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Things to Do & Places to Go:
Summer Activities in Mammoth Lakes

It’s no question that winter is awesome in Mammoth. But as the locals say, “Come to Mammoth for the winter but stay for the summer.”

With dozens of lakes and rivers Mammoth is also home to world-class fishing. Fishing season in Mono County begins the last Saturday in April and runs until November 15. Drop your hook in the pristine waters of the Mammoth Lakes Basin, just outside of town along Lake Mary Road. There you’ll find the beautiful Twin Lakes, Lake Mary, Lake George and Lake Mamie, all seasonally stocked with rainbow, brook and brown trout. Convict Lake, just seven miles down Highway 395, is another angler’s paradise. Most lakes offer boat rentals; some have picnic areas and hiking trails.

Mountain bikers have discovered Mammoth Lakes, too. Grab your bike and helmet, and head to Mammoth Mountain Bike Park. Stop first at the Adventure Center at Mammoth Mountain Main Lodge to get a quick bike tune up or turn the kids loose on the rock-climbing wall, then hitch a ride up the Panorama Gondola to Mammoth Mountain’s summit for a jaw-dropping journey downhill. The Bike Park also offers 70-plus miles of single dirt trails and seven freeride trails including the Twilight Zone—new this year—complete with The Deep End, a 50-foot wide, 9-foot tall concave wall. For a detailed list of biking trails in and around Mammoth Lakes, click here.

Summer/Fall Event Calendar for 2011

Ford Mammoth Motocross
June 16 - 26

July 4th Freedom Mile Fun-Run

June Lake Triathlon & Festival
July 8 - 10

23rd Annual Mammoth Lakes Jazz Jubilee
July 13 - 17

16th Annual Mammoth Festival of Beers & Bluesapalooza
August 5 - 7

Mammoth Lakes Sierra Summer Festival
August 9 - 13

Mammoth’s Blue Sky Music Festival
August 11 - 14

Mammoth Festival of Wine, Music, Food & Art
August 19 - 21

Mammoth Rocks & Taste of the Sierra
August 26 - 28

42nd Annual Labor Day Festival of the Arts
September 3 - 5

High Sierra Fall Century 160k Bike Race
September 10

Tioga Pass 20k Run
September 11

Oktoberfest-The Village at Mammoth
TBA October

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For the family that loves to hike, Mammoth Lakes offers a wide variety of trails for all skill levels. But remember, you’re in high elevation (7,500 feet and above) so take it easy for a day or two and drink plenty of water so that your body can naturally adjust. If you’re adventurous, try hiking the back side of Mammoth Mountain. Take the Panorama Gondola to the top, and follow the marked trail down Dragon’s Back (think Chair 9, Cloud Nine Express). You’ll pass Hole-in-the Wall, a carved tunnel within a natural lava tube, and end up at Twin Lakes. Not so ambitious? Then try the 2.5-mile trail at Crystal Lake. The views of the Mammoth Basin including Lake George are spectacular and it’s moderate elevation gain is easy for nearly every member of the family, even your dog! Want a big payoff without a lot of work? Try the half-mile hike to Panorama Dome where you’ll have great photo opportunities of the town of Mammoth Lakes as well as Mammoth Mountain. For a comprehensive list of hiking trails around Mammoth Lakes and Bishop complete with description and reviews, click here.

And what would summer in Mammoth be without a round or two of golf? Hit the links at the picture-perfect Sierra Star Golf Course. This 18-hole, par-71 stunner is the highest altitude golf course in all of California. Or play a round at Snowcreek Golf Course, a 9-hole, par-35 nestled beneath the Sherwin Mountain Range. Both courses are open to the public; the season begins mid-May, weather permitting.

Although the great variety of summer activities in Mammoth Lakes could keep you busy for a week or two, there are several day trips worth investigating. For starters, take a drive up the beautifully scenic Highway 120 to Yosemite National Park. The eastern entrance to the park at Tioga Pass opens mid-May depending on winter snowfall and is only 20 miles away from Mammoth. From there you can meander along this pristine mountain road and stop at Tuolumne Meadows. At 8,619 feet in elevation, the area is rich with wildflowers in summer, a great spot for a picnic or a day hike. If you’d like to continue on farther into the park, the Valley Floor is a mere two-hour drive west making it an easy day trip, albeit a long one.

Mono Lake is another spectacular day trip to consider. Just off Highway 395 north of Mammoth, Mono Lake plays host to millions of migratory and nesting birds. But the area is in danger of extinction as water levels have dropped precipitously in the past sixty years exposing the lake’s signature tufa towers. 

For a true taste of the Old West, take a trip up to Bodie State Historical Park, an 1880s gold-mining ghost town about an hour’s drive from Mammoth. To get there, head north along Highway 395 and hang a right on Highway 270 just outside of Dog Town. (The last few miles are unpaved road.) Although only a small portion of the town exists, it’s impressive nonetheless with more than 200 buildings in “arrested decay” still standing. It’s one of the best preserved ghost towns in California. There are no restaurants or gas stations so plan accordingly. (The area does offer flush toilets as well as a picnic area.)

No matter when you visit in the winter, spring, summer or fall Mammoth Lakes delivers with natural beauty, a plethora of activities for the whole family, and weather that can’t be beat. You gotta get up here!