Mammoth Lakes is the gateway to the eastern Sierra ultimate getaway

Tim Viall
·4 min read
6

Following up on last week’s road trip to the June Lakes Loop in the eastern Sierra, and the continuation on to a favored destination, Mammoth Lakes, just 20 miles south in the shadow of lofty Mt. Whitney.

We have been that way frequently in recent years, and just completed the four hour-plus drive into that still wintery landscape. CalTrans continues to work to reopen some of the Sierra’s lofty passes, including Tioga Pass through Yosemite, Sonora Pass above Sonora and Ebbetts Pass above Bear Valley.

Hence, we followed Highway 88 across the Sierra, connecting to Highway 89, then to southbound Highway 395. The peaks of the Sierra retain lots of deep snow above 8,000 to 9,000 feet, making for the most marvelous photos. Bare and dry roads greeted us, we spent two fairly sunny days on the June Lake Loop, punctuated by one wicked, noisy thunderstorm on our first evening camping at Silver Lake on the June Lake Loop.

Lake Mary mid-afternoon is a highlight Tim second installment from the eastern Sierra.
Lake Mary mid-afternoon is a highlight Tim second installment from the eastern Sierra.

The next day, we continued south on 395, turning off on Hwy. 203 to the town of Mammoth Lakes. It's home to Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, one of the largest in the west, and in summer a huge mecca for mountain bikers; the mountain looms large over the town. With a peak elevation of 11,053 feet and almost 900 inches (75 feet!) of snow during the 2022-23 season, the skiing and boarding will continue well into July, touting the grandest snowfall the mountain has ever registered. The deep snows will delay the start of the cycling and hiking season, however; see the website for details, mammothmountain.com.

Mammoth Lakes is a town that caters to tourists year-round, with lodging, restaurants, retail and sports shops, all aimed at youthful, outdoorsy visitors. The Mammoth Brewing Company, combined with the adjoining Eatery, is a must stop; fine craft beers and some of the best brew pub food we have had in a long while! Other epicurian favorites include the Mogul Restaurant, an American steakhouse, and Mammoth Rock Brasserie, offering an American and European dining experience. Mammoth, considering its size, offers a wealth of options in both dining and lodging choices.

Since we were camping with our small Scotty trailer, we climbed higher into the mountains west of town to Lake Mary Campground. At 8966 feet, with thin air and gorgeous scenery, it's one of six lakes on the Lake Mary Loop, all with scenic campgrounds and interconnected by paved biking and hiking trails. Each lake has the backdrop of the snowy Sierra; resulting in stunning photos, though, very cold lake water.

The next day, we followed Highway 203 north to Devils Postpile National Monument. A short 1/2 mile hike takes one past a pristine stretch of the Upper Middle Fork San Joaquin River, then to the postpiles. Here, about 80,000 years ago, basalt lava flowed from an unknown source. As it cooled and contracted it split into the symmetrical vertical, hexagonal columns of basalt that constitute the postpiles. Further down the river is Rainbow Falls, which drops 101 feet over a volcanic cliff and this year; with the winter’s over-abundance of snow, an epic waterfall experience is the result!

Lake Mary mid-afternoon is a highlight Tim second installment from the eastern Sierra.
Lake Mary mid-afternoon is a highlight Tim second installment from the eastern Sierra.

While at Mammoth Lakes, don’t miss the opportunity to tour 90 miles further south on US 395 to Manzanar National Historic Site. In 1942 the US government ordered over 100,000 men, women and children of Japanese descent to leave their homes and businesses and were relocated in a remote, military style camp. Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of 10 camps, and one whose population included thousands of San Joaquin County residents, American citizens.

Manzanar guard tower, with gymnasium in distance is part of Tim's column this week.
Manzanar guard tower, with gymnasium in distance is part of Tim's column this week.

A visit is a sobering experience, with several buildings remaining,  reconstructed barracks that housed 10,000 Japanese-American citizens, guard towers on the perimeter, representing a sobering history of this sad chapter in our war time.

History, fishing, touring, hiking, skiing/boarding and biking options are abundant, up and down the Eastern Sierra near Mammoth Lakes; each turn yields wondrous new vistas!

For more information: Devils Postpile National Monument, nps.gov/depo; Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce: mammothlakeschamber.org; Mammoth Mountain Resort, mammothmountain.com; Manzanar Relocation Center, nps.gov/manz; for Camping, recreation.gov.

Where are you traveling? Contact Tim, tviall@msn.com.  Happy travels in the West!

This article originally appeared on The Record: Mammoth Lakes is the gateway to the eastern Sierra