A (Summer) Mammoth Lakes, California Travel Guide
If you like mountains, Mammoth Lakes is a pretty electrifying place. Once you take the turn off 395, you’re transported to a town where the air is thin, the peaks are imposing, and the shimmering lakes are cold and fed by snowmelt. Pine trees abound. So does a particular kind of unsettling wind. A lot of the locals have sinewy calves and faces that have spent a lot of time in the sun. It’s home to black bears and wild horses and mountain lions. This isn’t the California of coastal wine tours or palm-lined boulevards. It’s stunningly beautiful, imbued with an ever-present feeling of toughness, and a particular kind of high altitude magic.
Are you sold? Here are a few of my favorite adventures in one of my favorite towns.
The Mammoth Rock Trail feels like the perfect introduction to the area. It’s a great path if you’re looking for a medium-sized run or hike to help you acclimate to the altitude. The trailhead is located off Sherwin Creek Road. You cut underneath Mammoth Rock, work your way up a gentle climb, and then turn around at the junction with upper Old Mammoth Road. The landscape is usually fairly green—even in the summertime—and the route provides sweeping views of the Sherwin Range and Snowcreek Meadow. Take your time and enjoy this premium Eastern Sierra single track. I miss it.
The water here is cold, clean, and bordered by jagged cliffs, including Laurel Mountain (rising up 5,000 feet above the lakeshore). You’ll likely notice a few rainbow and brown trout near the shorelines where trees cast shadows over the water. Take the easy 2.5-mile hiking trail around the lake to soak up the gorgeous views, scramble down for access to a variety of beaches and small pullouts, or wander up a steep path to Mildred Lake if you’re feeling particularly adventurous (and no storm clouds are threatening the skies). This place is an otherworldly level of gorgeous.
If you’re ready to build up some lactic acid, try the 7.2-mile Mammoth Crest trail. It’s a steep, lung-burning climb that takes you up above the tree line and introduces you to the spectacular world of the High Sierra and Lakes Basin region. The singletrack at the turnaround point is narrow and stark. It’s the kind of adventure you’ll remember for a long time (unfortunately, so too will your knees). The exposure is part of what makes this trail so great, but it also means you might want to pack some sunscreen.
Lake George is a sweet, circular(ish) lake nestled underneath the white tower of Crystal Crag. It’s not uncommon to see a black bear here, so keep your wits about you (and your sandwich bags out of sight). Pack your fishing pole and climbing shoes if you’re looking for a well-stocked waterway and some good sport climbing—or just come for a picnic lunch and a bit of sunbathing. The Dike Wall is fairly easily accessed around the back of Lake George, if you’re okay with a bit of rock hopping. It’s typically uncrowded and replete with single-pitch routes. Spend a little time at the anchors to take in the sweeping Mammoth views. If you want to go for a proper hike, meander up to TJ Lake for a chilly dip (there’s a good rock up there with a rope swing).
Crystal Crag & Crystal Lake
At an altitude of 10,364 feet, Crystal Crag is rugged, dramatic, and pearly white. The climb up is a little heady, but rewarding. Start at Lake George Campground and take the well-traveled (although frequently either snow-covered or dusty) trail up to Crystal Lake. At that point, you’ll have to do some class 3 scrambling along the west face to reach the top, if that’s your goal. Otherwise, pack a swimsuit for the shores of Crystal Lake and enjoy the beautiful views of Lake George and the surrounding valley along the way.
This unique geological formation, known as the Crowley Columns, appeared next to the Crowley Lake after the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) built the Long Valley Dam to send (ahem, steal) water south out of the Owens River Valley to feed a rapidly growing Los Angeles. Today, strange vertical lava tubes stand exposed like ribs along the shoreline. They are believed to have formed during the Long Valley Valdera eruptions over 760,000 years ago. It’s a fun area to explore if you don’t mind a little bit of off-road driving or a roughly 4-mile out-and-back hike. Don’t forget your camera!
The name’s honest for part of the year, but don’t let it scare you off. A 9.4-mile out-and-back trail near Toms Place, California takes you through Little Lakes Valley and up Morgan Pass to secluded spots ringed by wildflowers and bubbling streams This is a high-elevation undertaking that offers a launchpad to some of the best alpine lakes and streamside fishing in the Eastern Sierra. It’s a great run if you don’t mind the lack of oxygen and a few good climbs. As with most places in the mountains, bring layers.
This trek is a haul. A 10.3-mile out-and-back trail will bring you up 2,000 feet in elevation. You’ll pass through the Coldwater Creek watershed to its origins at Duck Pass. Enjoy meadows, alpine lakes, and a surprisingly epic scree field along the way. If you’re looking for a spot that offers in many ways the best of the Eastern Sierra and a relentlessly steep incline, then this is it.
Rainbow Falls via Devil’s Postpile
A popular adventure, but worth the visit. The highest waterfall on the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River, Rainbow Falls is accessible via a short 2.5-mile hike from the Devils Postpile Ranger Station. Expect them to be thunderous and almost perfect in their symmetry. Check out the shuttle bus schedule and make your plan ahead of time.
A Final Word
I hope this guide is helpful to you! Mammoth Lakes is one of the few places that seems to eternally tug at my heart strings. It’s full of a quiet, rugged magnetism: the kind that keeps people coming back year after year to find new pieces of themselves. Explore a long run with pine needles underfoot, gather around a fire with friends, hit up the brewery, sauté a freshly-caught trout in an old cast-iron pan, and watch plenty of pink sunsets from almost anywhere in town. This place can provide both a good après-ski experience and a chance to watch wild horses cantering down a back road. It’s worth the trip.
As always—tread lightly, please.
