Getting There
We drove up to Mammoth from the Orange County area, so I will be speaking mainly about this route–although some of the lessons may apply if you are traveling from other locations. The quickest way from Southern California to Mammoth Lakes is via the 395 freeway. Despite the fact that this road travels past Sequoia and King’s Canyon National Parks, it is in no way “scenic.” The majority of the drive (about 4 hours) is through pretty remote desert country, with few places to stop and/or stretch your legs. Because of this, I highly recommend packing all of your own snacks, drinks (and possibly even lunch), just in case someone claims they are “starving” when they’re nothing but Joshua trees and dust bunnies in sight…
There are a few cute towns a few hours out from Mammoth that we have stopped in for food, or an emergency playground visit–including Bishop, Lone Pine and Big Pine. On this trip, we stopped at the Lone Pine Smokehouse for dinner (a little less than 2 hours out from Mammoth) and really enjoyed it. There was a large outdoor patio where we sat with the kids and dogs, and the food was both kid and grown-up approved. And there’s a highly recommended place next door if BBQ is not your speed. We’ve also stopped at the Bishop Burger Barn in, you guessed it, Bishop (less than an hour from Mammoth), and really enjoyed it as well. This stop is definitely a true hole-in-the-wall with little actual seating, so I don’t recommend it if you’re not willing to eat in the car or on a plastic lawn chair…
If your kids are young enough to use a travel potty, I definitely recommend bringing one. Rest stops are few and far between and, if you’re kids are anything like mine, “emergencies” are bound to come up in the most desolate locations… We have had both the Baby Bjorn potty and the OXO pop-up travel toilet, and I recommend them both.
Where To Stay
Since having kids, my preferred accommodation in Mammoth is a condo or apartment rental. I love having access to a kitchen so you don’t have to pile everyone into the car for every meal. Many of the condos in the area are also designed to fit a lot of people in a small amount of space (which makes sense when guests are more than likely to be out in the woods, or on the slopes, all day), so it’s easy to find a place with bunkbeds or a loft room for the kids.
My favorite area to find a condo is in Snowcreek (not to be confused with the Snowcreek Resort, which is a bit pricier but has access to more amenities like a golf course and athletic club). The more modest Snowcreek condos we stayed in are spacious, well-kept, and adjacent to a beautiful meadow, replete with walking paths, a small creek, and a duck pond. During our most recent trip, we picked a unit that looked out on the meadow, and we spent many early mornings and late afternoons lounging in the grass, or traversing the creek.
We have also stayed at The Village Lodge, which also offers condo-style rentals, but is located in the commercial center of town, surrounded my restaurants and shopping, and steps away from the gondola. This resort also houses an amazing outdoor pool, perfect for those hot summer afternoons.
Hikes and Outdoor Activities
Horseshoe Lake Hike
Our favorite hike to do with kids in the Mammoth area is definitely the Horseshoe Lake Loop. Horseshoe Lake is about 20 minutes from the center of town, and is part of a cluster of beautiful mountain lakes. This lake in particular is fascinating, in that it is partially surrounded by a grove of dead trees–all of which were killed by the carbon dioxide that’s being emitted by still-cooling underground magma which resulted from a series of earthquakes that hit in the late 80s. While there are signs labeling the area as “hazardous,” it’s really only dangerous if you dig a hole in the sand and stick your head in it (so, you know, don’t do that).
The lake itself is crystalline blue and freezing cold, but my kids still had a blast splashing around in the shallow water. There were a few people paddle boarding in the lake, or letting their dogs run in the sand. In dry years, the lake shrinks significantly in the summer, so if you’re visiting in July or August and have your heart set on deep water, it’s best to check on water levels with the locals before you make the trek.
There are several trails which begin at Horseshoe lake, including the Crater Meadow Trail and the McLeod Lake Trail. Both of these trails have beautiful views, and some elevation gain to them, so they may be better suited to families with older children. The Horseshoe Lake Loop, however, was the perfect adventure for our three little ones, as it’s a short 1.8 miles, circles the entire lake, affords some nice views and entertaining creek crossings, and is wide and flat enough to accommodate a jogging stroller.
Rainbow Falls
The Rainbow Falls / Devil’s Postpile Trail is another great hike for kids, which can be done in stages, depending on your kids’ ages and abilities. The hike from the Devil’s Postpile Ranger station to the falls is about 2.5 miles, and stroller-accessible. Devil’s Postpile itself is a fascinating geological formation made up of hundreds of towering columns of rock. On the hike, you’ll get views of the columns themselves, as well as the impressive piles of rubble that have chipped off over the thousands of years of their existence. The trail ends at Rainbow Falls, where you can access several other trails, or take the stairs down to the bottom of the falls, where you can put your feet in the water, or just enjoy the sound of the cascading water.
June Lake
June Lake is my absolute favorite place to spend a sunny summer day in Mammoth. The lake is crystal blue and surrounded by green-washed mountains. For most of the summer, there is a long stretch of shallow water on the side of the lake closest to the parking lot (in drought years, it may look a little different). My four-year-old daughter was able to safely explore this portion of the lake on her own, climb on submerged rocks and float around in her water wings. For warning, however, this lake is fed by snowmelt (even in the summer) so it’s pretty cold–but if you have kids, you know “the cold doesn’t bother them anyway.”
This lake is also an excellent spot to launch a kayak, paddle board, or inflatable raft. While there are rental locations at other nearby lakes, you need to be able to transport your craft to June Lake and launch it yourself. There is also very little shade at the June Lake beach, so I highly recommend bringing an umbrella or beach tent. And sunscreen.
There are several hikes that leave from the June Lake beach area, but we haven’t done them in a while as most are not stroller accessible. If your kids are old enough to walk a few miles on their own, I highly recommend checking out this post by June Lake Accommodations, which describes all of the local trails in detail.
Gull Lake
Gull Lake is just minutes down the road from June Lake. It’s less of a swimming lake, and more of a boating and fishing lake. The Gull Lake Marina rents everything from pontoon boats, to kayaks and paddle boards, and for an affordable price. There is also a local tackle shop where you can pick up everything you need to fish the lake, or the nearby trout pond. (They also have lounge chairs and board games available for the kids to stay entertained while you shop.)
If your kids are little, like mine, you might also enjoy the gull lake playground, which is located to the right of the marina, and overlooks the water. It is surrounded by great views, picnic tables, and clean restrooms.
And when we’re in the area, we always head to June Lake Brewing for lunch and afternoon beverages. The beer is great, and the Hawaiian food truck, Ohana 395, which is parked outside Thursday through Sunday cooks up hands down the best burrito I have ever eaten. I can not recommend the food, and the atmosphere, enough.
Mountain Bike and eBike Rentals
While our kids are currently a little young to bike such hilly terrain, when they’re older we definitely plan on renting eBikes to explore the village and surrounding mountains. eBikes can be rented in the village, or at Footloose sports, and are basically just mountain bikes with pedal-assist technology (so you don’t have to struggle up those steep inclines all day). We saw many families using these bikes on the paved trails around Horseshoe lake, and throughout town.
Where To Eat
Stellar Brew and Natural Cafe
Whenever we visit Mammoth, Stellar Brew is our go-to for morning eats and drinks. They have great coffee, smoothies, pastries and breakfast sandwiches (and is there anything better than a breakfast sandwich on a cold, mountain morning?!). I recommend heading over early, as the line can get long, and they can run out of sammies if demand is high.
Roberto’s Cafe
Roberto’s is notorious in Mammoth for their authentic Mexican food, and “world-famous” margaritas. The ambiance is fun, and we always leave with full bellies, and leftovers. During the pandemic, they were doing to-go margaritas with your takeout orders, and I sincerely hope they continue to do so in the future. I am personally a huge fan of both the duck quesadilla, and the fajita veggie burrito, but, honestly, it’s all good.
Mammoth Brewing Company
Mammoth Brewing Company is by far my favorite spot to have a casual mountain lunch. The brewery itself has some indoor seating, but the best spots are outside on the dirt lawn. We gathered with several other families on shaded picnic tables, and munched on everything from peach pizza to a shaved Brussels salad. The brewery serves a variety of beers, or you can try a seasonal flight of 8 different options–including a delicious hard kombucha. The yard is also dog-friendly, and our kids had a lot of fun romping with the other patrons’ pooches.
Shelter Distilling
Shelter Distilling is a relatively new distillery & restaurant located in The Village at Mammoth. When we visited, we were able to grab a picnic table next to a heat lamp, just outside the restaurant. It was the perfect spot for all ten of us (we went with two other families) to gather and let the kids get a little rowdy. The food was excellent (think fancy bar food, pizza, tacos, charcuterie, etc.), and the grown-ups all enjoyed sampling some really interesting cocktails, many of which we made with in-house spirits. This restaurant is also located just steps away from Hugs Ice Cream, so the kids were able to indulge in a little after-dinner sweet treat as well.
Books For This Trip:
Enjoy!
I hope you found some of these resources helpful in planning your trip. If you do end up using some of this advice, hit me up with a comment about how it went. Enjoy!