California · Rock climbing · Crowley Lake

Rock Creek

Rock Creek in California has 3 climbing routes with sport and trad options.

3 routes
5.10a – 5.11c
Trad · Sport

Is Rock Creek open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Inyo National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Inyo National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Rock Creek

Best months: May–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    41° / 17°

  2. Feb

    41° / 18°

  3. Mar

    45° / 22°

  4. Apr

    51° / 27°

  5. May

    60° / 35°

  6. Jun

    70° / 42°

  7. Jul

    78° / 49°

  8. Aug

    77° / 47°

  9. Sep

    71° / 40°

  10. Oct

    61° / 30°

  11. Nov

    49° / 23°

  12. Dec

    41° / 17°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mammoth Lakes Rs, CA, 16.6 mi away at 7,804 ft. The station sits about 1,500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Rock Creek is a climbing area in the White Mountain Ranger District of Inyo National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among two other climbing areas, Higher Wall and Lower Wall, each about 0.1 mile away, and is close to Palisade Group Campground and Big Meadow Campground, both within a mile. The climbing here is a mix of trad and sport routes, with three routes listed in total. Black and Tan is a trad route at 5.10a, Morning After is a trad route at 5.10c, and Breathalizer is a sport route at 5.11c. The grades put the area in the 5.10 to 5.11 range, so it works for climbers looking for a range of styles and difficulty levels. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Mammoth Lakes show July highs around 78°F with lows near 49°F, while winter highs stay around 41°F. That station sits about 1,500 feet lower than the climbing area, so temperatures at Rock Creek run cooler. For more time in the area, the Upper Rock Creek Canyon Trail is about 0.7 mile away, and the East Fork Ski Loop mountain biking route is about 1.1 mile away.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive