Bear Creek Spire
Little Lakes Valley, above Tom's Place · near Tom's Place · Eastern Sierra
Rock Climbing · Mountaineering
At a glance
- Skill level
- advanced
- Grade range
- NE Ridge II easy 5th class; North Arete III 5.8
- Best season
- July-September
- Grade
- technical
- Elevation
- 13720
- Best season
- July–September for dry rock
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Approached from Mosquito Flat (end of Rock Creek Road, off US-395 at Tom's Place) through Little Lakes Valley - one of the highest trailheads in the Sierra (~10,200 ft). NOT the Mt Whitney Zone. Inyo NF wilderness permit required for overnight (Mosquito Flat quota via Recreation.gov, competitive); day climbing needs none. An exposed 5th-class summit block; altitude 13,720 ft; afternoon storms.
What is here
- Terrain
- alpine-rock
- Amenities
- Mosquito Flat / Little Lakes Valley (high trailhead) · Short approach for a 13er · Guide services climb it · One of the range's prettiest basins
- Best for
- Accessible classic alpine rock in a stunning basin
- Features
- Head of the Little Lakes Valley · Classic NE Ridge (class 4) · Coveted North Arête (5.8) · Short approach from a high trailhead
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
- Hazards
- Exposed class-4/5 summit block — the final moves stop many · Route-finding on the ridge · Altitude, though the approach is short · Afternoon thunderstorms on the crest
- Beginner friendly
- No
Guides, rentals and operators
- Guided trips
- Yes
Rock Climbing detail
- Climb types
- trad · multi-pitch
- Rock type
- Sierra granite
- Route count
- A few classic aretes and ridges
- Signature routes
- North Arete · Northeast Ridge
- Intl tip
- One of the most accessible big alpine summits in the Sierra - a short, gorgeous approach from Mosquito Flat through Little Lakes Valley, and no Whitney-style lottery (just an Inyo permit for overnight). The exposed summit block requires a technical move even on the easy Northeast Ridge.
Mountaineering detail
- Skills
- roped-rock · scrambling · altitude
- Style
- rock-route
- Altitude
- 4
- Route notes
- A shapely granite summit at the head of the gorgeous Little Lakes Valley — the Northeast Ridge is a classic class-4 line, the North Arête a coveted 5.8, both finishing on a small, exposed summit block reached from one of the easiest high approaches in the range
- Beta note
- ~13,720 ft; NE Ridge Class 4 / North Arête 5.8; short approach, exposed summit block
- Intl tip
- Caps the stunning Little Lakes Valley, reached from the high Mosquito Flat trailhead (over 10,000 ft) — one of the best-value alpine-rock objectives in the Sierra. The NE Ridge is a class-4 classic, the North Arête a coveted 5.8, both funneling to a small, exposed summit block whose final moves stop many. The short approach makes a long day feasible for fit parties, but it's real roped alpine terrain with exposure and storm risk. An ideal scenic proving ground; guide services run it.
- Directions note
- Park at Mosquito Flat (10,300 ft) at the end of Rock Creek Rd
The guide
Bear Creek Spire is the crown of Little Lakes Valley - a 13,720-foot granite spire at the head of one of the most beautiful and…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Bear Creek Spire — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.3681, -118.767