Mammoth Lakes

California, USA

A Winter Weekend in Mammoth Lakes, California

Day 1. Arrive in Mammoth Lakes and the Mammoth Brewing Company

November 19, 2021

To arrive at Mammoth from LA, its a beautiful 5 hour drive on 395 just east of the Sierras and there's plenty of places to stop and stretch your legs. We sped through on the way up and only stopped at the Eastern Sierra Visitor Center to get a lay of the land. They have a walking path, and great exhibits to learn more about the area, and the history of water in the Owen's Valley.

Other notable stops from LA include:

  • Red Rock Canyon State Park

  • Manzanar National Historic Site Visitor Center: The site of a Japanese internment camp.

  • Mt. Whitney - To climb you need a permit and strong legs, but you can definitely get a glimpse of the tallest mountain in the lower 48 just a few feet from the car

  • Death Valley National Park. This might still be 100 miles away when you pass through Olancha, but that might be the closest you ever get to this super remote park.

We arrived in Mammoth Lakes Friday evening and headed straight to the Mammoth Brewing Company to grab some brews and a bit to eat. The company has a cool vibe, decent food, and excellent root beer.

Sherwin Lake

Day 2. Hike to Sherwin Lake, visit Mono Lake, drive the June Lake Loop, and soak in the Hot Springs

November 20, 2021

We started bright and early to hike the 4 mile round trip to Sherwin Lakes. Its only a 10 minute drive from town passing through meadows and mountain bikes paths - if only we had more than a weekend! The hike was a moderate incline through pine forests with nice switchbacks. Before the trail turns towards the lake, we had a great view of Mammoth mountain. Continuing on the trail we have a great view of the mountain peaks but almost missed the lake to the right.

We then stopped at the airbnb to shower and had coffee and the most delicious fresh baked Boston creme donut of our lives at Mammoth Coffee Roasting Company.

Sugar-fueled, we started our drive to explore Mono Lake. As a hydrologist, I had a special interest in visiting Mono Lake because of the fascinating history with its water fueling the growth of Los Angeles.

We had a busy day, so after stopping at the visitor center that was closed for the winter (though there are some exhibits), we did a walk on the one-mile self-guided nature trail at South Tufa at the Mono Lake Navy Beach viewpoint.

From there we did the June Lakes Loop, that passes Grants Lake, Silver Lake, Gull Lake, and finally June Lake when heading south. We had an awesome very private picnic on Gull Lake down a very bumpy dirt road.

Then we turned off to follow interesting signs to the Obsidian Dome. This geologic feature was created by an explosion that takes place when magma reaches the water table and turns the water to steam - and the magma pushing up and cooling to create rock.

The Obsidian Dome

From there, we headed to some of the hot springs the area is known for. Though there's quite a few in the area, most were already packed with small groups, so we headed into Willy's Hot Springs to catch the sunset. Its a pretty large hot spring, with a parking lot that fits 20 or so cars, so it didn't feel like we were crashing a private party, though it definitely was crowded. The longer you stay, the closer to the source you can get.

But we left just after sunset and headed to the Smokeyard BBQ and Chopshop. We just grabbed seats at the bar, and the bartender made me a hot spiced rum apple cider to warm up. We had the best BBQ Chicken Salad (though they substituted with shrimp) there. Highly recommend!

Day 3: Hot Springs Geologic Site, Convict Lake and Rock Creek Lake

November 21, 2021

We headed out from the Airbnb bright and early on Sunday to experience more of Mammoth before heading home. The first stop was the Hot Springs Geologic Site. We were some of the first arrivers to this usually popular site. There's warning signs everywhere not to get in the water because there's sudden geyser eruptions heated and pressurized from a hot magma 3 miles beneath the surface of the earth.

Hot Creek Geologic Site

The next stop was Convict Lake. This lake has a famous backstory at the location of a shootout between a group of escaped convicts from a prison in Carson City, Nevada and a posse following them in 1871.

We took the first right before the lake to the parking lot. This adds a bit to the hike loop, but instead of parking right on the lake, you get the satisfaction of climbing up a hill to be treated to the lake view.

The lake loop is 2.5 miles (plus some for the extra walk to the far parking lot) and pretty flat with a few rolling hills, and some of it is even on the road. Its an gorgeous stop, even for those that would rather not walk.

Our last natural destination was a drive up to Rock Creek Lake, a 15 minute detour off of 395. We passed some gorgeous views, and had a peaceful picnic and walk around the lake. There's a nice campground and other resorts that were closed for the winter.

After all those (though short) morning hikes, we stopped off in Bishop at the Famous Erick Schat's Bakery. There's always a crowd, but we grabbed a few baked goods and headed off for the long drive back to the coast.