re: Mammoth Lakes - Trip Report

Mammoth Trip (continued)

Exploring by car: Lots of scenic drives and other stuff to visit outside of Mammoth. Pictured below, June Lake and Convict Lake. Not pictured, Mono Lake, which is famous for it’s unique alkaline tufa columns as seen on the back of a Pink Floyd album.





Hot Creek Geological Site: – Behind the small, local airport there is a stream with a few bubbling hot springs and geothermal pools. It’s not Yellowstone, but it was a pretty neat place to go for the sunrise on a chilly morning.





Mammoth Lakes Basin: – This collection of lakes right next to the town is where most tourists play. Lots of people rent bikes, boats, kayaks, etc. Some brave the cold water to swim. Saw a lot of people fishing too. There are some good hiking trails off of Lake George, but get there early if you want to find a place to park.







Rainbow Falls Hike: Normally you are required to take a shuttle from town to prevent congestion on the windy little mountain road. But the shuttle wasn’t running due to Covid, so I white-knuckled it in my rental car and drove down to the trailhead late in the afternoon. That’s also a good time to visit as the setting sun directly hitting the falls creates a rainbow, hence the name. (There was a rainbow when I was there but it’s not in my photos). The most popular method of doing this hike is to have the shuttle drop you off at the Devil’s Postpile National Monument and hike down to Rainbow Falls so you get to see both, but since the shuttle wasn’t running I didn’t feel like walking 3 miles back uphill to get back to my car.








Little Lakes Valley Trail – I did this on my 4th and last day. This is a great day hike located about 30 miles south of Mammoth Lakes. The hike is 8 miles roundtrip on an out-and-back trail with moderate but gradual elevation gain. Trail is easy to navigate (I did it in tennis shoes). Stunning views throughout as you make your way through a valley with numerous alpine lakes, meadows and streams until you eventually get to the Gem Lakes at the top. Get to the trailhead early as this hike is very popular and the small parking lot fills up by 9:00 or 9:30.