Whitney Portal Store

Top choice


Food, beer, souvenirs and excellent advice from the friendly staff make this the (only) place to visit before and/or after your hike up Mt Whitney. It sits just a few yards from the trailhead and is only open during the peak hiking season.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Mt Whitney

3.17 MILES

West of Lone Pine, the jagged incisors of the Sierra surge skyward in all their raw and fierce glory. Cradled by scores of smaller pinnacles, Mt Whitney…

2. Alabama Hills

6.95 MILES

The setting for countless ride-‘em-out movies, the popular Lone Ranger TV series and, more recently, parts of Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008) and Quentin…

3. Museum of Western Film History

9.99 MILES

More than 400 movies, not to mention numerous commercials (mostly for rugged SUVs and Jeeps), have been shot in the area. This fascinating museum contains…

4. Manzanar National Historic Site

11.02 MILES

A stark wooden guard tower alerts drivers to one of US history's darkest chapters, which unfolded on a barren, windy sweep of land some 5 miles south of…

5. Eastern California Museum

14.99 MILES

This museum contains one of the most complete collections of Paiute and Shoshone baskets in the country, as well as artifacts from the Manzanar National…

6. Mary Austin's House

15 MILES

Fans of Mary Austin (1868–1934), renowned author of The Land of Little Rain and vocal foe of the desertification of the Owens Valley, can follow signs…

7. Mist Falls

23.22 MILES

One of the most popular destinations for a day hike from the Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon, Mist Falls is an Edenic spot, with massive boulders,…

8. Muir Rock

23.78 MILES

On excursions to Kings Canyon, John Muir would allegedly give talks on this large, flat river boulder, a short walk from the Road's End parking lot and…