Mammoth Lakes:
No Small Winter Adventure
Mammoth Lakes is every bit as superlative as the name suggests. Floating high in the Sierra just south of Yosemite and east of San Francisco, this truly is adventure land.
Widely recognized for its world-class ski and snowboard season — one of the sunniest and one of the longest in the US — Mammoth Lakes truly comes alive in winter. Skiers and snowboarders flock to the slopes, the Village lights up with family-friendly events, and fat bikes and snowshoes cut lines through the endless forest. Make it up to the top of Mammoth Mountain — the highest lift-serviced peak in the country — and you’ll see it all in one awesome, panoramic view.
Click into the guides below and start planning your own mammoth adventure this winter.
Family ski trip to Mammoth Lakes:
Everything you need to know
The skiing and riding you can access from Mammoth Lakes is as good as it gets. And that holds true for everyone from double-black daredevils to bunny-hill heroes.
As this guide explores, there are many factors that make Mammoth Lakes an ideal family ski destination. So get the kids fired up, and let’s head for the Sierra.
7 ways to experience winter in Mammoth Lakes, beyond snowboarding
Mammoth Lakes is more than a place for pow shots — it’s the place to bring your family if you want to truly experience winter in a dozen different ways.
Here, you get the High Sierra terrain. You get the festive vibe of a legit mountain town. And you get unbelievable access to all kinds of unexpected geologic sites, huge wilderness areas, and lots of ways to explore them.
Real snow: Taking the kids to Mammoth Lakes
“Can we move here?” That was my daughter Layla’s first reaction, stamping through moonlit snow and into the Village at Mammoth, the gas log fires and twinkling holiday decorations making it feel suddenly as if we’d walked into wonderland.
I’m with you baby, I thought. Her spontaneous idea of moving here made perfect sense.