Summer Eastern Sierra 2026 Trip: notes & ramblings
We just got back from an epic trip to the Eastern Sierra and had an absolute blast. Seven days of nonstop fun with a bit of relaxing thrown in.
We spent 5 nights camping in two different areas and one night in a great hotel. I’ll save all that for a full trip report, but for now I wanted to Ramble down some quick notes and reminders to myself for our next excursion.
Camper notes
- OVRLND Campers: Another great experience with the truck camper and family of four. Our latest “downstairs layout” was pretty good for us. I shockingly didn’t get a single picture of the truck and camper on this trip.
- Need a better place to store my fishing rods fully setup. Maybe roof rack tube or between camper and cab.
- This trip we brought bikes, paddle board, bug screen gazebo room by Gazelle. Felt like a lot of extra stuff. Worth it? We had a blast — but it was a lot.
- Still need to trim my rear latches to clear the Kammok Crosswing awning.
- Restock: paper towels, sunscreen, bug spray, toilet paper. We went through a lot in 6 days.
- Heater was used 2 nights in Rock Creek Lake. Lows in the lower 40s. Could’ve got by with one more big blanket. Olympian Wave 3 was great! Sipped propane, no noise, plenty of ventilation.
- Still want to make a better mounting system for the heater.
- New velcro storage pouches hanging from the walls worked out great.
- With the OVRLND Camper, I need a privacy door latch that is easy to use for the kids to quickly get dressed and use the toilet. The way you close the doors currently makes a great seal but is hard to use for the kiddos. Will be working on this.
- Removed microwave before trip. Freed up a lot of storage space and we didn’t miss it. Microwave comes in handy more for day to day lunch breaks at work rather than camping trips.
- First time using the Stanley camping french press coffee maker. Great product!
- Weber Q1200 worked great for just about all of our camp cooking needs. Heavy, but awesome.
Trip Notes from camping in Rock Creek Lake
- the RV campsites at Rock Creek Lake Campground are too close to each other. Literally a parking lot. Not bad if you book two sites side by side for privacy.
- the camp hosts at Rock Creek Lake Campground are absolutely amazing. Thank you Jean 😊
- Rock Creek Lake never disappoints and we had a great hike through Little Lakes from Mosquito Flat trailhead. Thanks Martin and the boys for leading us 😁
- Think I want to try camping at a different campground a bit lower down the mountain next year. Specifically Lower Pine Grove Campground.
- If we’re only going to spend a few nights at rock creek before heading to Mammoth for 3 noghts one of the rustic cabins at Rock Creek Lodge might be ideal.
Trip Notes from Mammoth Lakes — Twin Lakes Campground
- Booking two sites together was great. We had family join us on this trip, so we needed two sites. We mainly used one site for all of our “hanging out”, which left us plenty of room and privacy from other campers.
- Twin Lakes Campground at Mammoth Lakes was a great location. Close to the lake, general store, and bike path.
- Restrooms were clean.
- We did notice cloudy white water coming from the sinks and water spickets. Didn’t get a chance to ask about that, but we didn’t drink it.
- The bar and pianist at Tamarack Lodge was great.
- Bike rentals at Tamarack was a great process.
- Next time we’ll bring a true mountain bike.
- The trolley system at Mammoth Lakes is fantastic. I can’t say enough great things about this.
Here’s a few photos from our trip
Overall it was one of my favorite trips we’ve been on in my lifetime. It wasn’t an overlanding experience — not a single bit. It was purely a campground, lake life, other people around type of trip — but that didn’t detract us from having a great time. Just a different experience from the typical dispersed camping trip that we also love.
Cheers and happy camping! Stay tuned for a longer trip report in a few weeks.
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