Inyo N F wilderness permit reservations

If you've been searching for the best source of information and stimulating discussion related to Spring/Summer/Fall backpacking, hiking and camping in the Sierra Nevada...look no further!
User avatar
grampy
Topix Regular
Posts: 397
Joined: Tue May 15, 2018 10:45 am
Experience: Level 3 Backpacker
Location: Redondo Beach

Re: Inyo N F wilderness permit reservations

Post by grampy »

Wandering Daisy wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 12:57 pm ... Now you have to pay the toll to Reserve America to even get in there. About doubled the camp fee. Depressing.
just to clarify, Camp 4 reservations are (per new policy) through Recreation.gov , whose operation is now contracted out to Booz Allen Hamilton (a big hitter amongst gov’t contractors). Reserve America operated the Rec.gov site until last year.
... but agree with your point, W.D.
rightstar76 wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 4:14 pm If INF and now YOSE for Camp 4 think that a computer only reservation system is going to eliminate crowds, they are completely out of touch with reality. People will come anyway. Also, as some people have mentioned, you can cancel your permit online and it doesn't always show up on the ranger's computer. So while the corporations running the reservation websites are making lots of money, hikers are spinning their wheels making more reservations and paying more money! There needs to be a better and fairer way to do this.
It is likely that contracts for operating .gov websites are awarded at a high level in the Agriculture and Interior Departments, rather than lower in the U.S. Forest Service and Park Service, respectively. “Fairness” gets pushed aside if these higher-ups are angling for a lucrative “revolving door” job in their future.

Also want to clarify that from my experience (and Sir BC’s) that maybe the desk rangers don’t have computer “privileges” to cancel your original reservation for you; thus making YOU (the reserving hiker) responsible for cancelling it yourself.
User avatar
Jimr
Forums Moderator
Forums Moderator
Posts: 2175
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2009 2:14 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Torrance

Re: Inyo N F wilderness permit reservations

Post by Jimr »

Huh, I had a different experience when I did something similar in Mammoth. I decided I wanted to go in a day earlier than my permit (on a different trailhead) so I went to grab a walk-up permit starting a day before my reserved permit. My plan was to make sure I could get the walk-up permit and then cancel my existing permit. However, when I gave the dates I wanted and the ranger went to print the permit she said that she couldn't issue it because I already had an existing permit (that I hadn't yet mentioned to her). She said I had to cancel that one first before she could issue the new permit, which she did for me. I have to admit that I didn't confirm that it also showed as canceled on Recreation.gov, so maybe it wasn't actually released back to the pool there?
I had the same experience when my son and I had permits for Pine Creek. We went to Lone Pine RS to get a permit over Paiute pass. We got all the way to the end of the process when an alert came that I already had a PC permit on the same entry date. The ranger could not finish it until the first permit was cancelled, so he changed the name on the new permit to my son's name, secured that permit, then cancelled mine.
If you don't know where you're going, then any path will get you there.
User avatar
rightstar76
Topix Expert
Posts: 776
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:22 pm
Experience: N/A

Re: Inyo N F wilderness permit reservations

Post by rightstar76 »

Grampy, thanks for the wisdom. Those higher-ups do indeed have a gold plated "revolving door".
User avatar
Wandering Daisy
Topix Docent
Posts: 6640
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:19 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Fair Oaks CA (Sacramento area)
Contact:

Re: Inyo N F wilderness permit reservations

Post by Wandering Daisy »

Numerous time the computers have been "down" when I stopped in at the Mono Lake ranger station. In that case they just wrote an old fashioned non-computerized permit. I also got a lot of good information from the rangers. I think the experience now will be more like what we get with those annoying automated "phone mazes". "Improving the user experience" seems to be a euphemism for budget cutting. The cost is now on us,a few rangers get jobs eliminated and we loose the person-to-person contact. But my main fear is that those more computer-adept than me will be able to shut me out of getting any permit by figuring out cleaver ways to beat the system.
User avatar
rightstar76
Topix Expert
Posts: 776
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:22 pm
Experience: N/A

Re: Inyo N F wilderness permit reservations

Post by rightstar76 »

.
Last edited by rightstar76 on Tue Aug 13, 2019 4:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
SSSdave
Topix Addict
Posts: 3523
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 11:18 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Silicon Valley
Contact:

Re: Inyo N F wilderness permit reservations

Post by SSSdave »

I cannot imagine any logic Inyo might have to expand the no walk-up policy beyond Whitney so not something we should be worrying about. Whitney is a special nonsense social media popularity case like Half Dome. I welcome policy makers making efforts trying to improve permit situations for both though I have never had interest in either.

What I read on the other board's thread that is huge, is that SEKI has dropped the Inyo face-to-face permit pickup requirement. For years have been suggesting they keep a register of experienced permitees together with a simple online test for each permit and then give them a bye for the face-to-face. If they really were serious about the rules they would have all adults in groups sign off on permits even if they are not leaders as there are many backpacking in groups that obviously do not know the policies. And there should be more backcountry rangers plus consequences in the ability to obtain permits for those breaking important policies in the backcountry.
User avatar
Wandering Daisy
Topix Docent
Posts: 6640
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:19 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Fair Oaks CA (Sacramento area)
Contact:

Re: Inyo N F wilderness permit reservations

Post by Wandering Daisy »

I just got back from a trip, permitted as first-come a week ago. To my surprise, I got an e-mail from Reserve America with my permit, but with $0 in the payment column. Are they just testing? Is this the first step to charge first-come permits too?
User avatar
rightstar76
Topix Expert
Posts: 776
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:22 pm
Experience: N/A

Re: Inyo N F wilderness permit reservations

Post by rightstar76 »

Wandering Daisy, did you get this permit as a walk-up? If so, I don't think you would get an email. Did you reserve it through recreation.gov?
User avatar
Wandering Daisy
Topix Docent
Posts: 6640
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:19 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Fair Oaks CA (Sacramento area)
Contact:

Re: Inyo N F wilderness permit reservations

Post by Wandering Daisy »

I did get it through a walk up and NEVER have reserved a permit through Reserve America. The ranger did say they had a "new system" and I had to given them my e-mail address. I had no idea that I would get a $0 "bill" from Reserve America. It really reeks of testing a system to charge everyone.
User avatar
CAMERONM
Topix Expert
Posts: 475
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2015 10:04 am
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: Inyo N F wilderness permit reservations

Post by CAMERONM »

SEKI has dropped the Inyo face-to-face permit pickup requirement
Just like it used to be. I assume with the nighboxes back in action?
I think I saw it posted here already, but they no longer do the lottery at the door at Lone Pine either. First come first served, which means a line starting at the gate before they open up the parking lot at 7:30.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot], Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot] and 138 guests