Advice Needed - Rock Creek or Sherwin and Hiking 6/18 - 6/21

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Tonydavid
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Advice Needed - Rock Creek or Sherwin and Hiking 6/18 - 6/21

Post by Tonydavid »

Hi. I am car camping with my family Sunday through Wednesday (6/18 to 6/21). We first had reservations at Twin Lakes but the closure of the campground was extended due to the snow and our reservation was cancelled. So just now…I made reservations at East Fork Campground in Rock Creek Canyon. I noticed that there is lots of availability there….perhaps because of the snow levels on Little Lakes Trail. I also noticed that there is availability of campsites at Sherwin Creek Campground in Mammoth. In both campgrounds I can get stream side camping sites.

I am wondering which campground would be better for access to short family hikes? Which campground might have less mosquitoes? Where can we do some nice family hikes to lakes and pretty spots? (Convict, Parker…what else?)

Thanks so much for your advice!
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cgundersen
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Re: Advice Needed - Rock Creek or Sherwin and Hiking 6/18 -

Post by cgundersen »

Hi tony,
For my money, I'd go for Rock Creek. The huge massifs at the end of the valley form an amazing backdrop, and even if there is residual snow on the trail out of Mosquito Flats, the path is very flat and wide and probably has plenty of tracks that you could follow. Ditto if you were to branch off for a while on the trail that heads up to Mono Pass. The basin is sufficiently wide open that there should be plenty of opportunity to explore the area. And, although you may run into a very early start of the mosquito bloom, they won't be any better up closer to Mammoth, where I think you'd be likely to be more-constrained by snow. In the end, you cannot go wrong in either spot, but if it were me, go for Rock Creek.
Cameron
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Tonydavid
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Re: Advice Needed - Rock Creek or Sherwin and Hiking 6/18 -

Post by Tonydavid »

Thank you so much for the reply
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hikerdude87
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Re: Advice Needed - Rock Creek or Sherwin and Hiking 6/18 -

Post by hikerdude87 »

I was up in the Rock Creek Lakes area fishing this past week and I have camped at East Fork campground many times. It is one of my favorite spots for car camping in the Eastern Sierra and there are so many hiking opportunities up the road. Plus the campsite has trails you can explore and if you follow the trail upstream for about 2 miles a you will find a little pond. I didn't encounter any mosquitoes while I was at Rock Creek Lake but I did run into mosquitoes in hiking Mammoth Rock Trail in Mammoth so they might be starting to come out there.

The hike through Little Lakes Valley is a great hike for the family. You probably will encounter snow on the trail so be aware of that. It is supposed to get quite warm up there this weekend so the snow will be melting fast. I believe the road is clear all the way up to the pack station so you will have to park there and hike a mile to Mosquito Flats TH. After that you have many options to explore the Little Lakes Valley area.
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Re: Advice Needed - Rock Creek or Sherwin and Hiking 6/18 -

Post by coconnor »

Hi Tonydavid - did you end up hiking from Mosquito Flats at all? I am wondering how the water crossings are this year at the moment (I recalled a few "not so bad" in less snow fall years).
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