Outstanding views of Mount Whitney (the highest peak in the continental United States) and the eastern Sierra escarpment, Lone Pine Creek, the Alabama Hills, and the White and Inyo Mountains are the key features of the Whitney Portal National Recreation Trail. The trail begins in the Lone Pine Campground at 5,900 feet elevation in the Great Basin Desert and climbs four miles along the south rim of Lone Pine Creek to Whitney Portal at 8,400 feet elevation in the sub-alpine zone of the Sierra Nevada.

The lower portion of the trail is open year-round. Although it can be hot on summer days, it offers an impressive wildflower display in the spring. The upper trail segment receives winter snow but provides a pleasant walk through a forested stream canyon the rest of the year. The Whitney Portal Road is closed due to snow in the winter, which restricts access to the upper trailhead. Unlike the trail that leads from Whitney Portal to Mt. Whitney, there are no use quotas established for the National Recreation Trail, which allows visitors to experience this area without a permit. The Lone Pine Campground provides an excellent spot to base camp and hike this scenic trail.