Rock Creek has some of the most beautiful campgrounds in the Eastern Sierra.  There are 13 campgrounds in Rock Creek Canyon with over 300 campsites.  Most of the sites are tucked away under juniper, pinyon, jeffrey pine, lodgepole pine or aspen trees.  Except for Holiday Campground, the campgrounds in Rock Creek Canyon are located near the creek and the lake.  Nearly all of the sites are provided with a metal fire ring, picnic table, bear box for food storage, space to park two vehicles, and a good deal of seclusion and serenity.  Each campground is equipped with cold water faucets, and all have flush toilets, except for Upper Pine Grove and Tuff which have clean chemical toilets.

Most campgrounds in Rock Creek Canyon are not reservable, however certain sites in East Fork, French Camp, and Tuff can be reserved.  Two campgrounds require reservations: Aspen and Rock Creek Lake group camps.  The phone number to make reservations in the group camps, East Fork, French Camp or Tuff is 1-877-444-6777.  You can also make reservations online by following the links in the table below.  When making a reservation by phone, tell them the campground name, then the national forest it is in.  Rock Creek's campgrounds are in the Inyo National Forest.



Bears have been a part of the camping experience in Rock Creek for many years now, but it has now been 3-4 years since they were a serious problem.  California Black Bears, the only species of bear that lives in California, thrive in the Eastern Sierra, often preying on lazy campers that leave their food, coolers, and other items littered about their campsite.  

The problems with bears that Rock Creek has had in the past were really HUMAN problems, and they have largely been eradicated as a result of an aggressive education program on the part of the campground managers, as well as effective bear-proofing of the campgrounds.  All campgrounds now have bear-proof dumpsters, and, except for a minimal number of sites with difficult access, every campsite in the canyon has a bear box for food storage.

Remember, Rock Creek is the bears' home, not ours.  Let's do our part by using the bear boxes and storing our food correctly.  Contact the campground managers about any concerns you may have.

To contact the campground managers via email, click the following address...

2007 Rock Creek Campground Information

The following information is from Recreation Resource Management, managers of the camping in Rock Creek.

CAMPGROUND

Reserve a site

 # of
Sites		 Proposed SeasonWater

Fee

 Stay
Limit		Elevation
Big Meadow No Reservations 11CLOSED Piped$18 7 days 8,600 ft.
East Fork Reserve 133CLOSED Piped$18 14 days 9,000 ft.
French Camp Reserve 86CLOSED Piped$18 21 days 7,200 ft.
Iris MeadowNo Reservations 14 CLOSED Piped $187 days 8,300 ft.
Mosquito Flat Trailhead * No Reservations10 CLOSED Stream0 1 day * 10,300 ft.
Palisade 5 CLOSED Piped $187 days 8,900 ft.
Pine Grove No Reservations11 CLOSED Piped$18 7 days9,400 ft.
Rock Creek LakeNo Reservations 28 CLOSED Piped $187 days 9,700 ft.
Upper Pine Grove No Reservations 8 CLOSED Piped$18 7 days9,450 ft.
HolidayNo Reservations 35 Open for winterPiped $1814 days 7,500 ft.
Tuff Reserve 34CLOSED Piped$18 14 days 7,000 ft.
Aspen (group) Reserve 1CLOSEDPiped $60

No Limit

8,100 ft.

Rock Creek Lake (group)

Reserve 1CLOSED Piped$60

No Limit

9,700 ft.
= Handicapped Accessible (accessibility is moderately difficult)
 * - Camping at Mosquito Flat Trailhead is for backpackers with overnight permits leaving the next day only.
Firewood Prices

In the Campgrounds
$6.00 per bundle or $15 for 3 bundles

Rock Creek Lakes Resort
$5.50 per bundle

 

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