Eastern Sierra
Mount Whitney Permits: Lottery Dates, Fees, and What to Do If You Lose
Updated August 11, 2026
Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the lower 48, and the Whitney Zone quota season (May 1 to November 1) is the most competitive permit window in California. Everything inside that zone requires a permit, day hike included.
The lottery timeline
The cycle runs on fixed dates each year:
| Stage | When |
|---|---|
| Lottery application window | February 1 – March 1 |
| Results posted to your account | March 15 |
| Deadline to claim your award | April 21 |
| Unclaimed dates released to public | April 22 |
Cost: $6 to enter the lottery, then $15 per person once you claim.
The deadline that catches people out
Winning the lottery does not give you a permit. You have to go back into your Recreation.gov account, complete the reservation details, and pay the per-person fee by April 21. Miss it and your award is cancelled and handed to someone else.
Set a calendar reminder for mid-March when results post, and another well before the April deadline. Every year people win and lose the same permit through inattention.
If you don’t win
April 22 is the date to watch. Every unclaimed award from the lottery is released for general reservation then, and given how many people miss the claim deadline, a meaningful number of dates come back onto the board. It’s first-come rather than a lottery, so being ready at release time matters.
Beyond that, cancellations trickle out through the season. Checking Recreation.gov regularly in the weeks before a target date is unglamorous but works.
Planning notes
The lottery forces a commitment in February for a hike you’ll do months later, before anyone knows what the snowpack will do. Early-season permits in a heavy year can mean a mountaineering objective rather than a hike: ice axe and crampon territory, not trail runners.
If your goal is simply to summit rather than to summit on a specific date, applying for shoulder-season dates in late September or October generally faces less competition than the July–August peak, with the tradeoff of shorter days and a real chance of early snow.
Before you apply
Verify the current year’s dates and fees with Inyo National Forest. This cycle has been stable for several years, but quota rules and fees are subject to revision.