Driving Directions to
Rock Creek Trailheads
(uphill from Tom's Place)

GENERAL NOTES:

• for overall context, please see the Hwy 395 overview (look for waypoint 395TOM)
• popup local area map showing Mammoth south to Bishop (look for waypoint 395TOM)
• Related GPS waypoints in Waypoint+ format (NAD83, decimal degrees)
  with descriptive comments, in a popup window.

Leave Hwy 395 about 23 miles north of Bishop or 41 miles south of Lee Vining, at the sign for Tom's Place, on Rock Creek Road (waypoint 395TOM). Go across the eastern end of Lake Crowley Road and continue uphill on Rock Creek Road. 5.7 miles from Hwy 395 you'll drive by the Palisade Campground, just below which is the winter Rock Creek trailhead and SnoPark (waypoint RCKWIN) at 8900' elevation. At 9400' you go past the turnoff for the Rock Creek Lodge (RCKLDG), which is open in some capacity all year, 7.4 miles from Hwy 395.

Just below the outlet of Rock Creek Lake, 8.5 miles from Hwy 395, there is a turnoff to the Rock Creek Lake Campground (waypoint TAMJCT). Turning left off the main road and going past the campground, takes you to the Tamarack Lake Trailhead (waypoint TAMLAK) on the east shore of Rock Creek Lake at 9700'. This trail can be used to climb the southeastern Mt Morgan.

Above the west shore of Rock Creek Lake, 8.9 miles from Hwy 395 at 9900', you come to the Hilton Lakes Trailhead (waypoint HILLAK), which boasts both an outhouse and a couple of bear boxes. This trail can be used to climb the northwestern Mt Morgain. It goes up to Hilton Lakes and Davis Lake, and then down to the Hilton Creek Trailhead. Just beyond this trailhead is the turnoff to a pack station, and then the pavement gets considerably more narrow.

The end of the road, 10.4 miles from Hwy 395, is the Mosquito Flat Trailhead (waypoint MOSFLT). At 10200' it's one of the highest Sierra Nevada trailheads, and provides access to Little Lakes Valley (Abbot, Dade, Bear Creek Spire, Cox Col, etc). There is a parking loop around an outhouse and 4 bear boxes. The bear boxes probably indicate there have been break-ins, so protect your car! A sign says no camping at the trailhead, but just across the stream there were tents set up. Just down-canyon there are pull-outs with no specific signs saying day use only.

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