Rock Creek Lake (Inyo National Forest, CA)

Rock Creek Lake Picnic Area
Rock Creek Lake
Rock Creek Lake
Rock Creek Lake Picnic Area
Rock Creek Lake

Featured amenities

General Store General Store
Parking Parking
Pet Friendly Pet Friendly
Picnic Table Picnic Table
Showers Showers

Available sites

26 total sites

Seasonal information

2026 (Current year)

2026 Season availability

Current season
Upcoming seasons
Past seasons
Closed periods
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Currently closed

Campground Amenities

Most popular amenities

General Store General Store
Parking Parking
Pet friendly Pet friendly
Picnic Table Picnic Table
Showers Showers
Water and Hygiene

Water and Hygiene

  • Showers
Cooking and Fire

Cooking and Fire

  • Picnic Table
  • Campfire Ring
  • Firewood Available
Parking and Transport

Parking and Transport

  • Parking
On Site Services

On Site Services

  • General Store
Water Access

Water Access

  • Lake Access
Pets and Policies

Pets and Policies

  • Pet friendly
Missing information?

Rates, Sites & Availability

Select check-in and check-out dates to see real-time availability for each site.

26 Sites Available

Site
Price
⛺ 001, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 002, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 003, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 004, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 005, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 006, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🚐 007, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE RV
Pet Friendly · Paved
🚐 008, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE RV
Pet Friendly · Paved
🚐 009, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 010, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 011, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 012, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 013, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
⛺ 014, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 015, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 016, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 017, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 018, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 019, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 020, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 021, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 022, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 023, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 024, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 025, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 026, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE Tent
Pet Friendly · Campfire · Yes shade

Reviews (311)

What Guests Are Saying

Rock Creek Lake campground offers a beautiful and well-maintained setting with friendly and helpful camp hosts. Visitors appreciate the clean facilities, ample outdoor activities like fishing and hiking, and the scenic locations of the campsites. However, some campers noted the proximity of sites, potential bear encounters, and the need for better signage during check-in as areas for improvement.

Review Summary

4.4
311 reviews
5
64.0%
199
4
21.2%
66
3
6.4%
20
2
2.6%
8
1
5.8%
18

Dian G

Verified

August 29, 2026 • Stayed at: 010, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE

5

Rock Creek Lake is a special place. Keep it clean. Pick up your trash--"every litter bit!" Hiking Little Lakes was wonderful.

Pamela H

Verified

August 28, 2026 • Stayed at: 018, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE

5

Make sure that your chosen campsite is big enough for the number in your party and the number of tents. Some sites are much smaller than others. The camp host(s) were very helpful when we needed to change to a larger site.

Sonia A

Verified

August 27, 2026 • Stayed at: 020, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE

4

Was in site 20, which was very secluded and beautiful. Bathrooms were fine. Beautiful lake!

Alyn L

Verified

August 27, 2026 • Stayed at: 014, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE

5

Amazing place with bears and eagles! The campsite lacked a little shade in the mornings but otherwise was perfect. Very close to the beach and the lake with amazing views and great fishing.

Nick T

Verified

August 21, 2026 • Stayed at: 023, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE

5

Been going here for 10 years and it never dissapoints.

Kelly A

Verified

August 17, 2026 • Stayed at: 002, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE

3

The campground itself is really nice and conveniently located near the lake. The hosts were also very kind, approachable, and helpful. There’s plenty to do nearby, including fishing for trout and a great hiking trail close to the campground.

I would definitely encourage anyone staying here to look at the campground map carefully when choosing a site. We stayed at Site 2, which was pretty far from the nearest bathroom, so we ended up having to drive.

I’m mainly writing this review to let future campers know about the bears. I completely understand that we are camping in their natural habitat, but I’ve camped throughout my life and this was the first time I encountered bears just 5 ft away from my tent. We had all of our food and belongings secured in the bear locker, but the bears still came into our campsite and knocked other belongings onto the ground.

Thankfully, the campsites are fairly close together, so having neighbors nearby helped us feel safer and get through the night. However, we definitely did not feel prepared for how close the bears would get to our tent, so I wanted to give others a heads-up.

Overall, it’s a really beautiful campground with a great location near the lake, plenty of trout, and lots of hiking and outdoor activities nearby. We had a great experience otherwise—just be aware of the bear activity and come prepared!

Katie M

Verified

August 16, 2026 • Stayed at: 008, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE

4

Love the diversity of the different campsites and the lake right there. Plus there is a great little shop just down the road if you run out of essentials. No wifi out here (at least for me), so please be aware before you get there. We stayed in site 8 which was super private and secluded for 2 people. I wouldn't really recommend it for more people than that. My only criticism would be I wish the check in process were more clear. When we arrived, the hosts weren't at their site, and there was no signage for us to follow about where we should check in. Otherwise, super nice experience!

Laythe H

Verified

August 14, 2026 • Stayed at: 019, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE

5

We had space 19, which was a great spot. It was private and secluded. It had good shade and was in proximity to the restrooms and 300 ft from parking. We did have a couple of pretty crazy and scary Bear situations at night. Overall, our experience was. It's really good and we enjoyed camping there. The camp hosts were fantastic and very helpful.

Doreen T

Verified

August 14, 2026 • Stayed at: 021, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE

4

Loved our time at Rock Creek Lake! Bathrooms were clean, campground was clean and well maintained. Only criticism was that one wheelbarrow in particular was very heavy even when empty and usually it was the only one available. I think a sign instructing people to return wheelbarrows would be helpful. Arriving and departing we had to walk around and collect them as we had a big group and lots of stuff. Sure 21 was beautiful though.

Angie D

Verified

August 13, 2026 • Stayed at: 023, Loop: AREA ROCK CREEK LAKE

5

We stayed 3 nights/4 days at campsite #23. In my opinion, it the most beautiful campsite in the park. It's spacious, the trees provide plenty of shade, and it's right next to the creek. The campground hosts were friendly, and they do a great job. Very important to me, the bathrooms are always clean. Rock Creek Lake is one of my favorite campgrounds.

Location & Directions for Rock Creek Lake (Inyo National Forest, CA)

, Bishop, CA 93515 United States

Elevation: 2,963 ft

Getting There

From Mammoth Lakes, California, drive south on Highway 395 for approximately 13 mi. Take the Tom's Place exit and proceed west up the canyon for about 10 mi. At the lake, follow the signs to the family campground.

Nearest town

Bishop, CA - 33 mi

About 41 min to downtown

Highway access

Rock Creek Lake is accessible via Highway 395, which is approximately 13 miles to the east. From Highway 395, take the Tom's Place exit to access Rock Creek Road leading to the campground.

Policies & Rules

General

  • This is a high elevation facility; please use caution when traveling from lower elevations
  • Fires permitted only in fire rings provided
  •  2 pets allowed on leash only. Active bear area. All food must be secured overnight and when not attended, bear boxes are provided and must be used (typical bear box size 48" x 30" x 36"). Always keep a clean camp and do not feed wildlife. 
  • Be bear aware; keep all food out of site in approved containers or locked inside your vehicle and remove all food from area after eating; always keep a clean camp and do not feed any wild animals
  • Please Note: One RV with tow vehicle per single site or one vehicle per tent site. Most sites can accommodate 1 extra vehicle that is not included with the reservation fee. Extra vehicle will be charged a per night fee and collected at the campground. 
  • Fire Restrictions: Fire restrictions may be imposed at any time due to hot, dry weather conditions, at which time campfires and charcoal fires may not be allowed. Campfires permitted only in fire rings provided.
  • Reserved Sites will be held until check out time (NOON) the day following your arrival date. Sites must be occupied by the checkout time of that following day to hold a reservation or the site will be forfeited and released to other guests. Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation.
  • Refunds: Refund requests made through www.recreation.gov will be charged a $10 processing fee. This fee is retained by the reservation service contractor along with the non-refundable reservation fee. All requests for the return of the non-refundable reservation fee and the cancellation fee will be declined by the campground concessionaire as they did not receive these fees (these are the fees retained by the reservation contractor, a different entity).
  • Don't Move Firewood: Protect California's forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. For more information visit firewood.ca.gov.
  • Click here for more information about the Inyo National Forest

Nearby Campgrounds

Nearby destinations


Last updated: October 19, 2026

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Explore Bishop, CA

Population: 3,778

Nearby larger city

Clovis, CA

Approx. 69 mi away (straight-line distance)

Elevation: 4,147 ft

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Managed by the USDA Forest Service