Pass status
Is the Whitney Portal Road open?
A guide to the typical season and the live weather at the top, not a live open or closed status. Always check the official road status before you travel.
The drive
A short, dramatic switchback climb out of Lone Pine through the Alabama Hills to the foot of Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48.
Passes nearby
Season questions
Is the Whitney Portal Road open right now?
The official road status is the only definitive answer, and it changes fast up high. As a guide: the typical driving season runs March to November, and the pass closes for winter snow outside it. The live summit weather on this page helps judge conditions today.
When does the Whitney Portal Road usually open and close?
In a typical year it is driveable from March to November. Exact dates shift with the snowpack: a heavy winter can push opening weeks later, and early snow can shut it ahead of schedule.
How high is the Whitney Portal Road?
The summit of the driven road sits at about 2,538 m (8,327 ft), which is why the season is set by snow rather than by the calendar.