Rock Creek Canyon
Rock Creek / Hwy 395 · near Bishop / Mammoth Lakes · Eastern Sierra
Nordic & Snowshoe
At a glance
- Best season
- Dec–Apr; snow-sure high canyon (~8,900–10,000 ft)
What is here
- Activities
- classic · backcountry · snowshoe
- Setting
- lake
- Amenities
- High, snow-sure canyon · Ski-in Nordic terrain · Little Lakes Valley touring · Seasonal ski-in lodge (verify)
- Best for
- Snow-sure ski-in canyon touring
- Features
- Ski-in high-canyon world · Deep reliable snow · Little Lakes Valley · Long touring season
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Ski/snowshoe-in access (road closed) · High elevation & altitude · Avalanche terrain on slopes · Cold, remote — carry the essentials
- Good for a first timer
- No
Guides, rentals and operators
- Rentals
- No
Nordic & Snowshoe detail
- Venue
- backcountry
- Ability
- intermediate
- Snow
- 5
- Trail notes
- A high, snow-sure eastern-Sierra canyon where the plowed road ends and a ski-in world of Nordic trails and backcountry touring begins, reaching toward Little Lakes Valley
- Terrain note
- ~8,900–10,000 ft; ski-in trails & backcountry; deep reliable snow
- Intl tip
- A hidden eastern-Sierra gem off Hwy 395 between Bishop and Mammoth, climbing to one of the highest road-ends in the range. In winter the road is plowed only partway; beyond the closure, skiers and snowshoers travel in along the buried road and marked trails into a high canyon of frozen lakes, aspen, and peaks toward the stunning Little Lakes Valley. Deep, dependable snow past 9,000 ft with a long season; a rustic ski-in winter lodge has operated here some seasons (status varies — verify), with rentals reliably available in Bishop and Mammoth. Ski/snowshoe-in access — mind altitude, carry navigation and the ten essentials, be avalanche-aware, dress for cold.
The guide
Rock Creek Canyon, climbing steeply off Highway 395 between Bishop and Mammoth to one of the highest road-ends in the eastern S…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Rock Creek Canyon — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.45, -118.74