Downhill skiing

Mammoth Mountain
Mammoth Mountain is a world class ski resort, with some of California's highest ski elevation and longest season. There are 3500 acres, 3100 vertical feet, and 150 named trails. The base elevation is 7950', with the summit at 11,053'. An early November opening is usually assured with snowmaking on 22 trails. There are 31 lifts, including 4 high speed quads, 4 quads, 7 triples, 12 doubles, 2 gondolas, T-Bar, Poma. Snowboarding is encouraged.

JuneMountain
Located a few miles north of Mammoth Lakes is June Mountain, in June Lake. June Mountain has over 500 acres, 2590 vertical feet, and 35 named trails. The base elevation is 7545', and the summit 10,135'. The season is December through April. There are 7 lifts, including 2 quads, 4 doubles and 1 rope tow. JM2, June's newest terrain development, offers a sculpted Super Pipe, the Wall Ride, two jib parks, and three impressive terrain parks. It will challenge both beginners and experts.

 X-Country Skiing

There are commercial X-Country ski centers in the Mammoth Lakes area. Tamarack Lodge operates a large area in the Lakes Basin offering groomed trails, rentals, instruction, and food/lodging facilities. Rock Creek Lodge in Rock Creek operates a unique ski-in ski-out lodge/ski facility.

In addition, the town of Mammoth Lakes has marked out a series of ski trails, offering free skiing on ungroomed trails. If you want to break your own trail, there are miles and miles of forest around town, some steep, some flat, all snow covered.

Tamarack Cross-Country Ski Center
45 kilometers of groomed track and skating lanes. Fee required to use groomed trails in the Lakes Basin. Because of its high elevation (over 8,000 ft), Tamarack has a long season with good snow conditions. There is a lodge at the center, where you can leave your skis outside the door, and take off on the trails whenever you want to.

Rock Creek Lodge
At the edge of the John Muir Wilderness; Rock Creek Lodge offers a unique winter backcountry experience for both beginning and advanced cross-country skiers. Eight cabins offer running water and bathrooms, while six cabins remain rustic, with guests using the central shower building for restroom facilities. They have fantastic meals all served family-style in the dining room.

Trails around town
The town of Mammoth has established a great system of marked trails in and around town. None of the trails wander very far from town, so they are better bets for the inexperienced backcountry user. None are steep or difficult. Many of these trails begin at the USFS Visitors Center, and use the forested areas in that area. These are particularly popular trails when the weather is wailing. The wind and snow isn't as nasty as it can be up in the Lakes basin during a storm.

Inyo Craters Trail
8 km round-trip, moderate/easy. A classic easy Mammoth ski tour. Relatively flat with a good destination. Take the Scenic Loop road out of town for 3.5 miles until you see the Inyo Craters sign.

Backcountry Skiing

Some of the best backcountry skiing to be found anywhere is right here in the Eastern Sierra.

Miles and miles of National Forest surround Mammoth Lakes. The snow pack is reliable, avalanche danger is relatively predictable, the storms are mainly short in duration, and in spring it is warm and clear.

Check with the USFS Visitors Center for where to go and maps of the areas.

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