously ill prepared people attempt to climb Whitney from the portal side…:-)
Besides there are some really nice spots on the way from Crabtree to Horseshoe Meadows.
Ian
Get the permit from Mono to Horseshoe Meadow. Yes you can get to Lone Pine from Horseshoe (easy hitch). You are allowed to summit Whitney on this permit. If for some reason you were to have a genuine emergency, for example your partner sent
you an Inreach message saying the dog house was on fire or some such thing, the Rangers would permit an early exit via Whitney.
Not that I'm suggesting bending any rules here.
Also, rec gov takes forever to enter all the dates, but you can book a shorter trip and then after go back and change the itenerary and exit date (but not entry date or location).
Personally I'd exit at Horseshoe. It's a nice spot and you can also climb Langley on the way!!
"When you see a new trail, or a footprint you do not know, follow it to the point of knowing."? - Uncheedah
On Wed, Jan 22, 2025 at 2:20?PM Sam Molinari via
<sammolinari= [email protected]> wrote:
? ??I have recently been checking the Rec.gov web site for availability of permits to exit at Whitney.? Repeatedly all such permits are gone at exactly 7:00 am Pacific time.? This has occurred over a period
of 2 weeks.? Interestingly, even permits to exit at Whitney for a trail head with no direct route to Whitney (such as Fern/Yost Parker Lake) are listed as zero exactly at 7:00.? When I called Rec.gov, they told me that Inyo handles wilderness permits (which
is not true) and directed me to the Wilderness office where a recording directed to the Mammoth Visitor Center where I spoke with Ollie (sic).? He was not able to offer me much information but did say he thought that the Rush Creek trail head should have 15
daily permits exiting Whitney.? He also said I was the second person he had spoken to today about this issue.
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A few years ago, there was talk that permits for the NPs and NFs were being snapped up via some form of computer program.? Not certain if that is actually a concern or if the Rec.gov site is the issue
(that is what the ranger thought it might be) or there are simply to many people trying for too few permits. ?
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"?Finally, if that fails, I guess I'll have to add three days onto my journey, and, after summiting Whitney, hike south to Horseshoe Meadows, where, I was told, I can exit to Lone Pine (true?) “
This part is true. You can exit through Horseshoe Meadows.?
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I've made 8 phone calls (following up on one email to Inyo NF) about this and been bounced from FS to eastern sierra regional office to
(3 different places) back to Inyo FS HQ and then to Lone Pine FS.? I STILL do not have an answer.? Maybe the wise people on this listserv can help.?
I want a permit to enter Mono Pass trail at Mosquito Flat and exit Whitney.? I'm playing around on Recreation.gov now to get ready for the actual dates I want so I can do it within a nanosecond of 7 AM Pacific time. ? I've found that
most days the entire quota (12) for that trailhead is for just backpacking and NOT for exiting at Whitney.? Not sure how many should be set aside for Whitney exit but it looks like none most days.? Oddly enough, there are some NRs (not released) and some zeroes
in that row going back in time.? Clearly operator error.?
I've tried to verify that
???? a) one is allowed to enter at Mono Pass and exit at Whitney (answer today:? yes that is allowed if you have the permit)
???? b) there should be permits on to do this.?
There appears to be a major disconnect between FS and .? None of the responsible government agencies appears to be able to get
, a contractor, to correct the website.? No one who answers the phone at
has any idea what I'm talking about or can help and they pass me on to the next clueless person (or in one case a dead line).? The FS guys know very well that the website is failing but they can't do anything about it.?
So I asked a FS ranger in Lone Pine today what to do. Based on his advise, here's my plan of action.?
???? First I'm going to call early tomorrow morning to talk to another ranger in Lone Pine who today's ranger told me might know more.?
???? Second, I will continue trying to get a Whitney exit permit on
.?
???? Third, when I'm hitting the end of my starting window, if I can't get a Mono/Whitney pass, I'm going to get the regular Mono backpacking pass .
???? Fourth,? if I fail to get a Mono/Whitney permit 6 months out, I'll try for a last minute (nee "walk up") permit two weeks before .?
???? Fifth, if I still can't get a Mono/Whitney pass, I'll bring my Mono Pass backpacking permit to the FS office in Mammoth Lakes and grovel, tell them my sad story and hope they give me a Whitney exit permit;
???? Finally, if that fails, I guess I'll have to add three days onto my journey, and, after summiting Whitney, hike south to Horseshoe Meadows, where, I was told, I can exit to Lone Pine (true?)? . ? OR I could risk getting a $1000
fine by exiting Whitney without a permit but doing so at night because the rangers leave at 6 PM.?
Any other solutions out there?? Does anyone have any insight as to how to get
to correct its website?? I do NOT want to exit on the Western side because it's too hard to get back to civilization.?
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Frank
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Frank
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