Mammoth Lakes

Mammoth Lakes is a resort town next to Mammoth Mountain which is a popular skiing destination. Mammoth Lakes is in the Eastern Sierra region of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. In 2020, it had a permanent population of 7,200 people.

Understand
The Sierra Nevada mountains are a popular snow skiing destination. For Californians living in Los Angeles, Mammoth Mountain is the easiest resort to get to from Los Angeles.

The Town of Mammoth Lakes serves one main function: a place for these hordes of Los Angelenos to stay. Condos, motels, hotels, and restaurants fill this small town to serve the flood of winter visitors. In summer, the flood stops and rents plunge, making Mammoth an affordable base to explore the region.

Climate
At 8000 ft of elevation, the city stays naturally cool during the region's summer heat waves. Nearby Bishop routinely heats to 105 F while Mammoth tops out around 84 F.

By car
Nearby US 395 brings visitors from the south (Los Angeles and Bakersfield) and the north (Reno).

From the San Francisco Bay Area, Highway 120 (Tioga Road) from Yosemite is the quick route, but is passable only in summer and early fall. Interstate 80 and US 50 provide cross-mountain access during the winter months, subject to icy conditions and closure due to blizzards.

By bus
The Eastern Sierra Transit Authority (ESTA) operates a bus to and from Lone Pine in California and the Reno Nevada Greyhound Bus Station that stops at the Mammoth Lakes McDonald's on Route 203, once northbound and once southbound each day (the bus also stops at the Reno/Tahoe Airport). The same authority operates a route to Mammoth Lakes from the Lancaster, California Greyhound Bus Station also once northbound and once southbound each day (the bus also stops near the Inyo Kern Airport).



Get around
Between the city of Mammoth Lakes and the Mammoth Mountain resort, a bike will do fine in summer. Frequent trams run between the town and the slopes during the winter, with outside racks for skis and snowboards. For everything else, you need a car.

Do

 * Ski & snowboard (fall, winter and spring, depending on precipitation). Most years the ski season extends until July 4th. One of the top-ranking ski and snowboarding resorts in the United States.
 * Mountain biking (summer only). The ski resort will carry your bike up to the top of the mountain so you can coast down it. Rentals available.
 * Fish. The many lakes in the lake basin just west of the city (and north of the mountain) are popular. Boat rentals available.
 * Hike (summer only). To beautiful and amazing locations such as Rainbow Falls and Devils Postpile. An easy 3.5-hour hike.
 * Horseback Ride (summer only). Various of tours through beautiful remote areas.

Go next



 * Bodie an old ghost town from the gold digger era
 * Mono Lake a natural basin in the middle of the mountains
 * Yosemite National Park
 * Manzanar, the site of an Internment Camp for people of Japanese ancestry during World War II.
 * The White Mountains and their ancient bristlecone pines.
 * Devils Postpile National Monument is a short bus ride from the Mammoth Mountain ski resort.