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Mount Whitney Overnight Permit
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks · California
This season's lottery is done · cancellations are the way in
Multi-day permits for Mount Whitney, popular for acclimatization.
70% of the openings our scanner caught on Mt. Whitney Overnight were gone within 10 minutes.
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Mount Whitney has several separate permits for different routes and trip lengths. See the Mt. Whitney permit page.
Mt. Whitney Overnight Quick Facts
Permit RequiredYes
Booking MethodLottery
Demand LevelExtremely High9/10
SeasonMay 1 - November 1
Cost$6 per reservation + $15 per person
Daily Quota60 people
Lottery Odds60 people/day, no published rate
Max Group Size15 people
Mt. Whitney Overnight Permit Facts
- As of September 2026, Mt. Whitney Overnight in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, California requires a permit issued via lottery.
- Mt. Whitney Overnight is one of the most competitive permits in the United States, rating 9/10 on PermitSnag's demand index.
- The Mt. Whitney Overnight lottery typically opens February 1 and closes March 1, with results announced March 15.
- The permit season for Mt. Whitney Overnight runs May 1 through November 1.
- The Mt. Whitney Overnight route covers 21.4 miles with 6,200 feet of elevation gain, rated strenuous.
- Cancelled Mt. Whitney Overnight permits are re-released on the booking system; PermitSnag monitors availability and alerts watchers when dates open.
Key Information
Key Dates
Lottery OpensFebruary 1
Lottery ClosesMarch 1
ResultsMarch 15
SeasonMay 1 - November 1
Permit Details
TypeOvernight
Booking MethodLottery
Demand Level9/10
LocationSierra Nevada, CA
Pro Tips
- •Apply to Inyo National Forest, not the park, if you are starting at Whitney Portal — that is NPS's own instruction
- •Camp at Outpost Camp or Trail Camp rather than pushing from the road; the acclimatization night is the point of this permit
- •Carry summit-day water from Trail Camp — nothing above it is reliable
- •Watch the group-size drop at the park boundary: 15 on trail, 8 off trail on Mt. Whitney
- •Print the permit before 10 am on the entry date, the overnight no-show deadline
- •If you are coming from the west, the High Sierra Trail is the SEKI-issued route NPS names, on a 30-person quota with no lottery
- •If you want the Mountaineer's Route, reserve the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek permit instead — this one will not cover it
- •Give the exit location and itinerary at reservation time if you plan to walk on to the John Muir Trail
- •April 22 at 7 am Pacific is the fallback: every unclaimed lottery date goes on general sale
What to Expect
Route Details
Distance
21.4 miles
Elevation Gain
6,200 ft
Route Type
Out & Back
Duration
2-4 days
Difficulty
StrenuousElevation Range
8,360 - 14,505 ft
Highlights
- •60 people per entry day, a separate quota from the 100 day-use permits at the same trailhead
- •Camps at 9,900, 10,400, 11,600 and 12,000 feet, named by Inyo National Forest
- •100 switchbacks between Trail Camp and Trail Crest at 13,600 feet
- •A rule change at the crest, where Sequoia National Park restrictions replace forest ones
- •No reliable water between Guitar Lake and Trail Camp
- •The option to keep going onto the John Muir Trail on the same permit
Best Time to Visit
Quota season is May 1 to November 1. Inyo says the trail is usually snow-free from July to late September, and NPS puts the non-technical window at mid-July to early October. Two nights inside that stretch is the most reliable summit plan. Outside quota season permits are unlimited and bookable two weeks ahead, but the route becomes a winter climb.
Hazards & Considerations
- !Altitude sickness, which is the main reason to take the overnight rather than the day permit
- !Lightning above Trail Camp, with no shelter; the summit hut's metal roof conducts strikes and SEKI says not to use it in a storm
- !Snow and ice outside roughly mid-July to early October
- !No reliable water between Guitar Lake and Trail Camp
- !Very active bears at Whitney Portal, and marmots at the pack-cache spot below the summit spur
- !Discretionary search and rescue — SEKI states that rescuer safety comes first and that you should be self-reliant
Weather Forecast
Trailhead (5,000 ft)
⚠️
Backcountry Tips
- UV index 8. High altitude sun is intense—sunscreen and hat essential.
Today
☀️
49°
33°
Sun
☀️
46°
28°
Mon
☀️
48°
28°
Tue
☀️
48°
27°
Wed
☀️
48°
26°
Thu
☀️
49°
28°
Fri
☀️
51°
30°
View full NWS forecast →Mountain weather changes rapidly. This forecast is a guide—always be prepared for worse conditions.
How to Get This Permit
1
Create a Recreation.gov account
Sign up at Recreation.gov if you don't have an account. Verify your email and add payment info ahead of time.
2
Apply during the lottery window
Submit your application between February 1 and March 1. Apply for multiple dates to increase your odds.
3
Wait for lottery results
Results are typically announced March 15. Check your email and your Recreation.gov account.
4
If unsuccessful, monitor cancellations
Permits get cancelled daily. Peak cancellation times are 24-48 hours before the trip date.
5
Set up PermitSnag alerts
Get notified when cancellations happen. Pro and $19 single-permit alerts are checked about every minute, 24/7; free accounts are checked hourly.
When to Go
Peak: July-SeptemberShoulder: Late June and October
Conditions
Quota season opens May 1, but NPS says ice axes and crampons are needed in spring and early summer.
Crowd Level
LowAdvantages
- +Empty camps
- +Firm snow for parties with the skills
Challenges
- !Winter mountaineering equipment required
- !Severe cold at a 12,000-foot camp
- !Route-finding on snow-covered switchbacks
Difficulty Assessment
Physical Demand4/5
Fitness and endurance required
Technical Skill2/5
Climbing, scrambling, or specialized skills
Exposure Risk4/5
Steep dropoffs and fall potential
Navigation2/5
Route finding and trail clarity
Commitment4/5
Difficulty of bailing out mid-route
Best For
Backpackers who want the summit with a night at altitude built in, and John Muir Trail hikers finishing or starting at Whitney Portal.
Recommended Experience
Multi-day backpacking and previous nights at altitude. The trail is non-technical when snow-free; the elevation and the weather are the difficulty.
Not Recommended For
Climbers heading for the Mountaineer's Route or East Face, which the Whitney Trail permit does not cover, and anyone who has not slept above 10,000 feet before.
About This Permit
Mount Whitney's summit is inside Sequoia National Park, but the overnight permit for the standard route is not a park permit. NPS routes hikers by starting point: begin at Whitney Portal on the east side and you apply to Inyo National Forest, cross the Sierra from the west and you apply to Sequoia & Kings Canyon.
The Inyo overnight permit is capped at 60 people per entry day during quota season, May 1 to November 1, and every date in that window goes through the Mt Whitney Lottery — applications February 1 to March 1, results March 15, claim by April 21, unclaimed dates on general sale April 22 at 7 am Pacific.
Camping a night on the way up is Inyo's own advice rather than a workaround. The forest names Lone Pine Lake, Outpost Camp, Consultation Lake and Trail Camp as the usual choices for backpackers who want more time to adapt to the elevation.
The Experience
Why It Matters
The summit belongs to Sequoia National Park, but the permit almost never does. NPS is clear that hikers starting at Whitney Portal apply to Inyo National Forest, and only people crossing the Sierra from the west apply to Sequoia & Kings Canyon. So the overnight permit most people actually need is the Inyo Mt Whitney Trail overnight permit, capped at 60 people per entry day and allocated through the February lottery.
The Route
The route is the same 10.7-mile trail NPS describes from Whitney Portal at 8,360 feet to the summit at 14,505 feet, gaining over 6,200 feet. Inyo names the camps that break it up: Lone Pine Lake at 9,900 feet, Outpost Camp at 10,400, Consultation Lake at 11,600 and Trail Camp at 12,000.
Above Trail Camp come the switchbacks — NPS counts 100 of them — to Trail Crest at 13,600 feet, which is where the trail crosses into Sequoia National Park about two miles from the top. From there the summit spur runs 2.4 miles along the west side of the crest, starting a hundred yards below Trail Crest. There is no reliable water between Guitar Lake on the west and Trail Camp on the east.
Park rules take over at the crest and they are stricter than the forest's: no camping in the Mt. Whitney shelter, a two-night limit in the Crabtree and Whitney Creek area and at Guitar Lake, no camping at Timberline Lake, and a maximum party size of 8 rather than 15 in the off-trail areas of Mt. Whitney and Whitney and Crabtree Creeks.
The Feeling
The difference a night makes is not romantic, it is physiological. You get to Trail Camp at 12,000 feet in the afternoon with the switchbacks stacked above you, eat, sleep badly, and wake up already at altitude instead of climbing 4,000 feet into it before breakfast. The people passing you at 3 am left the car at midnight and have another six hours in them before they see the sun.
Trailhead Information
Whitney Portal
8,360 ft elevationThe east-side trailhead for the Mt. Whitney Trail, at the end of Whitney Portal Road. Permits for trips starting here come from Inyo National Forest, not the park.
Restrooms
No water
Parking
Parking is limited; Inyo asks people to carpool. Bear activity is high, so all food and scented items must be removed from vehicles and secured in the bear-proof lockers in the parking areas.
Getting There
Highway 395 to Lone Pine, west on Whitney Portal Road at the town's only traffic signal, about 13 miles to the trailhead.
Nearest Services
Lone Pine. The Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center sits 2 miles south of town at Highway 395 and State Route 136 — NPS also calls it the best place from which to see the mountain.
Crescent Meadow (High Sierra Trail, west approach)
The west-side approach NPS names for reaching Whitney from Sequoia National Park, on a SEKI wilderness permit rather than an Inyo one.
Restrooms
No water
Parking
Parking is available at Crescent Meadow or Wolverton. Backpackers with a wilderness permit may access the Crescent Meadow trailhead 24 hours a day.
Getting There
From Visalia, CA-198 east to the Ash Mountain entrance and on 16 miles to Giant Forest. Vehicles over 22 ft are not advised; in summer approach via Grant Grove and the Generals Highway.
Nearest Services
Permits for this entry point are issued at the Lodgepole Visitor Center.
Rules & Regulations
- •A permit is required year-round for entry to the Mount Whitney Zone, including day use
- •Starting at Whitney Portal means applying to Inyo National Forest; approaching from the west across the Sierra means applying to Sequoia & Kings Canyon
- •Bear-resistant containers are required for overnight trips
- •Maximum group size is 15 people on trail, but Sequoia caps off-trail parties at 8 in the Mt. Whitney and Whitney and Crabtree Creeks areas
- •No camping in the Mt. Whitney shelter, none at Timberline Lake, and a two-night limit in the Crabtree and Whitney Creek area and at Guitar Lake
- •All Mt. Whitney hikers are expected to pack out solid human waste
- •Campfires are prohibited in the Mt Whitney Zone, and above 10,000 feet in the Kern River drainage of Sequoia National Park
- •Pets are prohibited beyond Trail Crest, where the trail enters the park
- •The Inyo permit does not cover the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek approach to the Mountaineer's Route, East Face, East Buttress or Mt Russell
- •SEKI permits are valid for continuous travel into Inyo National Forest and vice versa, subject to each agency's conditions
Gear Checklist
Required
- A bear-resistant container for the overnight
- A pack-out kit for solid human waste
- A stove; campfires are banned in the Whitney Zone
- Sleeping gear rated for a camp at 12,000 feet
- Capacity to carry summit-day water from Trail Camp or Guitar Lake
Recommended
- Trekking poles for the switchbacks under a pack
- Printed SEKI terms and conditions, required by Inyo for travel into Sequoia and Kings Canyon
- A California Campfire Permit, required to operate a stove
- Downloaded maps — cell coverage is limited and SEKI warns not to rely on phones
- Wind protection for Trail Camp, which has nothing to hide behind
Plan Your Trip
Lottery concierge
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Better odds with a crew
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Gear Checklist
Required and recommended gear for Mt. Whitney Overnight
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Shuttle Services
Trailhead transportation options
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Key Landmarks
↑
6,200ft
Gain↓
6,200ft
Loss⛰️
14,505ft
High📏
10.7mi
Distance📐
11%
Avg GradeClick on a marker to view details•6 landmarks
Landmarks (6)
Lottery Statistics
60 people/day, no published rate
estimated success rate
Get detailed lottery statistics and tips. Sign up to track this permit.
Boost Your Chances
Apply with a crew to multiply your combined odds, and let auto win-detection tell you the moment you win — you never have to check Recreation.gov. Win-detection reads the result email you forward us, so it takes a one-time setup in your inbox (about two minutes, and we walk you through it). Pool and auto win-detection are on Pro or a $19 permit alert.
Apply these for the best odds
- Apply inside the February 1 - March 1 window. Inyo runs a single lottery each year, so there is no second draw to fall back on.
- Put April 22 on your calendar. Lottery winners must pay the per-person fee by April 21, and every unclaimed and forfeited date opens for web reservation the next day.
Opens the official lottery — you submit your entry. We never automate or store your Recreation.gov login.
Full lottery odds & strategy →Safety & Planning
Mt. Whitney Overnight FAQ
Which agency issues the Mount Whitney overnight permit?
It depends where you start, and NPS spells it out. "If you begin at Whitney Portal, in Inyo National Forest on the east side of the Sierra Nevada, you should apply for a Mt. Whitney permit from Inyo National Forest." Only if you begin in Sequoia National Park and cross the range from the west do you apply to Sequoia & Kings Canyon. The summit is in the park; the permit usually is not.
How many overnight Mount Whitney permits are issued per day?
60. Inyo National Forest states "60 people per entry day for Mt Whitney Trail Overnight permits," separate from the 100 day-use permits at the same trailhead. Overnight trips approaching by other routes fall under different quotas.
Why take the overnight permit instead of day use?
Altitude. Inyo's own description of the overnight permit is that backpackers "often choose to camp one or two nights, allowing more time to adapt to high elevation." A day hike means climbing over 6,200 feet in 12 to 14 hours starting in the dark. The overnight permit also extends onto the John Muir Trail, which the day use permit cannot do.
Where can you camp on an overnight Whitney trip?
Inyo names Lone Pine Lake at 9,900 feet, Outpost Camp at 10,400, Consultation Lake at 11,600 and Trail Camp at 12,000 on the east side. Past Trail Crest you are in Sequoia National Park, which prohibits camping in the Mt. Whitney shelter and at Timberline Lake, and limits the Crabtree and Whitney Creek area and Guitar Lake to two nights.
What group size is allowed on Mount Whitney?
15 on trail under both agencies. But Sequoia & Kings Canyon cuts it to 8 in the off-trail areas of Mt. Whitney, Whitney and Crabtree Creeks, Upper Rock Creek and Mt. Langley, where off trail means half a mile from a trail in overnight areas. Affiliated groups may not travel or camp within half a mile of each other if the combined size exceeds the limit.
Is there water on the upper part of the Whitney trail?
Not reliably. NPS says to fill up before the climb from Guitar Lake because "there is no reliable water supply between Guitar Lake and Trail Camp on the east side." Trail Camp at 12,000 feet is the last dependable source coming up from Whitney Portal.
Can you continue onto the John Muir Trail from Whitney?
Yes, on the Inyo overnight permit. The forest states it "can also be extended to continue onto the John Muir Trail" if you provide the exit location, exit date and itinerary. One permit covers continuous wilderness travel through adjacent parks and forests, and you follow each agency's rules as you cross boundaries.
What are the odds of getting an overnight Whitney permit?
No agency publishes a rate, so none is quoted here. The published numbers are the quota — 60 people per entry day — and the lottery calendar: apply February 1 to March 1, results March 15, claim and pay by April 21, unclaimed dates released to everyone at 7 am Pacific on April 22.
👥Community
Trail Conditions
No active conditions reported
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Photography Guide
Golden Hour
Evening at Trail Camp, after the sun drops behind the crest and only the Inyo Mountains across the valley are still lit.
Best Light
First light from the switchbacks, with the Owens Valley 8,000 feet below still in shadow.
Beat the Crowds
The overnight permit is the crowd strategy. Day hikers leave Whitney Portal between midnight and 4 am and pass the camps in the dark; leave camp at first light and you follow them up and meet them coming down while you still have the summit.
Classic Shots
- 📍Tents at Trail Camp under the switchback wall
- 📍The tarns at Trail Camp holding the reflection of the crest at dawn
- 📍Trail Crest at 13,600 feet looking west toward the Great Western Divide
- 📍The summit plateau and the 1909 stone hut
- 📍Guitar Lake from the climb toward Trail Crest, for parties coming from the west
Can't Get a Mt. Whitney Overnight Permit?
Consider these alternatives if your preferred dates aren't available.
Mount Whitney Day Hike Permit
Similar ExperienceThe same summit in a single 12 to 14 hour push, on a 100-person daily quota instead of 60.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
A bigger quota in the same lottery, but no acclimatization night and no ability to combine it with anything else.
High Sierra Trail
Similar ExperienceThe west-side approach NPS names: Crescent Meadow to the John Muir Trail in 49 miles, then 13 more to the summit, on a SEKI permit with no lottery.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
A 30-person daily quota with 20 reservable, on a rolling six-month-to-one-week window. NPS gives a minimum of 6 days one way or 10 days round trip.
Mount Langley
Easier AlternativeA neighbouring 14,000-foot peak from the Cottonwood Lakes side, outside the Whitney Zone and outside the Whitney lottery.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
You lose the highest-point claim and gain a permit you can realistically get. SEKI caps off-trail parties on Mt. Langley at 8 people.
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Where to Stay
Nearby campgrounds to complete your Mt. Whitney Overnight trip
Trip planning
Articles that plan a trip around this permit.
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