California · Camping · Near Shaver Lake

Portal Forebay

Portal ForebayPhoto: niiicedave — CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
June
season
May–Oct
best months

Caution at last check

Agency alerts are in effect for this area; weather is marginal · USFS, OpenWeather · checked 15 h ago

Is Portal Forebay open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Sierra National Forest. It doesn't name Portal Forebay, so check the source for the area it covers (3 listed).

As of · Source: USFS · Sierra National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

  • At 7,175 ft
  • High Sierra Ranger DistrictSierra National Forest

Portal Forebay is a Forest Service campground in the High Sierra Ranger District of Sierra National Forest in California, set along Kaiser Pass Road at the edge of Portal Forebay Lake. The site sits under pine and cedar trees, and each campsite has a picnic table, a grill and a bear-proof food storage locker. Vault toilets are the only restroom facilities, and drinking water is not available. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Huntington Lake weather station show July and August highs around 74°F with lows near 49°F, and only one or two wet days a month. Winters there are cold, with highs in the low 40s. The surrounding area offers more to explore within a few miles. Rattlesnake Creek, a mountain biking spot, is about 1.3 miles away, and Bolsillo campground and the Corbett Lake hike are each about 1.5 miles off. Badger Flat campground lies roughly 4.3 miles away.

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  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit Portal Forebay

    Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      43° / 24°

      11 wet

    2. Feb

      44° / 23°

      11 wet

    3. Mar

      46° / 26°

      10 wet

    4. Apr

      50° / 29°

      8 wet

    5. May

      56° / 36°

      6 wet

    6. Jun

      66° / 42°

      3 wet

    7. Jul

      74° / 49°

      2 wet

    8. Aug

      74° / 49°

      1 wet

    9. Sep

      68° / 44°

      2 wet

    10. Oct

      58° / 37°

      4 wet

    11. Nov

      49° / 31°

      8 wet

    12. Dec

      44° / 25°

      10 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Huntington Lake, CA, 10.6 mi away at 7,020 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.