Rock Creek Lake
- Type
- Alpine lake
- Elevation
- 9,600 ft
- Speed limit
- 5 mph
- Launch
- Small trailers and car-top boats, free
.jpg?width=1280 "Photo: Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons")
.jpg?width=1280 "Photo: Region 5 Photography (USDA Forest Service), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons")
- Boat launch
- Kayak & SUP
- Fishing
- Boat rentals
- Camping
- Restrooms
About this lake
Rock Creek Lake sits at 9,600 feet in the Inyo National Forest, about 10 miles up Rock Creek Road from Tom's Place on Highway 395, between Mammoth Lakes and Bishop.
On the water
The Forest Service's Rock Creek boating site has a launch ramp for small trailers and car-top boats. It's free and open for day use from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The speed limit is 5 mph, and fish cleaning in the lake isn't allowed. Recreation.gov's campground listing says power boats are limited to electric motors, so check before bringing a gas motor. Boats must pass the Eastern Sierra mussel inspection before launching.
Resort and rentals
Rock Creek Lakes Resort rents boats and has 11 cabins (Memorial Day weekend to mid-October), a general store and a grill.
Camping
Rock Creek Lake Campground, reserved through Recreation.gov, has tent, standard and walk-to sites, several overlooking the lake.
Getting there & access
Getting there
Take the Tom's Place exit from Highway 395 (about 13 miles south of Mammoth Lakes or 30 miles north of Bishop) and drive about 10 miles up Rock Creek Road.
Altitude
At 9,600 feet the air is thin; Recreation.gov asks visitors from lower elevations to take care.
Mussel inspection
Since 2026, Inyo and Mono counties require boats to be inspected before launching. The Bishop inspection station at 620 South Main Street is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. through about October, with a free Eastern Sierra mussel sticker and a free wash. Arrive clean, drained and dry.
- Hours
- 6 a.m.-10 p.m., day use
- Resort cabins
- Memorial Day to mid-October
- Info center
- (760) 873-2501
What's here
Launch
Ramp for small trailers and car-top boats
Boat rentals
Boat rentals at Rock Creek Lakes Resort
Kayaking
Car-top and paddle boats
Fishing
Lake fishing; fish cleaning station at the resort
Camping
Rock Creek Lake Campground (Recreation.gov)
Cabins
11 cabins at Rock Creek Lakes Resort
Restrooms
Flush toilets at the boating site; no drinking water
Rules & official resources
- California Boater Card required for all operators of motorized vessels, regardless of age, since January 1, 2025dbw.parks.ca.gov ↗
- Speed limit 5 mph; no fish cleaning in the lake; boating site day use 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.fs.usda.gov ↗
- Recreation.gov lists power boats as limited to electric motorsrecreation.gov ↗
- Inyo County requires watercraft to be inspected, and decontaminated if needed, for invasive mussels before launching (County Code chapter 10.70)inyocounty.us ↗
- Kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and other small non-motorized craft must be cleaned, drained, dried and self-inspected before launching somewhere newmonocounty.org ↗
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