Hit the Slopes Then Soak in Hot Springs in This Gorgeous California Mountain Town
Everything to do in Mammoth, from shredding to hot springs to breweries and more.
It may not be obvious from the weather just yet, but it’s officially ski season in California. And though there are a lot of great wintery places to escape LA, from Angeles National Forest to the San Jacinto Mountains, if you’re looking for the best skiing and snowboarding in California there’s one easy answer—you should be going to Mammoth.
But there’s a lot more to do in Mammoth Lakes than hitting the slopes. It’s also a great mountain town to use as a base to explore the gorgeous Sierra Nevada Mountains, with scenic drives and hot springs and plenty of excellent après-ski opportunities, whether you were actually up on the mountain or not.
To help you get the absolute most out of California’s favorite ski destination, here’s our guide to the best things to do in Mammoth Lakes.
Travel time:
5 hours from LA
5 hours from San Francisco
If you don’t do anything else: Explore the great outdoors on and off the mountain
If you’re here in winter, it’s probably to shred the gnar—Mammoth Mountain’s 150 trails span over 3,500 acres, covering 3,100 vertical feet up to 11,000 feet of elevation. It is probably the best mountain in California, and one of the best options west of the Rockies. You really should get up there while you’re in town.
But if you feel like venturing off the beaten path, look into backcountry tours with the Sierra Mountain Center or Sierra Mountain Guides, which offer trips for different skills like mountaineering, snow travel, backcountry avalanche safety, and waterfall ice climbing, which is exactly as epic as it sounds.
If you’re looking for family-friendly outdoor activities in Mammoth, the mountain has plenty of options too. In the winter, Woolly's Adventure Summit has tubing, snow play, and a mountain coaster. And in summer, the Adventure Center has a ropes course, zip line, archery, and a pump track. Or check out the Mammoth Lakes Earthquake Fault, a rare natural phenomenon nestled deep in the forest. The fault cuts through volcanic rock and reaches a depth of 60 feet. A short trail descends into the fault, and signs reveal information about its history. And other great hiking trails abound in the area.
Fill Your Days:
Ride the gondola to the top of Mammoth Mountain
You can’t visit Mammoth without paying tribute to the man who made it the world-renowned adventure resort that it is today—Dave McCoy. Take the gondola to the Mammoth Museum at McCoy Station, which is the first stop on the way to the summit. Journey back to the 1950s, and trace how McCoy’s innovations made his vision a reality. Then hop back on the gondola for a trip to the top.
Eleven53 Interpretive Center is a visual treat 11,053 feet above sea level, offering 360-degree views of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada Range. Exhibits that highlight the region’s geology, wildlife, natural history, and climate are on display year-round. You’ll want to visit if you’ve ever wondered how the jagged peaks of the Minaret Range were formed, or wanted to learn more about the North American black bears that have made Mammoth their home.
Explore hot springs in Mammoth
There are several hot springs to be found along Highway 395, which may be the perfect place to rest your weary muscles after a day of adventure. There are a few located along Benton Crossing Road, and perhaps the most well-known of the bunch is Wild Willy’s Hot Springs. Make your way down a boardwalk and you’ll find two hot springs pools with steam rising above them. The Hilltop Hot Tub is a lot smaller but easier to get to from Benton Crossing Road. Crab Cooker Hot Springs is a rock tub that has water piped in from a mineral spring nearby.
The precursor to all of these hot springs is Hot Creek, a spot that both locals and visitors used to frequent back in the day. It’s now restricted to a geological site, but you can still hike down the paved path to marvel at the periodic geyser eruptions as you watch boiling water bubbling up from the creek. It’s located 15 miles south of Mammoth off Hot Creek Hatchery Road.
Drive the June Lake Loop
If you’ve made it all the way to Mammoth, you might as well venture further along Highway 395 and drive the June Lake Loop. Also known as CA Highway 158, it’s a 16-mile horseshoe-shaped road that travels through the town of June Lake, which is also home to a family-friendly ski resort.
June Lake Loop winds its way around four lakes—after June Lake you’ll pass the trout-laden Gull Lake next, and then Silver Lake, which is lined with cabins and hosts one of the Sierra’s oldest fishing and vacation resorts. Grant Lake, the largest and most imposing of the four lakes, greets you before you reach Highway 395 again. If road conditions allow, you can also visit the otherworldly landscape of Mono Lake, which is just a short distance away.
Where to eat and drink in Mammoth
There are lots of great restaurants in Mammoth—we’ve actually got a whole guide for that—so it’s worth focusing on some of the other essentials:
For a warm drink in the morning: Black Velvet Coffee is one of two local third-wave roasters, and they serve their excellent coffee at two locations in town. The Main Street location also turns into a wine bar in the evening, if you want to make a smooth transition from energy to relaxation. And there’s Mammoth Coffee Roasting Company, where you can also get some of the best donuts and cinnamon rolls in town.
For laid-back après-ski: Mammoth Lakes is a solid beer town, with two especially noteworthy options. Mammoth Brewing is the OG, a mountain classic with excellent beers, interesting pub snacks, and great vibes inside the pub and in the beer garden out front. Distant Brewing is another outstanding brewery, with a knack for hoppy beers and a casual dog-friendly space with two pool tables. If cocktails are more your speed, check out the local spirits at Shelter Distilling, where they also have a full food menu and a solid happy hour.
Where to stay in Mammoth
Because it’s primarily a tourist-driven town in the mountains, there are plenty of places to stay in Mammoth. Of course the various home rental apps have everything from modern condos to cozy cabins, and hotels range from budget options in the middle of town to full-on glamorous lodges. If you're the hotel over home stay type, here are a couple of our favorite options:
For a great location with lots of gathering places: Outbound Mammoth is a recently-renovated hotel in the heart of town that features a whole lot of fun places to hang out. Fire pits dot the expansive grounds, Bar Sierra has a stylish pub space with an arcade room, there’s a wine bar in the lobby, and an array of picnic tables in front of the excellent Cafe Crěpe food truck. There are rooms in the main hotel building and also a series of very cool studio cabins and larger standalone multi-story villas for bigger groups.
If you want to ski in and ski out: For real shredders it’s hard to beat the sheer convenience of the Mammoth Mountain Inn. There’s a restaurant, bar, and coffee shop on the premises, and you’re right there next to ski school, the gondola, and several chair lifts to get you straight onto the slopes.
Ben Mesirow is Thrillist's LA Staff Writer, and an Echo Park native who writes TV, fiction, food, and sports. At one time or another, his writing has appeared in The LA Times, Litro, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Los Angeles Magazine, and scratched into dozens of desks at Walter Reed Middle School.