Rock Creek
Rock Creek Trail is a 8 miles trail in Sierra National Forest, California. The Forest Service rates it trail class 1 to 2 to 3, minimally developed to developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock, snowmobile, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. It enters Ansel Adams Wilderness.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Sierra National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.
Map
One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.
| One end | 37.4706, -119.0919 · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 37.4134, -119.1177 · Directions ↗ |
The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start. The trail is recorded as 3 segments.
The trail
| Length | 8 miles |
| Trail class | 1, minimally developed; 2, moderately developed; 3, developed |
| Type | snow trail, land trail |
| Surface | native material, snow |
| Typical grade | 10-12 percent |
| Typical tread width | 24-36 inches, over 120 inches |
| Motor vehicles | Open to at least one motorized use |
| Accessibility | Evaluated and does not meet accessibility guidelines |
| Trail numbers | 26E25, 26E6038 |
| Forest | Sierra National Forest (unit 0515) |
| States | California |
| Detail published | management level, with uses |
Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.
Allowed uses
| Hiking | Allowed year-round |
| Horse and pack stock | Allowed year-round |
| Snowmobile | Allowed year-round |
| Snowshoeing | Allowed year-round |
| Cross-country skiing | Allowed year-round |
A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.
Wilderness
- Ansel Adams Wilderness WildernessFS · about 59% of the line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.
Trailheads
The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.
Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date. The recreation page link goes to the Forest Service site, which may redirect to the forest's recreation index.
Camping nearby
Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.
Fire nearby
- WildfireDome
29 mi from the trail midpoint · 1,177 acres · 10% contained
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Explore
Historic places nearby
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Rock Creek Trail?
8 miles, the sum of the 3 segments the Forest Service records under this name in Sierra National Forest.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Rock Creek Trail?
hiking, horse and pack stock, snowmobile, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The trail is open to at least one motorized use.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Where does the Rock Creek Trail start?
The line begins at 37.4706, -119.0919 and ends at 37.4134, -119.1177. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Rock Creek Trail in a wilderness area?
Yes. It enters Ansel Adams Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Where can I camp near the Rock Creek Trail?
Dinkey Creek (0.7 mi), A Group Group Campground (0.7 mi) and Onion Springs Overflow Camping Area (0.9 mi) are within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.
Source: Campsite Atlas
How developed is the Rock Creek Trail?
Trail class 1 to 2 to 3, which the Forest Service describes as minimally developed to developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
How steep and how wide is the Rock Creek Trail?
The typical grade is 10-12 percent. The typical tread is 24-36 inches wide.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Rock Creek Trail accessible?
No. The Forest Service evaluated it and found it does not meet its accessibility guidelines.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the Rock Creek Trail?
Sierra National Forest, Forest Service unit 0515. The trail is in California.
Is there a fire near the Rock Creek Trail?
1 active incident within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Dome at 29 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 3 segments named ROCK CREEK in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0515. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.