Little Lakes Valley
Rock Creek (Hwy 395, near Mammoth) · near Mammoth Lakes / Bishop · Eastern Sierra
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 8 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,100 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- July–October (road opens with snowmelt) · Wildflowers July–August · Fall color late Sept
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit for day hikes (wilderness permit for overnight, Inyo NF quota). Mosquito Flat trailhead at 10,200ft is the highest trailhead in California — huge scenery for modest effort. Snow-gated in winter.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- 8 alpine lakes in one hike · Starts at 10,200ft (CA's highest trailhead) · Huge scenery, modest effort · 13,000-ft peaks all around · Fall aspen color
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Rock Creek Canyon is off Hwy 395 between Bishop and Mammoth — the same corridor as the hot springs (swimming guide), Lower Rock Creek MTB (MTB guide), and Bishop. Rock Creek Lakes Resort has a famous pie shop at the trailhead. The fall aspen color here (late September) is among the best in the Eastern Sierra.
The guide
Little Lakes Valley delivers more High Sierra beauty per mile than almost any hike in California — a moderate 8-mile round trip…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Little Lakes Valley — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.435, -118.745