(Hut Name) Rock Creek Yurt

(trip was guided) no
(trip was catered) no
(I rate the skiing as) great
(I rate the hut as) great

(Would I go again) yes

(Comments) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Rock Creek Yurt, owned and operated by the Rock Creek Lodge, is located at Mosquito Flat, at about 10,000' in Rock Creek Canyon. Rock Creek is located about 20 miles south of Mammoth Lakes, California on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The yurt sleeps a maximum of six, has a wood-burning stove for heat and a propane-powered stove for cooking. The yurt is small but cozy. There are no guides or cooks. It's just you and your partners in the yurt. It costs $25 per person per night. The approach to the yurt is via a five-mile graded trail on a snow-covered road with a 1000' elevation gain. The surrounding terrain is some of the best in the Sierra Nevada. The terrain is varied, allowing for both easy touring over gentle rolling terrain as well as descents of varying steepness from easy to extreme.

I've been there in middle March 1999, when we found good powder on open north-facing slopes, and in early April 2000, when we found glorious spring corn. Good ski peaks include Mt Morgan, Mt Dade and Hourglass Couloir, the bowls beneath Bear Creek Spire, Mt Starr, and Pointless Peak.

For more information on possible routes and ski peaks, see John Moynier's excellent book, Backcountry Skiing in the High Sierra.

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