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I am bringing a group of 10 to Mono Pass Saturday. Where can we camp??? We don't have reservations. We planned to just park at the trailhead overnight.

Are you going over Mono Pass or just to it and turning around? No reason to camp if you're dayhiking the pass or even climbing Starr but there's 100's of spots heading to Ruby Lake for camping.
Without a permit and a holiday weekend, you may get accosted by Ranger. Once over the pass you could camp in many different areas as well near Summit Lake. Pretty easy to figure out.

We want to park at the trailhead at Rock Creek Lake. Not on the trail.

hgrapid wrote:We want to park at the trailhead at Rock Creek Lake. Not on the trail.

Good thing, because I don't think folks would appreciate finding your car parked on the trail.

Are their really more rangers out on holiday weekends? It seeks just as probable that there aren't any out and about and they are off too.

But I did get my permit for the weekend. First of the year!

The Little Lakes area, in my experience, is one of the most likely areas on the East side to come across a ranger on the trail.

I am confused. Where can we park and pitch some tents? Anywhere close to Tom's Place, as first come, first serve?

hgrapid wrote:I am confused. Where can we park and pitch some tents? Anywhere close to Tom's Place, as first come, first serve?

There is a walk-in by the MF TH, but 10 ppl may be tough.

East Fork and French Creek are two big camp sites - French Creek often has something at the bottom of the hill by 395.

Some small first-come, first-serve capgrounds in between, but I have never had luck getting a spot in those near the weekend.

You cannot "camp" at the parking lot. You can park overnight. You can stay at the Mosquito Flat (right turn: How are the mosquitoes?) backpacker camps across the creek, reserved for those going out overnight. A couple of years ago the FS began recruiting for a program of volunteer docents to patrol popular East Side trailheads, LL being primary. I don't know how, or even if, the program is still active, but think moving campground hosts. I have observed, in the past, people sleeping in their vehicles overnight to get an early start. I'm not saying how I know this. This would seem to be somewhat egregious with a group of more than a few (e.g., one). As previously stated, it isn't even necessary if day hiking, as most destinations out of there are of fairly short length.

Of more concern is that the parking lot will likely fill with day hikers before 10 AM on any summer holiday weekend. After that, you may face a long walk up the road or a time consuming shuttle. Consider camping elsewhere, maybe out towards the Owens River, and heading up early to LL. I look for other less popular destinations on these occasions. Why add to the misery? (OTOH, I used to run up to Mono Pass in the last hour of the day, after the masses had thinned out and parking was aplenty.)

If you can't get a spot in one of the developed campsites along Rock Creek, there's lots of Forest Service and BLM land a short distance from 395 where you can camp for free. There are places near Mammoth where you can camp near a hot spring, for example (though some of them get busy on weekends and holidays).

Thanks. We will first try the trailhead. The developed campsites require reservations, right? Permits? We can't just park in an open one and pay at the campsite can we?

The developed campsites in the Rock Creek area generally allow reservations but there are often first-come first served sites available.

Technically the land on the road side is not in the John Muir Wilderness, so we can find a primitive campsite along the road, right?

hgrapid wrote:Technically the land on the road side is not in the John Muir Wilderness, so we can find a primitive campsite along the road, right?

Good luck finding a flat open spot. Seems to me your wkend plan is wrought with fault. You really should go somewhere less popular! Mosquito Flats is a circus right now! I've had rangers ask for a permit right at the trailhead. And 10 people?! Wow! You're better off going up Pine Creek, Red Lake or Shepherd's Pass. Free camping.