Longboarding Rock Creek Road | California

Rock Creek Road is a beautiful mountain road in the eastern Sierras of California, at the Tom’s Place exit off of the CA 395. The paved section of this road runs for ten miles from the CA 395 and has an elevation change of over 2,800 feet! The paved road ends, and longboarding Rock Creek Road begins, at a place called Rock Creek Pack Station – a gateway to exploring the Sierras.

At the Pack Station, you’ll find several opportunities for hiking. The paved portion ends at the (highly recommended) Hilton Lakes Trailhead before transitioning to a dirt road that leads to the (also beautiful) Little Lakes Valley Trailhead. Rock Creek Road is a great road for longboarding because it is smooth, downhill, and surrounded with beautiful scenery. It is easy to build up plenty of speed on a longboard on this mountain road. This run should be attempted by experienced riders capable of power sliding and controlling their downhill speed.

Basic Info: Longboarding Rock Creek Road

First Impressions of Rock Creek Road:
When driving up Rock Creek Rd the road seems to just keep going and going into the mountains. The bottom of the run is pretty windy and has a lot of curves and blind turns. The scenery around the road reminds you that you are indeed in the Sierras. The road is often surrounded on both sides by tall pines and forest but also has vast open views of the lakes and mountains
around.

Pros:
Smooth pavement, beautiful scenery, and a great overall ride

Cons:
It is a double yellow line and there may be some traffic.

Know Before You Go:
Bring your helmet, you’ll probably need to slide to control your speed.

How to Get to Rock Creek Road:
As you’re travelling along the CA-395, turn west at the Toms Place exit. Go straight at the stop sign and follow Rock Creek Road for 10 miles. You can park at the Hilton Lakes Trailhead at the top of the hill.

Riders Thoughts:
Longboarding down Rock Creek Road is a ten mile longboard run with an elevation change of over 2,800 feet! This is a fun downhill longboard experience through a national forest with beautiful mountain scenery.

Longboarding Rock Creek Road

The first time that we drove up Rock Creek Road was on our way to go hike the beautiful Hilton Lake Trail. And that’s when I realized the potential for a great run longboarding Rock Creek Road! Driving up this mountain road was great because it gave me the opportunity to scout the road conditions, blind turns, and traffic. After deciding that the road conditions were good and there wasn’t that much traffic, we parked at the Hilton Lakes Trailhead at the top of Rock Creek Road. This was a great spot to stretch and warm up my legs before heading down the mountain.

The downhill run starts at the Hilton Lakes Trailhead, and almost immediately, starts the with a 200+ foot rather steep descent. This first section of the hill has great views of Rock Creek Lake and the Rock Creek Campground down below. And it also reminds you of your elevation by providing a vast view of the forested valley below.

As you’re longboarding Rock Creek Road, there are a bunch of turn offs and side roads to park at if interested in conquering this downhill run in sections. A good but short section of this road would be from the top of the hill at the Hilton Lakes Trailhead to the Rock Creek Lake Campground Road. This would also be a great hill to do over and over if you were camping at the Rock Creek Campground. Other turn offs include Pine Grove Road, the Palisade parking lot, Iris Meadow Campground, and Big Meadow Campground.

Cruise it Later – Pin it Now!

The smooth pavment of Rock Creek Road provides great riding conditions for longboarding. I noticed very few cracks and no pot holes during the entire run. There are many different varieties of grades and steepness to this downhill run. Some spots of the road are very steep while others are mellow.

There are even a few areas of the run that provide rolling hills that require a rider to kick. I used, and would recommend using, wheels made for sliding on this road because the steepness of the road can really build up a riders speed.

Longboarding is a fun way to experience the beauty of a national forest, and this run is a prime example. The beautiful forest lining the road makes for a very peaceful and pleasant run. There are a number of very large trees close to the road. Some of these trees are huge and really give you an appreciation for old growth.

Along with the variety of steepness while longboarding Rock Creek Road, there is also a mix of curves, straightaways, and blind turns. This variety makes for a fun ride that keeps a rider on their toes and aware of their surroundings. The lower half of the run has most of the sharp curves and blind turns. These curves make for a fun and exciting run, but they can be dangerous! If needed, use slides to slow down before the turns and DON’T cross the double yellow line on a blind turn.

After the curves and blind turns the road continues downhill to Tom’s Place and the 395. The last mile of the road is a very straight but still downhill comfortable section to cruise and soak in all the fun you just had.

What a Rush!

Overall, longboarding Rock Creek Road is a great run for an experienced rider who wants to feel the thrill of a downhill mountain road and enjoy the beautiful views of the eastern Sierras. The variety of grades and curves on this road make for a fun and exciting run. The ability to utilize turn offs and ride this hill in sections is also a great aspect of this run. This can give a rider confidence with mastering one section at a time until they are ready to conquer the entire run.

Check out the articles below to see more of our longboard adventures!

• Longboarding Hyalite Canyon
• Epic Longboarding Run on Beartooth Highway
• Coal Creek Trail in Cedar City
• Mountain View Hills in Weed, California

If you’re ready to feel the downhill mountain wind on a longboard we can help you out! Just click here to go to our Lost Coast Longboarding Shop to see our latest line up of hand painted longboards.

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