Talk about an earned double bacon cheeseburger with onion rings. Yup, that's what I ordered. After hiking over 15 miles at an elevation 10k plus an overnight backpacking trip earned me a lunch here and it did not disappoint. Service was good, the food was amazing, and plenty of outdoor seating which is big outdoor area. I would definitely recommend this place especially after a hike. read more

Whitney Portal Store - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Lone Pine, California

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Been wanting to see the Portal for a while. Finally found the time while on a meandering drive up 395. The Store is stocked with everything from die-hard hiker/camper/trekker gear, to a myriad of books (Including a series on Campfire Stories). They are known for their "huge" pancake, which we just missed due to time. The owner's grand daughter was working. Incredible hospitality! It's a true family adventure. She told us the story of how the store came into her family. Definitely worth a visit. The drive is great. The scenery is spectacular. The store is awesome! read more

Whitney Portal Store - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Lone Pine, California

Such a neat place to visit! We had breakfast and of course tried the famous huge pancake. It was delicious! Portions are perfect (not talking about the pancake lol) and the staff is friendly. Perfect breakfast with a great view. Also, pet friendly so that was plus. read more

Whitney Portal Store - So good! - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Lone Pine, California

Any time, ANY TIME, you're at the Whitney portal, you need to visit. Not only can you get unique souvenirs after completing your Whitney hike, the food here is really good. I was really impressed with their portion size and French fries. Some of the best French fries I've ever had. This isn't the post 20 mile hike hunger talking either. I ordered the double bacon cheeseburger and couldn't even finish it. I'm used to "bulking season" eating and I still couldn't finish it. Also, the store owners/staff are all very helpful and friendly. Ask Doug at the store about mountain conditions or stories. He used to be a surveyor and has summited Whitney 200+ times because that's just what his job was back in the day. Now he runs the shop and kitchen and helps anyone who has a question or needs some wisdom. Even if you're not hungry, stop by and say hello to them! read more

Whitney Portal Store - Double bacon cheeseburger. Look how big it is! Must have! - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Lone Pine, California

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This Yelp listing is for the Whitney Portal Store located at the Mount Whitney trailhead (versus the listing for the hotel & hostel located in downtown Lone Pine). This store/restaurant is a fantastic place to start or end your hike into the Whitney Zone. They have a breakfast and lunch/dinner menu available (I hope there will be more veggie options in the future..) and seating mostly outside to enjoy your meal. The store is filled with all sorts of things needed for hiking/backpacking/climbing so if you forgot something this is the place to stop before embarking on your adventure. They also sell books/maps of the area and Mt Whitney memorabilia (t-shirts, hats, etc.). There are also laundry services offered here. It's nice to have this store so perfectly located at the trailhead, saving a drive back to town. read more

Whitney Portal Store - Lunch/dinner menu - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Lone Pine, California

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Cannot tell you what a great little store this is! It has an excellent selection of practical hiking supplies, as well as books, trail maps, trail snacks, tourist items (mugs, t-shirts), etc. It's hilarious that the t-shirts are divided between "I hiked Mt. Whitney" and plain "Mt. Whitney"; either way, the shirt says "It's all downhill from here" on the back. Does the altitude make the portal store's giant hamburgers and fresh-made fries taste unbelievably good? I don't know if that's the secret, but strongly recommend! read more

The Whitney Portal store is located right at the trailhead for Mt. Whitney. We completed the High Sierra Trail that ends at Mt. Whitney and stopped at the Whitney Portal Store for burgers and fries to celebrate our accomplishment! Their food menu is pretty extensive and they have a vegetarian option as well. For the price, you really get a small mountain of food. The amount of fries that come with your burger is insane! I got the double bacon cheeseburger and it was a pretty great burger. The bacon was really delicious, thick cut, and there was a generous amount of slices on the burger! It also came with an abundance of toppings on the side. I ate them all! It was a very welcome hot meal after 6 days of dehydrated food. The store also has a huge selection of candy, bars, drinks, and beer. They have souvenirs to commemorate your achievement, whether it's completing the JMT, HST, or a climb up Mt. Whitney. The store also carries a decent stock of outdoors equipment (fuel canisters, first aid supplies, gloves/hats/socks, etc) if there's something obvious missing from your backpack. Worth mentioning that due to COVID-19 and as of August 2021, the kitchen closes at 6:45pm. Something to keep in mind for your summit plans or ending your hike. read more

The pancakes are the size of large pizzas and so delicious! The individuals who took our order and and served us our breakfast were really kind and patient with our young sons who were running all over the place. We felt welcomed here and we were grateful for an amazing, filling breakfast for our whole family! read more

Whitney Portal Store - two young boys looking at a pancake - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Lone Pine, California

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An amazing place located in a fantastic setting. Highly recommended! Double cheeseburger is amazing. French fries are amazing.

Grabbing a cheeseburger and a beer at the end of a hike to the top of Mt. Whitney is a well-deserved treat, and something many hikers look forward to as they're descending from the mountaintop. In fact, several hiker friends say that's their inspiration to move faster - to keep pushing - just so they can get to the store before the kitchen closes (advertised as 8pm in the months of July and August, but restated as 7pm due to COVID or staffing or some other reason on a handwritten paper taped to the store's window). I left the summit at around 11:05AM. It's about 11 miles down to the trailhead and the store, but I had to stop at Trail Camp first (4.5 miles and 2,500 feet below the summit) to pack up my tent and gear, grab some food and filter some water - which I did - and I was hiking again, headed toward that infamous cheeseburger. I arrived to the Whitney Portal Store at around 6pm. They changed the entry to the store to control the number of people, set up a sanitizing station, etc. for COVID, so I followed their protocols, grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and placed my order with the lady at the counter: 1/3-lb cheeseburger with French fries. I paid and they were going to call my name when it was ready. It's difficult to hear your name being called from the seating along the road, so I had to limp over and check in every few minutes to see if food was ready to be picked up. The burger and fries were prepared as expected and timely. As I was eating, another friend from the group I was in arrived at 6:30pm. I told him the kitchen closes at 7pm, so he should place his order quickly - which he did - and after it was done, he enjoyed a double (2/3-lb) cheeseburger with bacon and French fries. Hmm, maybe that's what I should've gotten. We still had 3 friends on the mountain on their way down. I know all 3 of them expressed a keen interest in grabbing a cheeseburger and beer at the end of their hike. They were moving a little slower than us, but we had no idea what time exactly they'd be down. And since there's no cell service, it's anyone's guess, really. I was watching the clock closely. If they didn't get down by 6:55pm, I was going to place a food order for them. And that's what I did. At exactly 6:55pm (5 minutes before the kitchen was scheduled to close) and being the friend I am, I walked in and ordered 3 cheeseburgers with French fries, along with a 6-pack of beer. The same lady whom I dealt with just 55 minutes earlier stated "oh, we just closed the kitchen." But, um, it's 6:55pm - there's still 5 more minutes until it's supposed to close and my friends are on their way down - I want to make sure they get their cheeseburgers. "Sorry," she said, "they just closed it." Can you please make this order? My friends are on their way down and it's only 6:55pm. "Nope." Well, that's not very nice. I returned the beer because, well, what's the point to hang around there just to have beers without food? RUDE! Do they not understand what us hikers endure? How hungry we are? Who are they there to service - just the day visitors who go there to walk a half hour then leave? The campers? Or the hikers who go to the summit? I would think all. And, do they not have the sense to know when hikers are returning? Come on - you've been there since 1987. Do you need a chart to figure this out? Unfortunately, because they are the lone service provider at the trailhead, they pretty much just do what they want. They don't have to listen to the feedback. They don't have to have great customer service. They're the only choice, so it's a take it or leave it situation. And that sucks. I wonder how many hikers they leave high and dry. They haven't even updated their website with the new hours, so if hikers are relying on *that* information (because you don't necessarily go to the store before starting your hike), those hikers are likely finding disappointment when they finish their hikes. They're tired and hungry and then they get stiffed by the one and only store in the area. Now they have to limp to their car and find something open 13 miles to the east in the town of Lone Pine. It's sad that the Whitney Portal Store folks don't really care about servicing their customers, especially the hikers. read more