Where to Stay!
Mammoth Lakes is the perfect choice for your first night’s stop along the way to Lake Tahoe from Los Angeles! However, you can do Mammoth as a whole separate adventure as well! Here are my suggestions for exploring Mammoth in the summer months!
We found this adorable little hotel called the Austria Hoff Lodge. It’s right by the entrance to town and off to the side of one of the mountains, so it’s great for sledding in the winter or hiking and biking in the summer. We stayed here in the summer and loved our room! It was also super reasonable for the time of year. We went on our way to Lake Tahoe for Labor Day Weekend. Our room was quite big with a fireplace and a kitchenette; they also have a bar at the lodge, as well as breakfast, included every morning. We’ve found that trying to rent an Airbnb in Mammoth is quite pricy, so this place was a fraction of the cost and had everything we needed!
Mammoth Hot Springs!
There is so much to do in Mammoth, we definitely plan to go back to discover more! Exploring the hot springs in Mammoth is a must! This is a good activity for summer as well as winter. Keep in mind, some trails are likely to be closed in the winter months because they get covered in snow and are too dangerous to drive on. So, be sure to check the road conditions and closures before you go.
FYI: You might need 4WD for some of the trails in Mammoth, so again check into those depending on where you’re going.
The first one we checked out was called Hot Creek Geological Site. The water is such an incredible turquoise blue, it’s beautiful to see, but you can’t swim in this one because the temperature of the water is scorching hot, you can see the steam rising from the surface of the boiling water.
Next, we checked out Wild Willy’s Hot Springs, which is awesome! Here, we chilled, had wine, and enjoyed the view! It’s gorgeous to be secluded out in the middle of the expansive land with the snow-capped mountains surrounding you in the background. You’ll love it! I can’t wait to go back when the ground is covered in snow!
We rented a Jeep for this trip to explore the hot springs, because you will need to off-road a little to get to most of them. There’re many other hot springs as well that I’d love to check out next time.
Others include Crab Cooker, Travertine, Buckeye, Remington, Sykes, and Deep Creek just to name a few. It would take a longer trip to cover them all. If you’ve been to any of these hot springs, I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below!
Mammoth Lakes, Hikes, Overlooks and Waterfalls
We stopped at some beautiful lakes to swim and have lunch. Horseshoe Lake is the perfect little swim stop!
There are several stunning hikes, overlooks and waterfalls, like the gorgeous Rainbow Falls, Lake Crowley, and Devil’s Postpile (seasonally accessible), which I have yet to visit but consider must-sees! Twin Falls Overlook is an easy drive from town during the summer and provides a stunning view.
To Sum it Up!
With skiing and snowboarding in the winter months and hiking, biking, hot springs, waterfalls, and lakes in the summer, Mammoth is a great weekend getaway from LA year round! It’s also the perfect stop along the way to a Lake Tahoe getaway!
Feel free to share your favorite stops along the way to Lake Tahoe! If you have any questions about Mammoth or if there’s anything I left out, let me know in the comments below, and as always, have a blast when you go!
