Eastern Sierra: Lottery for Mt. Whitney hike permits goes online The view from Trail Crest, looking down on Guitar Lake, a spot along the Mt. Whitney Trail. Mary Forgione By Mary Forgione Los Angeles Times Daily Travel & Deal blogger February 10, 2012, 5:45 a.m. If your plans include conquering Mt. Whitney this summer, you'll need training -- and a $15 hiking permit. This year the annual lottery for the highly sought-after Mt. Whitney Trail permits will be conducted online. There's high demand for a shot at hiking or backpacking up the 14,497-foot Eastern Sierra peak, the highest point in the Lower 48. In the past, the Inyo National Forest has handled the lottery but now the process moves over to the online reservation system Recreation.gov. Applications for the lottery opened Feb. 1 and will be accepted through March 15. Via the online system, hikers can apply for overnight or day use permits for up to 15 different date choices. Lottery results will be e-mailed to applicants before April 1. You pick up the actual permit before your trip at the Eastern Sierra InterAgency Visitor Center in Lone Pine, Calif. Daily permits for the strenuous 11-mile hike to the top are limited to 60 overnight campers and 100 day hikers between May 1 and Nov. 1. Under the new system, you pay a $6 transaction fee (whether or not you prevail in the lottery) on top of the $15 per person permit fee. Permits for other trails overseen by the national forest (John Muir, Ansel Adams and Golden Trout wildernesses) cost $5 each and also can be reserved at Recreation.gov. For more information on permits for Mt. Whitney or other trail heads in the Eastern Sierra, contact the Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permit Office at (760) 873-2483. To enter the lottery for Mt. Whitney permits, go to Recreation.gov.