Mammoth Lakes
|
There are miles of roads in and around the Mammoth Lakes area. Be careful of traffic!
Easiest Ride in Town
Drive up to Horseshoe Lake and park. Ride DOWN Lake Mary Road, on and on and on and on. You can go all the way to the Sheriff's substation along highway 395 without touching the pedals. About eight miles.
Another Easy Short Ride
Mammoth has a hiking/bike trail around town. The best part starts at the community park next to the Stove restaurant (actually across the street, but park in the park parking lot). Pick up the paved trail next to the bridge over Mammoth Creek and ride downhill into Sierra Meadows. This isn't very long, only a mile, but is one of the prettiest rides around. There is a rest area with a picnic bench near the bottom. The views from here are spectacular. Moderate uphill back to the parking lot.
Scenic Loop
Ride up from town to the Scenic Loop, then another 8 miles to HWY 395. Rolling moderate terrain with a 500' gain and loss. Then you can ride back along HWY 395 to make a loop, or just ride the Scenic Loop back. Light traffic.
JuneLakeLoop
Moderate 25 mile round trip with a 900' elevation gain. Begin at Oh! Ridge and ride west all the way to HWY 395, then ride back HWY 395 or turn around reverse course. Nice ride. Narrow road in places, watch traffic.
Ride to Red's Meadow
This is a classic ride. Completing a round trip from town will make you an IRONMAN. About 25 miles round trip with elevation gain and loss you wouldn't believe. It is also a fantastic ride with fantastic views. During the summer, a shuttle operates between the Mountain and Reds Meadow, cutting down the number of cars on the road. To do it right, begin at Grumpy's in town. Don't drink any beer beforehand. Ride up to Mammoth Mountain, up to Minaret Summit, and down, down, down to Red's Meadow Resort. Eat lunch. Then ride back up, up, and up to Minaret Summit, then down back to Grumpy's. Now you can have a beer (or two) if you want to, you deserve it.
Benton Crossing Road
You can ride this road all the way to Nevada if you want to. This is a nice winter season ride. The road is usually clear, and the views are spectacular. And if you get tired you can stop at the hot tubs. Park at the green church at HWY 395 and Benton Crossing Road, then ride east as far as you want to. The first ten miles or so are almost flat, so this is a good speed training ride. There really isn't an opportunity to make a loop out of it, so you will have to ride back the same way, but the view will be different coming back. If you are really adventurous, ride a mountain bike and take one of several dirt roads to the right and circle Crowley Lake back to Gorge Road, and back to HWY 395, or ride all the way to Bishop along a dirt road. This would be a long day.
Ride to Hot Creek
About 12 miles round trip from town. This is a really nice ride. You get to see a variety of different flora and fauna, from forest to desert. Best done when it isn't too hot, and early in the day before the wind comes up. The ride to Hot Creek is almost all downhill or flat. Ride down HWY 203 to HWY 395, go south on the highway to the Hot Creek turnoff and ride out past the fish hatchery on paved road that will turn to dirt. A nice alternative is to ride out old Mammoth Road to the dirt road through Sherwin Meadows, following it down to HWY 395, then south on the HWY for a short distance to the Hot Creek turnoff. The road through Sherwin Meadows begins just past the bridge over Mammoth Creek on Old Mammoth Road. Turn left and go past the Sierra Meadows Horse ranch and follow that road to the HWY.
UpperLakesBasin
A long uphill ride, but not bad. The grade is moderate; just take it steady and easy. It’s all downhill coming back. About seven miles round trip. You can circle Horseshoe Lake at the top if you are on a mountain bike, also ride up to Woods Lodge, circle Lake Mary, and have lunch at Tamarack Lodge, Lake Mary Store, or Pokenobe Lodge. This is a classic Mammoth ride. Best done when there aren't too many people in town so the traffic isn't heavy. An alternative is to drive up to Lake Mary, park, and ride around. This is nice if you don’t want any uphill. About 8 miles round trip if you circle the lakes.
Ride to Bishop
You can ride almost all the way to Bishop without riding on HWY 395. You might think this is all downhill, but there are several serious uphill sections. Short sections, but you WILL remember them. From Mammoth, ride down HWY 203 to HWY 395; go south a few miles to the Crowley Lake Drive turnoff on the right. Ride through Crowley Lake to Tom's place. South of Crowley Lake is one of the uphill stretches. At Tom's place, get back on HWY 395 for a mile or so to the Lower Rock Creek turnoff. Follow that road all the way to Bishop, through Round Valley. About 35 miles, one way.
One of the classic IRONMAN rides, at least going up. There is a lot of spectacular scenery, and one very big hill to ride up.