Mammoth Lakes is an area in eastern California known for skiing and snowboarding at Mammoth Mountain, hot springs on public lands, and the many lakes throughout the area.

We took a big road trip through eastern California to explore all the towns along Highway 395 and spent a few nights in Mammoth Lakes. It was one of the best stops on our trip because of how unique it is!

Even if you are planning to spend your days going up and down the mountain, there is much more to explore throughout Mammoth Lakes and the surrounding towns if you can fit in an adventure day or two (or three).

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Know Before You Go

Mammoth Lakes Village has an elevation of 7,900ft, which is a pretty high elevation. We found that our heart rates were significantly higher than usual. It was also exceedingly difficult to walk for long periods without getting winded, especially uphill!

You can call it Mammoth or Mammoth Lakes. Both names refer to the same area! There is also Mammoth Lakes Village, or Mammoth Village, which is the name for the main area of town. The actual mountain where you ski and snowboard is called Mammoth Mountain.

I highly recommend driving or renting an all-wheel-drive vehicle if you want to explore. Many areas require driving on dirt roads to visit, which are covered in snow during winter. Although I did see two-wheel-drive vehicles brave the dirt roads, I also saw some that had to turn around when they couldn’t go any further.

Check the weather leading up to your trip, as it can be unpredictable far in advance. We had cold temperatures and many road closures due to snow in JUNE! Many spots on our list were inaccessible because of how much snow had recently fallen and blocked or damaged roads.

Things to Do in Mammoth Lakes, California: Hot Springs, Lakes, and Restaurants

How to Get to Mammoth Lakes

Driving

San Francisco to Mammoth Lakes:

Once the snow has melted in summer, Tioga Pass reopens, which takes you through Yosemite National Park to reach Highway 395 and Mammoth Lakes. This route takes about 6 hours.
If you cannot drive this route due to winter road closures, you will drive almost all the way to South Lake Tahoe via Highway 50 to reach Highway 395 South to Mammoth Lakes. This route takes about 7 or more hours.

Las Vegas to Mammoth Lakes: There are a few route options from Las Vegas, depending on what type of road trip you’re up for.

You can take Highway 95 to Highway 266 to Highway 168 to Highway 395 for the quickest route to Mammoth from Las Vegas. This route will take about 5 and a half hours.
Make a road trip out of it with stops in Death Valley National Park and Lone Pine! Take Highway 95 to Highway 190 and spend a night in Death Valley (either at an in-park hotel or Panamint Springs Resort). Then take Highway 136 to Highway 395 and spend a night in Lone Pine. Check out Alabama Hills in the morning on your way to Mammoth! This route will take about 6 hours if you do not stop.

Los Angeles to Mammoth Lakes: From Los Angeles, it’s an almost straight shot to Mammoth Lakes.
- Take Highway 14 to Highway 395 and continue north until you reach Mammoth Lakes. This route will take you right through Lone Pine and Bishop, which are both popular spots to visit. I highly recommend a night or two in Lone Pine!
- You can also take a small detour to check out Death Valley National Park for a night or two.

Flying

The closest airport is the Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH) right on Highway 395. There are currently only two flight routes to this airport, both from Southern California. You can either fly from Hawthorne (HHR) Airport near Los Angeles or from Carlsbad (CLD) Airport near San Diego.

Alternatively, you can fly into one of the above cities—San Francisco, Las Vegas, or Los Angeles—and rent a car to road trip to Mammoth Lakes!

The other nearby airports are Eastern Sierra Regional Airport (BIH) in Bishop, CA, and Reno Tahoe International Airport (RNO) in Reno, NV.

Best Time to Visit Mammoth Lakes

Mammoth is a popular destination in both winter and summer.

Winter is a wildly popular season, with skiers and snowboarders flocking to Mammoth Mountain to hit the slopes. If winter sports aren’t your thing (mine either!), there is still plenty to see and do, though it may be a bit trickier to reach some of the spots on this list when it has heavily snowed.

In summer, the snow has melted and the lakes are a perfect place to cool off. While you won’t have the winter sports crowds, many people still visit during summer. One unique aspect of summer is the “spring” flowers bloom mid-summer due to the high elevation.

Spring often still has freezing temperatures and the snow has not yet melted. There will not be as many people in spring, but you can still enjoy the winter sports!

Fall is an underrated time to visit Mammoth Lakes as you will have far fewer crowds than winter or summer, but you’ll also see the incredible color changes of the trees. Particularly the aspen forest in June Lake.

Overall, if you’re not here for winter sports, summer or fall are the best times to visit!

Things to Do in Mammoth Lakes

Even if you are not a skier or snowboarder, there is so much to do and see in Mammoth Lakes! From hot springs to geologic wonders to mirror lakes, Mammoth can sometimes feel like being on another planet.

While everyone else is hitting the slopes, you can explore the unique natural wonders throughout this area of California!

Mammoth Lakes Hot Springs

One of the coolest things about Mammoth is how many natural hot springs it has! We visited a few during our trip but only got in one.

Wild Willy’s: This is the most popular hot spring! There are a few different hot springs here, all with slightly varying temperatures. If you only have time for one hot spring, visit Wild Willy’s! I wrote a full guide for Wild Willy’s Hot Spring so you can be prepared for your visit.
Crab Cooker Hot Spring: This single, smallish hot spring has a pipe pumping the water into it. There is a valve so you can control how much water gets pumped in since it is HOT. Hot enough to cook crabs, hence the name. We visited this one, but it was a bit too hot for us and the mosquitoes were swarming (I got bit twice in the 5 minutes we were there!). I highly recommend a high-clearance car with all-wheel drive to get to this one.
Hilltop Hot Spring: The walk to this one is longer than the others, so you may get lucky with fewer people visiting it. We haven’t visited this one yet, so I can’t give any tips or info from personal experience.
Rock Hot Tub: We also didn’t stop to visit this tiny hot spring, which is said to have the coolest temperature.

Tips for Visiting Mammoth Lakes Hot Springs

Clothing is optional. You may see nude people here and hot springs are not exactly child-friendly.
Don’t dip your head in. Hot springs by nature can have all kinds of things growing in them. It’s best to not dip your head in hot springs as a precaution. No need to fear, just be safe!
Leave no trace. Some people bring food/drinks to hot springs, which is fine. Just do not leave any trash behind and keep the food/drinks out of the hot springs themselves.

Hot Creek Geological Site

By far my favorite thing we did during our visit was going to Hot Creek Geological Site! It’s an otherworldly landscape with a bubbling, ice-blue hot spring alongside a flowing hot creek (hence the name).

Take Highway 395 from either direction and turn onto Hot Creek Hatchery Rd. Follow the road for a few miles until you reach the parking lot. The road becomes a bumpy, uneven dirt road a mile or two in, so an all-wheel-drive or a high-clearance vehicle is recommended. We saw one car that had to turn around.

The best viewpoint is called Brees Lookout. It gives you a sweeping overview of the winding creek with a backdrop of the gorgeous mountains.

Scenic Gondola

The Scenic Gondola in Mammoth Lakes is open year-round, weather permitting. It takes you from Mammoth Lakes Village to the Mammoth Mountain summit and back!

The ride one way is about 7 minutes and when you reach the top, there is a restaurant and cultural center to enjoy before you take the trip back down.

Mammoth Mountain Peak has an elevation of 11,053ft. Be aware of altitude sickness if you plan to stay at the peak for more than a couple of hours at the peak.

This is a great option for people who want to see amazing views from the top of the mountain without skiing or snowboarding down!

Twin Lakes/Twin Falls

Walk up the hill to reach Twin Lakes! This is a gorgeous lake with waterfalls flowing into it. For an epic trip, stay at Tamarack Lodge, which is right on the lake.

There is a parking lot here if you would rather drive instead of walking from your accommodation or downtown area.

When it has snowed, the road after Tamarack Lodge is completely closed and is not plowed. We trudged through the snow to get to one of the bridges that spans across the lake. The bridge gives you great views of the waterfall!

Devil’s Postpile

Another geologic wonder in Mammoth is Devil’s Postpile. It is one of the most unique-looking natural occurrences of columnar basalt.

These giant columns of basalt and the broken ones below them form an unreal and rare sight that you likely cannot find elsewhere. The spot where you can see the most similar type of geology is Devil’s Tower in Wyoming.

It was made a national monument in 1911, which means it is more regulated than other areas (like Hot Creek) and you must pay to visit.

Devil’s Postpile is closed seasonally and is only open in fair weather — it typically opens for the season in June, depending on weather conditions.

During summer, it is mandatory to take the shuttle to the monument since the roads and parking lots cannot accommodate the summer crowds.

Minaret Vista

The Minarets are a grouping of spikey, jagged mountain peaks. Once you know what they look like, they stand out among the other mountain peaks when you’re at a spot where they’re visible.

You can drive up to the viewpoint for the best view of The Minarets, although the road is closed in winter and when there is snow. We were unlucky to get many feet of snow in June and could not get to the viewpoint.

If you head to Devil’s Postpile, you will pass Minaret Vista on the way there since you take the same road.

It’s best viewed at sunrise or early in the morning for great light!

Convict Lake

Of all the lakes we visited in Mammoth, Convict Lake is one of my favorites (Mono Lake takes the top spot). It’s easily accessible and we didn’t have any issues finding parking despite the lot being somewhat small.

The lake is surrounded by mountains and feels like a secret oasis. There is a short 0.3-mile accessible trail for fishermen at the front of the lake, which is nicely paved and has the best views of the lake and mountains. Look out for friendly chipmunks on this trail! They were adorable.

There is also a full, 3-mile loop trail that takes you around the entire lake so you can view it from all angles.

Inyo Craters

There are two large craters with small lakes in them in Deer Mountain. These craters developed due to a steam explosion in the mountain in the mid-14th century! There is a viewing area around the rim so you can view them from above.

The Inyo Craters are not reachable by foot or car if it has snowed. We attempted to walk the path, which had 3-4ft of snow in some places, but were unsuccessful.

When we finally made it to the visitor parking lot after braving the snow, the trees had all been trimmed/chopped and logs and branches were blocking the path. If the trees were cleared, it might be reachable by snowshoe or snowmobile.

Mammoth Scenic Loop

Drive the Mammoth Scenic Loop that takes you from Mineret Dr. to Highway 395. It’s a 6-mile-long road that goes through the forest, with trees lined on either side.

We drove it a few times to get to Highway 395 when we were already in that area. It’s a slightly more scenic and longer way to get to the highway from Mammoth Lakes Village.

If you head to Inyo Craters, you will drive part of the Mammoth Scenic Loop to get there.

June Lake Loop

If you’re driving from the north down Highway 395, take the June Lake Loop scenic route on your way to Mammoth Lakes! It will take you past Silver Lake, June Lake, and Gull Lake and pop you back out to Highway 395 so you can continue to Mammoth Lakes.

In fall, the aspen trees along this loop change to a vivid yellow color that contrasts with the lightly colored trunks and blue sky.

June Lake

June Lake is the name of both the lake itself and the town. The town is small and quaint, with lodges and cabins for rent. I recommend staying in June Lake if you want to be in a less touristy area, but still close to Mammoth Lakes and the nearby activities.

There is a lake beach you can spend the day at and a marina for boats at the other end.

Gull Lake

Gull Lake is between Silver Lake and June Lake. It’s the smaller of the two and has beautiful views of the mountains.

The best spot to get photos is near the playground at the lake’s edge. We visited on a misty, gray day and had lovely clouds and a mirror reflection of the mountains on the lake.

Mono Lake

My favorite lake in Mammoth Lakes is Mono Lake. It feels like another planet with the tufas and salty shores! The calm lake reflects the sky perfectly and looks even more smooth next to the textured limestone deposits.

There are two main areas you can go to visit the lake, which are somewhat spread apart. You can visit the Mono Lake South Tufa area to get up close and personal with the giant tufas, or you can go to Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve to walk out onto the salt flats.

Best Restaurants in Mammoth Lakes Village

Mammoth Lakes Village has a somewhat limited selection of restaurants since they mostly cater to families and skiers looking for cheap and filling meals after a day in the snow.

We scoped out every place to find some more healthy and quality food and found a few great spots! We are definitely not health snobs, but it wasn't easy to find a place that had fresh food and vegetables.

Mammoth Coffee Roasting Co.: This is a great spot to grab breakfast or brunch! It opens early and has a yummy chai latte. Their breakfast burritos were perfect to take on the go before heading out on our day of adventures.
Rolling Chef 395 Food Truck: Visit the Rolling Chef 395 food truck on one of the few days it’s open (typically Wednesday-Friday) for some of the highest-rated food in Mammoth! This Latin American food truck posts the daily specials, discounts, and hours on their Facebook page.
Elixir Superfood & Juice: This place was by far the healthiest and lightest restaurant in Mammoth Lakes. They have fresh-pressed juice, salads, and bowls. It was fresh, flavorful, and light.
Nik-N-Willies: Grab a freshly made sandwich from Nik-N-Willies for a midday break after a morning of exploring! We got our sandwiches and bags of chips to go and ate them back at our rental before heading out to explore some more.

Mammoth Brewing Co.: We ate here on our last night and I regretted that we didn’t go earlier in our trip. It was such delicious food I wished we could have gone a few times! Their fish and chips were amazing (the best I’ve had) and the beer was great too.
Mammoth Pizza Co.: If you need something quick and easy, order a pizza from Mammoth Pizza Co. When we first arrived—starving—and downtown was packed with people fresh off the slopes, the shortest line was for pizza. It ended up being really tasty, although not something we wanted to eat over and over again.

Best Places to Stay in Mammoth Lakes

Mammoth Lakes is home to quite a few luxury lodges, some even have rooms with their own private hot tubs! They also have smaller, individual cabins that you can rent through VRBO.

We stayed at a VRBO and really enjoyed having our own space with a kitchen, loft, and living room. I would also love to stay at one of the luxury lodges sometime too for a full mountain getaway experience!

Most Ski-Friendly The Village Lodge

Heart of Mammoth Village
Ski-in/ski-out
Pool/jacuzzi
3-star hotel

Most Cozy/Homey: Our VRBO

Loft with bedroom/bathroom upstairs
Full kitchen/fridge
Cozy living room
Easy and close parking in front of the condo

Most Scenic Location: Tamarack Lodge

Right on Twin Lakes
Cozy cabin-style rooms
3-star hotel
Kitchenette/fridge

Most Unique: Alpenhof Lodge

2-star hotel
Heart of Mammoth Village
European chalet-style hotel
On-site restaurant and pub

Most Roomy: Juniper Springs Lodge

Room sizes range from studio condos to 3-bedroom townhomes
Pool/hot tub
Quieter area
Full-kitchen/fridge

Most Luxury: The Westin Monache Resort

4-star hotel
Large kitchenette/mini fridge
Heart of Mammoth Village

Camping in Mammoth Lakes

If a hotel or cabin isn’t for you, camping is a popular accommodation in Mammoth Lakes! There are areas of land in Mammoth Lakes that are considered public lands and are available for dispersed camping. These areas have no facilities and are fully “roughing it” camping spots — no bathrooms, no running water, etc.

Read through the Visit Mammoth site for their full guide to dispersed camping and where it is allowed.

Things to Do Near Mammoth Lakes

Adventure out a bit further with a day trip or full road trip to places near Mammoth Lakes! There are many things to see and do in eastern California, you just have to be willing to drive.

Bodie State Historic Park (~1.5 hours): This ghost town is just north of Mono Lake. It has been well preserved so you can imagine what the town may have looked like when it was occupied. It’s inaccessible by car in winter due to snow and was completely closed during our road trip due to road damage.
Alabama Hills in Lone Pine (~2 hours): Alabama Hills is a large area next to Lone Pine that is owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It’s known for being the setting of many movies dating back to the 1920s, including some of your more modern favorites, like Iron Man.
Lake Tahoe (~3 hours): South Lake Tahoe is a lovely area to visit and was the first stop on our Highway 395 road trip! The lake is beautiful and has many shores and beaches to enjoy it from. We also had some really good meals at the local restaurants.
Yosemite National Park: California’s most popular national park is Yosemite! It’s absolutely gorgeous and the sheer size of the granite rocks is something you can only appreciate in person. Yosemite can only be reached via Tioga Pass during summer when it is open. When Tioga Pass is closed, the route is exceedingly long and can take over 6 hours.