High Sierra Topix

Does anyone have info on where someone can or is supposed to park for the Robinson Creek Trailhead at the west end of the Twin Lakes? I did some googling to find that Mono Village charges $10 per day for the privilege of passing through their property and parking near the trailhead (or is it $10 per week or $10 period or $15, etc). This seems ridiculous to me, and I will plan for a different hike if what I am reading is correct. Any advice or knowledge from recent travelers in this area of the National Forest lands would be appreciated.

Lumbergh21 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 2:22 pm Does anyone have info on where someone can or is supposed to park for the Robinson Creek Trailhead at the west end of the Twin Lakes? I did some googling to find that Mono Village charges $10 per day for the privilege of passing through their property and parking near the trailhead (or is it $10 per week or $10 period or $15, etc). This seems ridiculous to me, and I will plan for a different hike if what I am reading is correct. Any advice or knowledge from recent travelers in this area of the National Forest lands would be appreciated.

There's usually a campground attendant who will take your cash. They'll tell you where to park (essentially, away from where people are putting boats in & out). I think I paid $10 a week for an overnight a few years ago, no fee for day use.

Good luck in the RV maze.

I share your frustration that you have to pay for parking to a private campground operator.

Fwiw, my fiancé and I did a 3 night trip from there last July and we parked up the road from the RV resort, along the lake. We did not get ticketed. I think as long as there’s enough space for your vehicle and the signage doesn’t make it illegal to park there, you’ll be ok!

I did a trip last summer and iirc it was $10 for my whole trip (4 nights). You aren't paying to "pass through", you're paying to leave your car at their trailhead parking lot.

Depends on how much $10 is worth to you. There is a FS parking area at the Cattle Creek trailhead and a few pull outs on the road across the lake at the end of the road between the lakes. Then you can walk a poor use trail to the Robinson Creek TH or go back to the paved road and try to hitch a ride. It could add about an hour by the time you fiddle around with it. At the end of the lower lake there is also the Tamarack Lake trailhead. It has been a long time since I checked out these other trailheads, and I cannot remember if the 7.5 minute map has the correct location of the trailheads. Check with the Hoover Wilderness website- they have driving directions to trailheads. Call the resort and get the latest information on rates.

I parked there for 2 weeks in 2010 and it was $20. Looks like they have not raised the rates lately. It actually is not that bad considering you will have a safe parking place.

It's $15 a week as of last summer, it used to be $10 a week.

It goes into some really nice country with simple XC, I really like it in the early season and spent a lot of time in that area in 13/14, so I'll sort of buckle up and pay the fee sometimes. They used to also store backpacker food in their ice shed, until a few years ago when it got torn open by a bear heh. There's some fishing pullouts along the road in, but I'm usually doing longer trips there and haven't tried to game it (aside from paying for 7 days and going out for 8 once, no one noticed).

When I parked there a couple years ago, I arrived very late in the afternoon and the guy manning the gate (whom I was supposed to pay) was gone for the day. No problem, as my hiking partner and I stayed overnight in their “motel”. But next morning, the guy didn’t get to his station until 8:30 or maybe 8:45. Had to wait until his arrival to pay him and park, before we could start our hike.
Maybe this was just a one-off occurrence, but I suggest you call up and find out their operating hours for the hiker parking before you arrive, to avoid any similar inconvenience.

An issue last time I parked there - in 2014, I think - was that there were no trailhead bear lockers or similar facilities where you could store any food or toiletries from your car. I was gruffly told I needed to drive back to Bridgeport and find someplace to store those things for the course of my trip. No place that I tried in Bridgeport would accept them. We also weren't supposed to use the campground bear lockers near the trailhead. Basically, the choices were: Leave it at home (would have helped had I known); leave it in your car at your own risk; or dump it somewhere.

Been there 3 times or so, and have never found it particularly welcoming to hikers/backpackers.

I would think that the FS office in Bridgeport would store your food and other smelly stuff (of course depending if a reasonable amount). After all, it is access to their trailhead, and if there are bear boxes at their other FS trailheads, I do not know how they could refuse. Call Bridgeport FS office and ask about this. They may say to store such food at one of their other trailheads in the area or they may store it in their office (in which case you need to know the hours they would be open).

I have an old Garcia bear can for stuff that would attract bears, and set it outside my car, in as inconspicuous place as I can find.

grampy wrote: ↑Wed Mar 31, 2021 8:18 pm When I parked there a couple years ago, I arrived very late in the afternoon and the guy manning the gate (whom I was supposed to pay) was gone for the day. No problem, as my hiking partner and I stayed overnight in their “motel”. But next morning, the guy didn’t get to his station until 8:30 or maybe 8:45. Had to wait until his arrival to pay him and park, before we could start our hike.
Maybe this was just a one-off occurrence, but I suggest you call up and find out their operating hours for the hiker parking before you arrive, to avoid any similar inconvenience.

Yeah, when I go out of Robinson Creek I'm careful to get there early afternoon so I can get the permit and not have to wait until 8:00 or later, by which time the day is half gone.

Last year there was some confusion because the guy selling passes thought I was buying it for that day (at 1:30 pm--who would start that late?), and he wasn't sure there were any parking spaces. But I got it straightened out.