The Inyo National Forest would like to inform wilderness visitors of current wilderness permit reservation and pickup procedures. The forest continues to face extremely high demand from the recreating public, including visitors to wilderness areas. The procedures outlined here are important for visitors to know to ensure wilderness permits are received in a timely manner.

The first step for visitors is to go to recreation.gov to make a wilderness permit reservation. For the Inyo National Forest, www.recreation.gov/permits/233262 is the direct link to the permit reservation site. There is also a website for learning more about the reservation process at www.fs.usda.gov/main/inyo/passes-permits/recreation.

Once you have your wilderness permit reservation, please plan to pick up your reserved permits in person at one of three visitor centers:

Lone Pine: Interagency Visitor Center, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
Bishop: White Mountain Ranger Station, open Thursday through Monday 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m., closed for lunch from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Lee Vining: Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

Although the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center is open, it is not currently staffed by the Forest Service and wilderness permits cannot be printed there.

Wilderness Permits Required

If you are unable to stop by one of the three visitor centers listed above, then email issuance is an option. Email instructions can be found at: www.fs.usda.gov/goto/inyo/wildernesspermitpickup. Your permit will be emailed 1-2 days before your trip. Please do not send multiple emails to the Wilderness Permit Office. Follow the instructions, including the trip start date, starting trailhead, and reservation number in the subject line. Staff will process emails based on trip start date.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through these challenges together.