Getting to top of Mt. Whitney starts with a lottery trudge

The lottery to climb California’s stunning but challenging Mount Whitney is now open for trips in 2023 – and winning access is itself no small challenge.

The tallest peak in the contiguous U.S., straddling Sequoia National Park and Inyo National Forest east of Fresno, Whitney is the most frequently climbed mountain in the Sierra Nevada, officials say — so popular that all visitors in the Mount Whitney zone, including day hikers, must get a permit to minimize the human impact on the area.

Hikers can register for the U.S. Forest Service’s one-month open lottery now until March 1 for dates between May 1 and Nov. 1. Lottery results will be announced March 15, and hikers have until April 21 to confirm their reservations and pay the $15 per person fee. Any dates from the unclaimed lottery reservations will be released online at 7 a.m. on April 22.

The maximum group size is 15, and only one application needs to be submitted per group or household. You can choose from a day use or an overnight permit, with

a total maximum 100 day hikers and 60 overnight hikers allowed in the area per day during the May 1Nov. 1 period. Be flexible and prepared before applying, as you can designate 10 alternate trip choices and three alternate leaders on one application.

Keep in mind that the lottery is very competitive. A record 26,767 applications were submitted last year, representing 115,209 people, according to the Recreation.gov website run by federal and state agencies. Just 29% of the applications were successful. The previous year, 25,005 applications were submitted, 28% percent successfully.

Lucky winners get access

through the mountain’s most common entry point, Whitney Portal, on the eastern side of the Sierra in Inyo National Forest, 13 miles west of Lone Pine. From that trailhead at about 8,300 feet above sea level, the shortest and most popular route is the Mount Whitney Trail, a 22-mile round-trip hike that takes approximately 12 to 14 hours, according to the Recreation.gov website. The 14,494-foot summit is at the southern end of the John Muir Trail in Sequoia National Park.

The website advises that the trail is challenging even for fit hikers, and to consider starting before sunrise and to be prepared to hike in the dark.

The trail is usually free of snow from July to late September, and is “nontechnical, but strenuous,” according to officials. When snow or ice is on the mountain, hikers should be experienced in winter mountaineering and have the necessary equipment.

Backpackers often camp one or two nights at

Lone Pine Lake, Outpost Camp, Consultation Lake or Trail Camp, the website says. Overnight permits can be extended to continue onto the John Muir Trail, a long-distance route that goes northwest all the way to Yosemite.

Get more details on the lottery page, and call the

Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permit Office at 760-873-2483 with any questions or for help planning your trip.

Jeff Chiu/The Chronicle 2001 Mount Whitney, seen from Lone Pine (Inyo County), is so popular among hikers that a highly competitive lottery system is being used for issuing permits.