Mammoth Lakes
Find your adventure in the California high country
THE MAMMOTH LAKES region sprawls across the mountains, meadows and waterways of the Eastern Sierras, providing a spectacular setting for outdoor fun throughout the year. Two hours north of Mount Whitney, the Continental United States’ highest point, and only 45 minutes from Yosemite’s east entrance, Mammoth Lakes is a perfect outdoor playground accessible by driving as well as by flights to Mammoth-yosemite Airport, just a 10minute ride to town.
Summer Fun
Summer brings hikers and bikers to explore the extensive Mammoth Lakes Trail System on anything from rugged multi-day adventures to gentle walks on flat, shaded forest trails. Golfers boast about extra-long drives in the thin high-elevation air of Sierra Star and Snowcreek Golf Courses. Mammoth
Lakes is so popular for fishing that many local motels provide fish-cleaning facilities. The area features excellent fly fishing in streams, as well as lure-based fishing in lakes (including lakes Convict and Crowley). The “grand slam” of trout fishing—rainbow, brook, brown and golden—awaits your arrival. Skip the fishing rod and just paddle a kayak, canoe or stand-up paddle board through the lakes and rivers to enjoy the scenery, or even try a guided historical tour while paddling on Mono Lake. Explore the wonders of geology at Devils Postpile National Monument and marvel at its towering basalt columns, then cool off in the spray of the hundred-foottall Rainbow Falls nearby. Summer is festival time around Mammoth Lakes, with a calendar filled with concerts and events, including the always popular August Bluesapalooza music and beer festival.
Summer 2020 also brings new and old thrill-seeker experiences: additions to Mammoth’s high-wire Via Ferrata cliff-edge climbing courses, and a day at the Mammoth Bike Park with more than 80 miles of singletrack on truly radical terrain (but also with a beginner-friendly Discovery Zone).
Winter Adventure
As the name suggests, Mammoth Mountain ski resort is gigantic, with terrain descending from multiple peaks providing runs suitable for all levels of skiers. The resort creates more than a dozen terrain parks for snowboarders, and hosts regular competitions for those who just want to watch. The 2020 ski season will add new eating and drinking venues at Mammoth Mountain, including the Canyon BBQ and the indoor/outdoor Lincoln Bar at Canyon Lodge, and the Fowl Language southernstyle restaurant at Eagle Lodge. Work off the meals at the Tamarack Ski Center and the Mammoth Lakes Nordic Trail System with some cross-country skiing. For non-skiers, the Mammoth Lakes area offers dogsled rides, snowmobiling, snowshoe tours, fattire snow biking and even snowcat rides to scenic picnic spots. Small kids enjoy Mammoth’s tubing park, winter parades with mascot “Woolly” and scenic gondola rides. June Mountain, a 20-mile drive from Mammoth Lakes, is a laid-back ski resort where kids 12 and under ski for free! If it’s too cold outside, dine and play inside at the Mammoth Rock ’n’ Bowl, or catch a film at the remodelled Minaret Cinemas with new beer and wine service. Beer enthusiasts can sip through the Eastern Sierra Brewery Tour, and try more regional brews at the Public House Tap Room. For a taste of the south, warm up with street tacos at the new El Charro Taqueria at the Sierra Center Mall or hot Cuban Sandwiches at the new Dos Alas Cubarican Café with their equally tasty views of the Sherwin Mountains.
Spring Activities
Spring around Mammoth Lakes offers great deals on lodging and activities for those looking for some late-season sunny skiing (Mammoth Mountain often stays open past Memorial Day) or some early biking and fishing, as well as hiking to see early wildflower blooms. Some people tackle the “spring triathlon” of skiing, biking and fishing in a single day. Spring is also a good time for birding, when enthusiasts come to spy many of the 300 species of local and migratory birds that fly through the area, including the horde of 50,000 California gulls nesting at Mono Lake each year. Clearing skies provide great stargazing opportunities for visitors to the Eastern Sierra Observatory in their extended May viewing dates.
Fall Colors
Fall foliage provides a feast for the eyes all around Mammoth Lakes. There’s nothing quite like hiking through the colors in the crisp fall air on the Mammoth Rock Trail or the Heart Lake Trail, camping for a couple of days amidst the trees at the Sherwin Creek Campground, or even just driving the winding mountain roads of the June Lake Loop to enjoy the spectacular reds, yellows and greens of aspen groves and cottonwood trees below towering pine forests. The adventurous can soar above the display on helicopter tours. Or play cowboy and explore the foliage by horseback on daytrips, or multi-day horseback adventures through historical sites in the hills. For a spooky Halloween, or any quiet day, visit the ghost town within Bodie State Park, the abandoned remnants of a gold mining settlement about 60 miles north of Mammoth Lakes.