Rock Creek (Owens River tributary)

Rock Creek is a stream that flows from the high Eastern Sierra Nevada to the Owens River in Mono County of eastern California. The upper watershed is in the John Muir Wilderness of the Sierra and Inyo National Forests.

Rock Creek
Rock Creek with the Sierra Crest in the background
Location of the mouth of Rock Creek in California
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Mono County
District	Inyo National Forest
Physical characteristics
Source	Rock Creek Lake
• location	John Muir Wilderness, Inyo National Forest
• coordinates	37.4554886°N 118.7356796°W / 37.4554886; -118.7356796
Mouth	Owens River
• location	Owens River Gorge
• coordinates	37.5610431°N 118.6801252°W / 37.5610431; -118.6801252
Length	30 mi (48 km)Rock Creek plus Lower Rock Creek[1]
Basin features
River system	Long Valley—Crowley Lake Watershed
Tributaries
• right	Witcher & Pine Creeks

Course

Rock Creek drains from the Sierra Crest near Bear Creek Spire. Additional creek drainage is from the crest's Mount Abbot, Mount Mills, Ruby Peak, and Mount Starr. They combine with flow from Little Lakes Valley to Rock Creek Lake.

From the lake Rock Creek flows northeast to the location known as Tom's Place along U.S. Route 395, less than two miles from the Owens River. The creek, however, turns southeast and flows parallel to the Owens River (and is shown on maps as "Lower Rock Creek"), eventually joining the river near the mouth of the Owens River Gorge.

Upstream from Tom's Place, Rock Creek is 15.9 miles (25.6 km) long. Lower Rock Creek, below Tom's Place, flows an additional 14.1 miles (22.7 km) to the Owens River.^[1]

See also

• Bishop Creek (Inyo County)
• Morgan Creek
• List of California rivers

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed March 17, 2011