Our Home away from home in the Summer is Dog Friendly Eastern Sierra! Rock Creek Lake is one of our FAVOWITE destinations! Every time we are in the Eastern Sierra we visit or drive through Rock Creek Lake at least once!
Rock Creek and Parcher’s Resort are both in higher elevations in Bishop, CA. In fact, we learned about Rock Creek Lake from a nice family who has an annual reunion at Parcher’s Resort every July! They brought over Uncle Jared’s Fishin’ Trails Book (see below) and told us they’ve always wanted to stay at Rock Creek! This neighborly attitude is plentiful amongst the “regular” visitors and locals in the Bishop Mountains. We WUV it!
Rock Creek offers you the BEST of everything in one location…
- Nature
- Forest Bathing for People and Dogs
- Gentle breezes blowin’ through the trees
- Birds singing and eating on your porch
- Water rushing nearby
- Amazing trails complete with waterfalls, cold lakes, creeks, streams, and ponds
…What’s NOT to LOVE?
AND you’ll have no cell phones ringing or annoying text alerts because your fur family are OUT OF RANGE! Yippee! The PERFECT PawCation, wouldn’t you agree?!
Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links which means we earn a little commission if you make a purchase using our links – at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products that we really WUV and hope you will too! THANK YOOOO for supporting our blog!
Uncle Jared Smith from Parcher’s has a really nice chapter in his book Fishin Trails on all the Rock Creek Trails and Lakes. Jared and our friend Seth just came out with Fishin Trails 2 so be sure to both amazing books it to your collection or as wonderful gifts for your nature-loving friends!
Where to Stay at Rock Creek Lake
Rock Creek Lodge
If you are looking for Dog Friendly at its best Stay at Rock Creek Lodge! Cabins are Dog Friendly and the property is gorgeous, spacious AND feels secluded! Visitors and the Rock Creek Lodge crew are friendly and very happy to share recommendations! Breakfast is usually available from 8 to 10 am at the Lodge but be sure to confirm when making your reservations so you can plan your grocery shopping!
For dinner you are on your own! We WUV making dinner in the cabin or bbq’ing on the grill every night. Tom’s place is down the hill at the 395 Highway and Rock Creek Intersection and has takeout. We prefer not leaving Rock Creek Paradise unless we are day trippin’ and can pick up dinner on the way back!
If you like pie and coffee, the grille at Rock Creek Resort is open from 7am to 3pm. Their cabins are not dog friendly but we enjoy some good pie or lunch to go! Drive over, grab some pie and go and eat at one of the many picnic tables (or your beach chair) with your pup next to a stream or Rock Creek Lake!
Rock Creek Lake Campgrounds
Rock Creek Lake Campground, Lower Pine Grove Campground and Upper Pine Grove Campground offer you Bishop Camping and RV’ing at it’s best! Try renting from one of the Bishop area RV Rental companies who will drive and set up an RV for you (just like we did in Montana de Oro in San Luis Obispo)! If you’ve never rented an RV this way we HIGHLY recommend it! No fuss, just move in and ENJOY!
Bears are also “regulars” in Rock Creek Valley so make sure you don’t attract them! Also, PLEASE drive slowly on Rock Creek Road and everywhere in the Eastern Sierra! Local Wildlife is on the move constantly! Mule Deer migrate twice a year and they DO cross Highway 395 as well. One of the well known Bears in Rock Creek Valley, Big Red, was struck by a truck that was driving too fast a couple of years after we saw her on our trip. She was a gorgeous, BIG bear. RIP Big Red. Please be cautious to protect the beautiful wildlife of the Eastern Sierra!
You can learn more about Bear Safety at Be Bear Aware by the Sierra National Forest.
Rock Creek Lake Weather
June and early October are the best times to stay at Rock Creek Lake. In June you will most likely beat the mosquitos AND be able to still see plenty of snow on hikes! We saw patches of snow at Rock Creek Lake Campground and more snow on Little Lakes Valley Trail in June!
The last week of September and the first week of October are best for Leaf Peepin’ Fall Colors! Trees at the higher elevations begin changing colors first as it heads down to Owens Valley. Rock Creek Valley is a MUST for Fall Foliage!
As always, no matter when you visit or hike at Rock Creek wear layers! Weather in the mountains varies and there can be a 30 to 40 degree swing from morning to evening!
What Elevation is Rock Creek Lake?
Rock Creek Lake elevation is 9705. Mosquito Flats Trail Head is 10,000 ft with a gentle incline of 500 ish ft to Heart Lake or all the way to Gems Lake. Both June and early Fall at Rock Creek Canyon are Amazing!
In the summer you can drive all the way to Mosquito Flats Trailhead via a narrow, asphalt road and park at the Trailhead. Just the drive itself from Rock Creek Lake is amazing! According to everytrail, Mosquito Flats Trailhead at “10,255 feet, it is the highest designated trailhead in the Sierra accessible by car”.
Backpacking With a Dog
How Much Water Do Hiking Dogs Need?
The “general” rule of thumb is your dog should drink at least 8 ounces of water per hour while hiking. Factor in altitude, sun, etc., your dog may need more. We Strongly recommend you take a refillable water bottle with a filter on ALL of you Eastern Sierra Hikes because although wild water is easy to access you NEVER drink wild water that is not filtered. Don’t allow your dog to drink it either. You both could get very sick from bacterias found in wild water.
After scouring the market for an advanced water bottle filter that could ALSO be shared with your pet while on PawVentures® Mom only found one – and it was super hard to filter. She knew our fur families deserved clean, filtered water too! We are SO happy to bring you our Scoobylife by PawVentures Pop-Top, Squeeze Sports Bottles and Canteens with Replaceable Advanced Water Filters! For the CLEANEST Water on the Go! Healthy You, Your Pup AND the environment!
Our Scoobylife by PawVentures® replaceable Advanced Filters cleans 99.9% from wild water sources (they are made for third world country water)! So, it’s extra perfect for cleaning the beautiful lake water in the Eastern Sierra!
You can find our Scoobylife Sports Bottles, Canteens, Extra Advanced Water Filters and Hands Free Water Bottle Slings in our Scoobylife Gear Shop!
The BEST Rock Creek Trails
Rock Creek Lake Trail Loop
For your first altitude “easy days”, drive 1 mile up the road (the asphalt was hot) and parked in the “Group Site” at Rock Creek Lake. In Mid-June the “Group” side is pretty mellow. Park all the way at the end, walk through the gate and take the trail to the “Group Camping” sites. The path is beautiful and the group sites (most were empty in June) are a peaceful place to enjoy nature, take photos, wade in the water or read a book! We only saw a few hikers and fisherman on this side of Rock Creek Lake in June!
The Pond Loop or Hanging out by the Pond at Rock Creek Lodge
According to Rock Creek Lodge’s Website, this is a 1.5 mile loop. It’s really peaceful and pretty! People are fishing, birds are singing and there are plenty places for me to relax next to the water. This was our “go-to” location most afternoons before dinner.
Rock Creek Lodge to Rock Creek Lake Trail
Although this trail is only 2 miles round trip it has a 300 ft gain! Most of it was flat and meandering through beautiful meadows next to ponds but the last section has a pretty steep rocky incline and it was RUFF! One particular section of the trail overlooking amazing rushing water was really steep! At one point imagine Scooby being pulled up by his harness by his Mom on the top of the boulder / rock and you’d be pretty accurate! It was hard at the time but created a memory for life!
The trail is beautiful and worth doing – two people or more would be ideal. Once you arrive to Rock Creek Lake you can rest at a picnic table or wade along the water’s edge to cool down! After you feel rested, walk through the Group Camping section (closest to Rock Creek Road) and take the path through the gates which take you to the beautiful back side of Rock Creek Lake!
After you’ve relaxed a bit, continue your hike (past the picnic site) onto a dirt trail which takes you to a sandy/pebble beach that has a lagoon feel to it. This was one of our favorite hang-outs! We had snacks, dipped our toes in the water and watched people fish from kayaks.
Little Lakes Valley Trail: (Mosquito Flats Trailhead to Little Gems Lakes)
Mosquito Flats to Box Lake
Plan a half to full day to hike and enjoy this amazing trail and head to the overlook above Heart Lake. This is one of the most beautiful day hikes you will ever take. It gradually climbs in elevation as it dips into gorgeous marshy, lake valleys while also overlooking steep cliffs down to gorgeous lakes! Pack a picnic, human and dog snacks and extra water because you can easily spend the majority of your day on this trail if you take time to stop and really enjoy the scenery! On this hike you will pass Mack Lake, Marsh Lake and Heart Lake. We stopped and had a picnic lunch next to Box Lake in between snow patches – in June! It was BEAUTIFUL!
Round trip hiking to Box lake is a fairly “easy” 3.2 miles round trip. We routinely do 2 -3 miles at home in Dana Point but at over 10,000 feet elevation this felt like double our sea level walks! This trail is beautiful! It has a mixture of flat terrain mixed with some steep (but doable), rocky inclines. At 12 years old, Scooby did great at a slow pace with frequent stops. We also had a nice long lunch break in the shade! No matter what age your dog is, be sure to hike in as much shade as you can find! Every pup is different so hydrate, rest and turn around when you think it’s too much for your dog!
If want to hike more, head to Little Gems Lakes. We only hiked to Box Lake and back but we heard wonderful things about Little Gems Lakes!
Coming back down was actually the hardest part because it was early afternoon and it was hot. We made a lot of stops coming down and took photos of the scenery. There are views everywhere! Next time we’ll probably stay a little longer at one of the lakes on the way back and head down at 3pm which should have less intense sun.
What Should I Bring for a Day Hike?
First and foremost, plan your hike around your dog. The altitude, sun, weather and your pup’s individual needs all play a factor. If you see your dog having difficulties, rest, cool down and work your way back. We took our time, had no time restricitons and made frequent stops by each lake and at the streams cool down.
Day Hike Essentials
- We packed 2 water bottles, lunch and snacks and went through it all!
- Small FIrst Aid Kit
- Clothing Layers
- Hat
- Gloves
- Wind Breaker
- Collapsible Dog Water Bowl
- Self Filtering Water Bottle
- Camera, Backup Batteries and SD Card
- Mini Power Bank for your Phone with charging cable
- Optional GPS Collar (let us know which one you think is best under all situations)
- Bear Mase
- Army Knife
- Cotton Bandanas
- Paper Towels and extra tissues
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Eye drops (if your eyes are sensitive to wind gusts or dry air)
More Rock Creek Trails for our Wishlist!
Ruby Lake – This trail split off on our way to Box Lake at the John Muir Trail. According to the map it is a little further than Box Lake and according the Rock Creek Lodge it’s a steeper incline. This may have been too challenging for Scooby but we met people who said it’s amazing!
Tamarack Lake Trail – Bunny’s dad said they did part of that trail when we were there. We saw the sign for the trail when we were at Rock Creek Lake but didn’t know about it. According to Rock Creek Lodge‘s description, it sounds awesome! Have you been? Let us know!
Rock Creek Trail to Skip
Hilton Lakes Trail – On our first day when we were checking out Mosquito Flats Trailhead Mom and ran into a nice hiker who said he did the Hilton Lakes Trail the day before and the mosquitos were terrible and by the time he got there it was not nearly as beautiful as the hike to Heart Lake! So, we’re super happy that we got that tip!
We hope we’ve helped you plan a Pawesome time at Rock Creek Lake! Please let us know if you go to Rock Creek Lake and what you thought!
Have you been to Rock Creek? We’d LOVE to hear your Favorite things to do! Email us!