How to get in01 pathLottery
Mount Whitney
Day-use and overnight trail quotas are filled through Inyo National Forest lotteries.
Day trip · Overnight
HikeCampStrenuousPhysical effort · Estimate
Strenuous — Long miles, elevation, or sustained hard effort.
Very long, high-altitude day or overnight; thin air is the limiter.
Editorial estimate of the typical trip — not lottery hardness, and not an Official agency grade.
Good fitHikers who can protect a winter lottery window and train for a long, high day or overnight.
Usually notLast-minute July road-trippers expecting walk-up summit permits.
Lottery type
Day Use & Overnight Lottery
Historical success rate
27.3%
USFS Inyo — 2023 Mt. Whitney Lottery Results PDF · for 2023 · Agency published 2023 · We checked 2026-09-20
When to apply
Window closed
Feb 1 – Mar 1
Annual Mt. Whitney lottery · Official dates
Typical window Feb 1–Mar 1; results ~Mar 15; claim by late April. Confirm on Recreation.gov / Inyo NF each year.
We checked 2026-09-22
The managing agency (and Recreation.gov when the product lives there) is authoritative for dates, fees, and whether registration is open. We summarize — always confirm on the official page before you apply.
If you miss this window, try these instead:
- Overnight quota dates
- Nearby Inyo day hikes without Whitney quota
Sources & notes
- USFS Inyo — 2023 Mt. Whitney Lottery Results PDF · for 2023 · Agency published 2023 · We checked 2026-09-20
7,152 permits awarded from 26,219 applications (~27.3%). Day-use first-choice success reported separately at 17%; overnight 10.3% in the same PDF.
Backup options
Nearby or alternate ways in if these draws miss.
- Overnight quota dates
- Nearby Inyo day hikes without Whitney quota
Field notes
All field notesPlaybooks for the confusing parts of applying — not live calendars.
- Desert and Sierra when you have one weekDesert day-hike lottery or Sierra overnight permit — what fits one week off
- How to order a hard-ticket yearHow to prioritize national park lotteries and permits for one trip year
- How to read a place pageHow to read a park permit page before you apply on Recreation.gov
- Which Recreation.gov product is this?Recreation.gov parking vs timed entry vs lottery — how to pick the right one
Dates, group rules, a backup, entry day — the apply checklist is under Before you go
The managing agency (and Recreation.gov when the product lives there) is authoritative for dates, fees, and whether registration is open. We summarize — always confirm on the official page before you apply. Recreation.gov Whitney lottery is well documented; Forest Service posts seasonal results and quotas. About Official / Estimate / Not confirmed yet