Whitney Portal is a magical place. The second you pull into the campground, it feels like unlike anywhere else I’ve ever been. Whitney portal is exactly what a campground should be. There is a creek that runs throughout the campground that provides perfect background noise. Even though the sites are pretty close to each other, we could not hear a neighbor once because of the sound of the creek. This area is allegedly infested with black bears, but we didn’t see any this time. Bear boxes are provided at each campsite.
There are spigots for water, clean, vault toilets, and bear-proof, garbages and recycle bins.
It did get chilly at night, but as long as you bundle up in your tent, you’ll be completely fine. There are tons of mountain squirrels running around the campground frequently, and they are so cute and entertaining to watch.
If you aren’t planning to summit Mount Whitney. I highly recommend the lone Pine Trail, which leads up to an alpine lake, which is absolutely gorgeous. Meysan Lake was also beautiful.
I didn’t have cell service at this campsite, but other areas up near the portal do have limited service, but also the city of lone Pine is about a 15 minute drive down the mountain.
Overall, this is my favorite campsite I’ve ever been to. 10/10.