This is favorite spot to camp along the mountaineer's route. Marmots are little animals resembling fat squirrels. They can be a nuisance. Luckily they are not good climbers. Do not feed them as this only encourages them to ransack your backpack when you set it down.
Marmots are at the summit.
Nearest Town - Lone Pine Lone Pine is located 15 miles from Mt. Whitney trailhead. It's a full service town with gas, motels, restaurants, and plenty of sight seeing opportunities. The Member's Only club has a 7 page description of the route with 9 color photos of key landmarks. It also contains 100 additional hikes descriptions.