These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
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Mammoth Lakes is a picturesque town, mainly known as a ski resort town in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. Despite its reputation as a ski resort, Mammoth Lakes and its surrounding areas are beautiful year-round, especially in the summer. That’s why we always find some excuses to visit this place almost every summer. With the breathtaking landscape of alpine lakes, dramatic peaks, cascading waterfalls, and lush green forests, Mammoth Lakes is the perfect playground for any outdoor enthusiast. Not only is this area beautiful, but there are tons of things to do here too such as hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, kayaking, or Via Ferrata. So, we made a list of the best things to do in and around Mammoth Lakes in the summer for you.
Before we start, here are some things that you need to know to make your Mammoth Lakes trip fun and safe.
Mammoth Lakes is known for its world-class hiking trails. With over 300 miles of trail that covers sections of the Ansel Adams and John Muir Wilderness, as well as the Pacific Crest Trail, hiking is one the best things to do in the Mammoth Lakes area in the summer. The scenery on these trails is breathtaking. You’ll see anything from snow-covered mountain ranges surrounding clear blue lakes, wildflowers blooming in the middle of gorgeous meadows, massive waterfalls, and more. There are many options to choose from depending on your fitness level. It’s really hard to narrow down a few of the favorites, but here are some that we think have the best scenery:
1.6 mi | 314 ft | 50 minutes | Easy
Inyo Craters is a short and easy trail that takes hikers to 2 spectacular craters that are filled with turquoise-colored water. The stark contrast between the gray granite and the bright turquoise water is just stunning. This trail can be lengthened or shortened depending on your fitness level.
3.2 mi | 839 ft | 2 hours | Moderate
Crystal Lake Trail is one of the more popular hikes in the Mammoth Lakes area. You’ll encounter many people. However, the views along this trail are stunning so it’s worth it. Not only will you get to see the towering iconic Crystal Crags, but you’ll also have beautiful views of Lake George, Lake Mary, and of course Crystal Lake.
3.6 mi | 935 ft | 2 hours | Moderate
We love Sky Meadows Trail! This trail has just the right amount of difficulty to keep it exciting, and the beautiful sceneries make it worthwhile. Some of the highlights on this trail include the Emerald Lake, aptly named for its emerald-colored water, and the towering peaks surrounding stunning meadows.
10-mile R.T. | 2,132 feet | 6-7 hours | Hard
We won’t lie, Duck Lake Trail is no joke. Sitting at around 10,800ft, Duck Lake Trail is 10 miles with over 2000ft gain in elevation. This means altitude sickness is real if you’re not ready. That being said, it is one of the most beautiful trails in all of the Inyo National Forest and also one of our favorite hikes ever. It is stunning from start to finish. You’ll pass by so many lakes and each one is more spectacular than the last.
11.5 miles R.T. | 2121 ft | 7-8 hours | Hard
Another difficult hike yet worth it. Valentine Lake Trail shares the trail to Sherwin Lakes, a popular set of lakes before branching off to head to a stunning, pristine lake in the beautiful Eastern Sierra Mountains.
Besides hiking, the Mammoth Lakes area is also a heaven for mountain bikers. There are tons of tracks around the town that suit all abilities. With more than 200 miles of trails from cross-country to downhill, mountain biking is another best thing to do in and around Mammoth Lakes. Some of the trails that we like here are the Horseshoe Lake Loop, Lake Basin Path Bike Trail, and the Town Loop. Those are super fun. Mammoth Lakes also has the Mammoth Mountain Bike Park. You will need to purchase a day pass, but you’ll have access to shuttles, chair lifts, and over 80 miles of single-track trails that cater to all levels of mountain bikers.
You can either bring your bikes or rent them. There are a few shops around here such as Footloose Sports, Get Outdoors 365, and ASO Mammoth.
Another fun thing to do in Mammoth Lakes is to take the gondola ride up Mammoth Mountain for sightseeing. With the summit of Mammoth Mountain sitting at 11,053 ft, you’ll get incredible views of the surroundings. There is also a cafe and restaurant at the top if you need some food. If you want more excitement, there is an adventure center for kids and adults that has a climbing wall, rope courses, zip lines, a bungee trampoline, and more. If you love hiking, you can also take the gondola up and hike back down. There are 7 hiking trails that you can choose from.
Via Ferrata, Italian for “iron path”, refers to climbing-hiking hybrid trails that use iron rung, ladders, cable bridges, suspension bridges, and more to allow adventurers to climb around a mountain safely. You will be climbing up rock walls, and traversing across mountainsides using iron rungs, suspension bridges, and ladders while attached to a series of steel cables that run through the entire route. It is super fun. If you love climbing, the adrenaline rush type of activity, or simply want to get out of your comfort zone, we highly recommend it.
Mammoth Lakes and its surrounding area is the land of many lakes. Everywhere you turn, you are almost guaranteed to see a lake. This means that one of the best things to do here in Mammoth Lakes is to get out on the water. By this, we meant checking out the beaches along the shoreline, going for a swim, getting on a kayak, paddleboard, or canoe. If you love fishing, the Mammoth Lakes area is also an awesome spot for fishing.
The Mammoth Lakes Basin itself has 5 lakes: Lake Mary, Twin Lakes, Lake Mamie, Horseshoe Lake and Lake George. You can rent your kayaks at Lake Mary and Twins Lakes. There are several other rental places in the town such as Footloose Sports, or ASO Mammoth. We usually brought our own kayaks so we have even more options to launch our kayaks.
Twin Lakes, the first lake you will reach in the Mammoth Lakes Basin, is one of our favorite places to kayak. This is especially beautiful in the fall. And if you visit during the right time of the year when the snow is melting, you could see massive waterfalls cascading down the side of the mountain into the lake.
15 minutes drive south of Mammoth Lakes
Convict Lake is a clear blue lake, framed by Mount Morrison and Laurel Mountain. It is one of the most beautifully accessible lakes in this area. This lake offers many things to do such as boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing, hiking, or swimming. Convict Lake is beautiful during the fall when all the leaves are changing colors. The best way to see the whole lake or the fall foliage is to take the 2.5-mile loop trail around the perimeter of the lake.
15 minutes drive south of Mammoth Lakes
Hot Creek Geologic Site is a unique spot where you can take a short hike to see some turquoise-colored geothermal pools. It’s interesting to see the surreal landscape of boiling hot springs, and steaming vents framed by the stunning backdrops of the Siera Nevada mountains. Because the water is so hot here, you are not allowed to be in it. However, there are other hot springs near the area that you could enjoy.
20 minutes drive south of Mammoth Lakes
Just down the street from the Hot Creek Geologic Site, there are a few awesome hot springs that you can enjoy. Visiting the hot springs is one of our favorite things to do when visiting the Mammoth Lakes area. These hot springs are located off Benton Crossing Road and Whitmore Tubs Road. To get to some of these hot springs, you’ll need vehicles with high clearance, 4WDs are recommended. By the way, these hot springs are quite popular so you will be sharing with other people. They are clothing optional as well so prepare yourself.
40 minutes drive south of Mammoth Lakes
This is another one of our favorite places to visit every time we drive up this way. The Crowley Lake Stone Columns is a unique spot. This is where you will find interesting stone columns rising at least 20ft tall along the shoreline of Crowley Lake. These stone columns are connected by high arches as if they are part of an ancient Moorish temple. And they are all created by Mother Nature. It is quite amazing to see.
25 miles north of Mammoth Lakes
June Lake is a popular place for hiking, biking, fishing, and water sports. The beach at June Lake is a fun place to spend your time. The water here is clear and shallow enough that it’s safe for those who can’t swim. If you do want to swim, you can just go out a bit further. The views are also spectacular. If you want to go for a drive, the scenic June Lake Loop offers stunning landscapes, especially in the fall. You’ll also have access to beautiful hike trails such as the Rush Creek to Horsetail Falls.
30 miles north of Mammoth Lakes
Hauntingly beautiful, Mono Lake is an ancient, unusual lake that is home to the towers of tufas and shimmering blue water. It is believed to be one of the oldest lakes in North America with an age of somewhere between 750,000 to 3 million years old. This lake is 3 times as salty as the ocean. There are several hiking trails along the lake that offer incredible views of the towering tufas that dot the lake. For off-the-beaten-path hikes, check out the Black Point Fissures Hike. If you’re into kayaking, you can launch your own at Navy Beach. If you don’t have kayaks, you can rent them with Mono Basin Kayak. It is a one-of-a-kind experience.
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
Nice to meet you!
Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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