Mt. Whitney 2023 Hopefully

[Ricardo A]

I hiked this one in mid May 2007 and it was amazing. It helped that we requested an early season permit. There was some snow but nothing we couldn’t handle. Wishing you luck on the permit.

[James]

I hope that you were lucky with lottery. If not don’t despair, keep an eye out for cancelations. August-October are the prime dates. Cancelations or invitations are always a possibility. It’s not a difficult hike, not easy, but not difficult. Hike a lot and get used to elevation and gain.

[Rodney]

Thanks James. Unfortunately we didn’t get it. I will look out for no-shows or cancellations. Thanks for the tips!

[Zachary]

If you’re willing/able to dedicate multiple days, you can backpack to the summit out of Cottonwood Lakes. I will be doing this if pto and walk up permits align 🤞

[James]

I’ve done it from Cottonwood Pass a couple of times and once from Cottonwood Lakes with Langley and Miter Basin and then Whitney. All the hikes up there are great.

[Tyler]

Hello!

I actually applied, and won a slot for this climb in September. I’m excited! In the event that I might not have been pulled, I asked a few people about an alternative. A coworker mentioned cancellations are high, and that you can show up at the Whitney Ranger Station, with no pass and just wait and see. Typically on the day of, and just fill in where someone cancelled. Got the impression the success rate of getting a pass this way, is very high… Maybe you can score an overnight cancellation? Good luck!

[Rodney]

That’s awesome for you. My buddy and I were pretty bummed about not getting a permit. We hurt our own chances by applying for an overnight permit instead of a day hike. I only realized after the application deadline that they give out more (60 I think) daily day hike permits vs overnight (40?). I’m not sure about showing up without a permit though. We live about a 5 hour drive South of the Whitney trail head and it would suck to make the drive and not get it. It’s something to consider, so thanks for the tip. We just might be excited/eager/desperate enough to give it a try 🙂

• This reply was modified 5 months, 3 weeks ago by  Rodney Andres.

[Tyler]

Yeah… that’s a long drive just for chance. But my coworker felt like it’s almost a 100% success rate. Might even be better to go during the week, if you can get the time off. Of course, if you don’t get lucky, I’m sure there are tons of trails close by you can hit. My tip: hope for the best and prepare for the worst. It’s the Sierras! ☺️☺️

[Jennifer]

We have a NOBO JMT permit for August starting at Cottonwood pass!!