Page 141 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

JOSH WRAY/MAMMOTH LAKES TOURISM; CHRISTIAN PONDELLA/MAMMOTH LAKES TOURISM. OPPOSITE: CHRISTIAN PONDELLA/MAMMOTH LAKES TOURISM
FALL FISHING AT SILVER LAKE, opposite;
kicking up the powder on June Mountain,
right; paddle boarding on Silver Lake, below.
filled with concerts and food and drink
gatherings, including the always popular
“Blues and Brews” music and beer festival
every August.
Winter Adventure
As the name suggests, Mammoth Mountain
ski resort is gigantic, with terrain
descending from multiple peaks providing
runs suitable for all levels of skiers. The
resort creates more than a dozen terrain
parks for snowboarders, and hosts regular
competitions for those who just want to
watch. For the adventurous, 2019 offers
new backcountry safety classes, and side-
country ski tours from the mountain to
Tamarack Lodge. The Tamarack Ski Center
and the Mammoth Lakes Nordic Trail
System are destinations for cross-country
ski enthusiasts. For non-skiers, the Mam-
moth Lakes area offers dogsled rides,
snowmobiling, snowshoe tours, fat-tire
snow biking and even snowcat rides to
scenic picnic spots. Small kids can come to
enjoy Mammoth’s tubing park, winter
parades with mascot “Woolly” or a scenic
gondola ride. June Mountain, a 20-mile
drive from Mammoth Lakes, is a laid-back
location for downhill fun (and kids 12 and
under ski free!). If it’s too cold outside, stop
by the new Warming Hut Restaurant for
hearty breakfast and lunches or leave the
hill for the Mammoth Rock ’n’ Bowl with its
bowling lanes, golf simulator, and other
games at their bar and restaurant. For more
local flavor, try the Eastern Sierra Brewery
Tour of three local microbreweries, or a
whisky tasting at Shelter Distilling, then
explore the always lively Mammoth
nightlife.
Spring Activities
Spring around Mammoth Lakes offers great
deals on lodging and activities for those
looking for some late-season sunny skiing
(Mammoth Mountain often stays open past
Memorial Day) or some early biking and
fishing. Some people tackle the “spring
triathlon” of skiing, biking and fishing in a
single day. Spring is also a good time for
birding, when enthusiasts come to spy on
many of the 300 species of local and migra-
tory birds that fly through the area,
including the horde of 50,000 California
gulls nesting at Mono Lake each year. The
new Elixir Superfood and Juice café offers a
quick, healthy way to start a day exploring
the outdoors.
Fall Colors
Fall foliage is a visual feast around Mam-
moth Lakes. There’s nothing quite like
hiking through the colors in the crisp fall
air on the Mammoth Rock Trail or the Heart
Lake Trail, camping for a couple of days
amidst the trees at the Sherwin Creek
Campground, or even just staying in the car
and driving the winding mountain roads of
the June Lake Loop to enjoy the spectacular
colors of aspen groves and cottonwood
trees below towering pine forests. The
adventurous can soar above the colors on
helicopter tours. Or play cowboy and
explore the foliage by horseback on day-
trips, or multi-day horseback adventures in
the hills. For a spooky Halloween, or any
quiet day, visit the ghost town within Bodie
State Park, the abandoned remnants of a
gold mining settlement about 60 miles
north of Mammoth.
2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 139