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Heading up to Mammoth and expect the snow conditions to be pretty poor. Would like to get out and hike a bit. Anybodybeen to the Rock Creek area lately? I assume the road is closed at the pack station. Beyond that is there snow in the valley?? Is it consolidated at all?? Not sure the exact plans yet, possibly over MonoPass or just head back in the valley towards BCS. Thanks!

Recently, the gate was closed at Sno-Park and relatively decent coverage of snow on and off trail; most certainly melted/packed down by now. I may get a chance to go check it out tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you know.

Yep, gate is still closed at SnoPark with no snow on the road as far as you can see from the gate. Good thing is you can park without paying $5 a day "until it snows." Enjoy that extra 5 miles to Mosquito Flats. :/

Thanks Deb.

Went out yesterday, gate was locked. About a mile in came across a ranger who said the peeps from the Lodge could possibly open it at some point.
After a mile or so started hitting patches of snow farther up there was more snow and the road was mostly covered.

At Mosquito Flats trailhead the trail its pretty well worn and the snow is consolidated, Rock Creek was frozen solid. At the junction for Morgan/Mono pass the trail towards Morgan down into the valley was still pretty well worn and consolidated as far as I could see. I went towards Mono Pass/Ruby Lake. Not so much traffic has gone this way, going up the switch backs the snow was unconsolidated and lots of post holing. I reached my turn around time(MAmmoth Brewery was calling) around 10,900 feet and never made Ruby lake or the pass.

Climber Dave - unconsolidated and lots of postholing - was that with snowshoes? If not, would snowshoes have been enough to keep the postholing minimal?

That was without snowshoes, they probably wouldnt have helped much. Snow had a thin crust on top of very sugary snow.

Climber Dave wrote:Thanks Deb.

Went out yesterday, gate was locked. About a mile in came across a ranger who said the peeps from the Lodge could possibly open it at some point.
After a mile or so started hitting patches of snow farther up there was more snow and the road was mostly covered.

At Mosquito Flats trailhead the trail its pretty well worn and the snow is consolidated, Rock Creek was frozen solid. At the junction for Morgan/Mono pass the trail towards Morgan down into the valley was still pretty well worn and consolidated as far as I could see. I went towards Mono Pass/Ruby Lake. Not so much traffic has gone this way, going up the switch backs the snow was unconsolidated and lots of post holing. I reached my turn around time(MAmmoth Brewery was calling) around 10,900 feet and never made Ruby lake or the pass.

Sounds friendly enough; glad you got out there. You shoulda called me....I love their root beer!

Yeah was great getting out, 1st time since late last summer.

They do have great root beer, its unfortunate they don't bottle it, you either have to drink it there or fill a growler.