Wilderness Permits

General Instructions:

On www.recreation.gov home page search "Inyo National Forest - Wilderness Permits" to explore available permits.

After entering preliminary information such as start date and number of people in your party, a grid will appear showing our trailheads and how many quota spaces are available each day from your start date to 10 days ahead.  To book a permit select quota from the grid by clicking on the number corresponding to your desired trail and entry date. Our quota is based on the entry date alone, you do not need to select quota for every day of the trip. For a description of where a trail goes click on the trail name.

If you see NR displayed, it means that the 60 percent of the trailhead quota released 6 months in advance has all been booked and the remaining 40 percent will be available for reservation at 7am Pacific time two weeks prior to that entry date. 

Wilderness permits are valid for one continuous wilderness trip.  Permits are issued by the agency where your trip begins. Your wilderness permit must be issued from Inyo National Forest if your trip begins from Inyo National Forest, even if the first night will be in an adjacent park.  Your permit is only valid to start on the specific date and trail for which it is issued. 

If you would like to enter or exit via the Mt. Whitney Zone, please refer to the Mt. Whitney Permits information below.

If your trip begins from one of the other public lands listed, we will accept the permit they issue as long as you meet requirements for continuous wilderness travel. Review the group size limits, food storage, pets, camping and campfire regulations for each area you will pass through. You must follow rules for each area while you are there.

• Yosemite National Park (Inyo NF permit does not include Half Dome)
• Sierra National Forest (west side access near Florence Lake and Lake Edison)
• Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (Roads End, Mineral King)
• Sequoia National Forest (Kennedy Meadows, Golden Trout Wilderness)
• Humboldt/Toiyabe National Forest (Twin Lakes, north of Mono Lake)

There are several different approaches to Mt. Whitney. The type of permit you will need depends on the type of trip and where you will start.

The Mt. Whitney Day Use and the Mt. Whitney Trail (overnight) are the two most popular types of permits.  They are explained on the page for the Whitney Lottery.

Mt. Whitney Zone Trips Not in the Lottery

Overnight trips on the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek and trips starting from more distant trailheads, like Kearsarge Pass (Onion Valley Road) or Cottonwood Pass (Horseshoe Meadow Road) are not in the lottery. Permits for these and other Inyo National Forest trails, can be reserved online up to 6 months in advance.

For rock climbing, the approach to Mountaineer’s Route, East Face, East Buttress, Mt. Russell and all other climbs in this isolated canyon, select the trail name “North Fork of Lone Pine Creek”.

Mt. Whitney (Trail Crest) Exit

Trail Crest is approximately 13,600 ft. in elevation and 2 miles from the summit of Mt. Whitney, where the Mt. Whitney Trail crosses the crest of the Sierra Nevada to join the John Muir Trail in Sequoia National Park.

For trips that will finish at Whitney Portal via Mt. Whitney (Trail Crest Exit) select permit type "Overnight Exiting Mt. Whitney". Quota to exit at Whitney Portal is reserved together with your entry point. A permit with Exiting Mt. Whitney allows you the option to hike to the summit and camp along the Mt. Whitney trail as you finish your trip

The Trail Crest exit quota limits the number of visitors allowed to descend the Mt. Whitney Trail to Whitney Portal Road. This quota does not apply to Mt. Whitney Day Use or overnight permits that started on the Mt. Whitney Trail. Hikers that begin their trip in another park or forest are exempt from this exit quota.

• Trail Crest Exit Quota is 25 people per permit entry date. 15 spaces are available starting 6 months in advance of the entry date and 10 spaces are added to the reservation website 2 weeks prior to the entry date.
• The exit quota applies for passing through the area whether or not you summit.
• You cannot use a day pass for an exit permit.
• All Mt. Whitney visitors are expected to pack-out their solid human waste. Pack-out kits are available at the Eastern Sierra Visitor Center year-round and at the Mt. Whitney Portal Trailhead during the summer season.
• Special approval is required for commercial use.
• Stock is not allowed from Trail Crest to Whitney Portal.

Mt. Whitney Zone Map

Permits for the John Muir Trail (JMT) are issued by the agency where your trip will begin. If your trip is a continuous wilderness trip, one permit will be accepted by all the parks and forests along the way. Reservations can be made on recreation.gov. You must start on the entry date and trail stated for the permit to be valid.  All regulations for the JMT are described in JMT Minimum Impact Wilderness Regulations.

If you have a break in continuous wilderness travel, a new permit would be required from the agency where the next section of your trip begins. Exceptions are made for JMT hikers to exit for a reasonable period of time for the purpose of resupply.

If your trip begins on Inyo National Forest and you will finish the trip at Mt. Whitney, please refer to the Mt. Whitney Permits information above.

Other trip planning aids include the Inyo National Forest list of JMT Entry Points, and Itinerary Locations on the JMT. For early and late season trips, check if roads and resorts along the way are open. When planning resupply, please note that caching food or supplies is not allowed in wilderness or in food storage lockers. Additional trip planning resources can be found on the PCT website page for the John Muir Trail.

Long distance permits for hikers who will travel more than 500 miles in a single, continuous trip are issued by the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA).  This permit allows you to travel and camp along the PCT.  Leaving the trail to resupply is limited to trailheads within 15 trail miles of the PCT and must be done on the most direct trail between the PCT and the trailhead. Camping off the PCT corridor is not allowed. Suitable resupply trails include Cottonwood Pass (4 mi), Kearsarge Pass (6.5mi), and Bishop Pass (10mi). Resupply is not allowed on the Mt. Whitney trail.

PCT Long-distance Permit holders:

• Must start at the entry point location and date on your permit.
• Are limited to 35 days in the Southern Sierra section (from Kennedy Meadows south to Kennedy Meadows north).
• Cannot start on Inyo National Forest trails under quota, a local permit is required to start on quota trails.
• Are not allowed to camp off of the PCT trail corridor.
• Are not allowed to camp east of the PCT near or on Mt. Whitney.  The summit of Mt Whitney can be side hiked as a day hike, however you must camp on the west side of the PCT at Crabtree.  The PCTA permit does not allow going east of Mt Whitney or exit to Whitney Portal.
• If you wish to do alternate routes within the Sierra, you will need a local permit.

Contact the Pacific Crest Trail Association for more details about the PCT long distance permit.

Permits are required year-round. For trips that begin during the non-quota season (November 2 through April 30) the number of permits issued is not subject to trailhead quotas. Space will open on recreation.gov 2 weeks before the trip.  Trailhead access may be affected by seasonal road closures. Current road closure information may be found on websites for Inyo National Forest , Inyo County, or Mono County depending on who is responsible for maintaining particular road.   Check weather and snow conditions before taking a winter trip.

If you are using the services of a pack outfit or guide for any part of your trip, you will need a permit that identifies the commercial services. Contact the company providing the service to book your trip. The outfitter will work with the Forest’s Wilderness Permit Office to ensure the correct type of permit is being issued. On many trails a separate quota is used for commercial trips.

Trips sponsored by organizations or non profit groups may require a special use permit. Different quota or rules may apply to your trip. 

Please visit our special use permit web page for more information. Inyo National Forest - Event/Commercial Permits (usda.gov)

Reserving a wilderness permit costs $6 per permit, plus the following per person fee:

• $15 per person if entering Mt. Whitney Zone (includes Mt. Whitney, North Fork of Lone Pine Creek, and Trail Crest Exit).
• $5 per person for all other areas.
• There is no additional charge per night.
• Example: 4 people hiking 5 days on a trip that does not go to Mt. Whitney, 4 x $5 per person reservation fee = $20; +$6 transaction fee = $26.00 total fee.

Fee Revenue Makes a Difference. Thank you for supporting our forest programs. 95% of the per person recreation fees collected stay on Inyo National Forest and go right back into trailhead facilities, maintaining and improving the trails, and visitor services. The $6 transaction fee supports the web-based reservation system and permit database.

All people count for wilderness quotas and fees without consideration of age. Prices are not different for military, seniors or children. There are no discounts, National Interagency Passes are not accepted for wilderness permits.

Your reservation will be canceled as a No Show and your space may go to other groups, unless print it out, pick it up, or check the “late arrival” box when booking.   Please refer to permit printing instructions.

Deadline for No Show:

• Day Use Mt Whitney deadline is noon, one day before the entry date.
• Overnight permit deadline is 10 a.m. on the entry date.

Change of Reservation:

• Group size can be reduced online.  Group size can be increased if quota space is available, but you need to contact recreation.gov or a visitor center to make this change.
• Reservation can be canceled online.  See refund information below.  
• Corrections to itinerary, exit date or exit location can be made online.
• Leader or Alternate Cannot be Changed.  Only the group leader or alternate identified at the time the reservation is made can pick up or use the permit.  You may designate up to 3 alternate permit holders by selecting them when you make your reservation.  Leader or alternates cannot be added or changed at a later date.  Reservations cannot be sold or transferred.
• Change to entry trail can be made online if there is quota available for the trail to which you wish to change.
• Change to entry date or permit type requires a new reservation for the desired trip. You will pay new reservation and recreation fees.   The software update to change entry date without the need for a new permit is anticipated for late spring of 2025.

Refunds

There are no refunds for Mt. Whitney Day Use or Mt Whitney Trail Overnight permits. For all other trails the per person fee is refunded if you cancel 12 days or more in advance of the entry date. Fees cannot be transferred to alternate dates. No rain checks or credits.