Mammoth Lakes is a small, beautiful town in Central California where teenagers and their families can make unforgettable memories in both winter and summer time.                                                                     

On average, driving to Mammoth Lakes from Orange County takes about 5½ to 6 hours. 

During the winter, you can ski or snowboard at Mammoth Mountain, one of the largest ski resorts in the country. 

Most people start their day at Main Lodge, Canyon Lodge, or Eagle Lodge. If you are staying near the Village, the town’s most popular dining and shopping area, you can walk over to a gondola that takes you from the Village up to Canyon Lodge and explore the expansive mountain from there. 

Mammoth Mountain offers over 3,500 acres of terrain for both skiers and snowboarders. The terrain breakdown is 25% beginner, 40% intermediate, 20% advanced, and 15% expert. Skiers and snowboarders can enjoy many terrain features throughout the mountain, such as halfpipes, jumps, and rails. Nathan Nguyen (9) says that “snowboarding in Mammoth is really fun!” 

If you enjoy playing in the snow, there are many open spaces where you and your family can go sledding and make a snowman. Once your snow-filled festivities have wrapped up for the day, you can head to the Village and enjoy a nice cup of hot cocoa. 

The Village is a great place to walk around, shop for souvenirs, and eat. There are tons of restaurants there, such as Smokeyard BBQ, Campo, Sushi Rei, and Gomez Restaurant.

Mammoth Lakes has many cozy cabins as well as condos, lodges, and hotels for families to stay at. During the summer, you have the additional option of staying at campgrounds right next to one of the lakes, such as Lake Mary or Lake George. In the summertime, visitors can enjoy mountain biking, fishing, and hiking located at said lakes.

If you want to go biking, you can board a free trolley at the Village that takes you and your bike up to the lakes area. Get off at Horseshoe Lake high up in the mountain (the last stop), and then bike down on a paved bike trail that leads back to the Village. If you prefer, you can also bike on dirt trails around Horseshoe Lake. 

Those looking for more adventurous biking can buy a ticket to the Mammoth Mountain Bike Park, which gives you access to chair lifts that take you along with your bike up Mammoth Mountain. From the top, you can then ride down many different dirt trails filled with features such as wooden ramps, berms, and bridges.

Those who enjoy fishing can take a short drive to Twin Lakes, Lake Maime, Lake George, or Lake Mary. All these lakes are stocked with good-sized trout throughout the fishing season, which runs from April to November. 

Teens under 16 years old can fish without a license, but older teens and adults will need to purchase a fishing license, which is available at local sporting goods stores such as Rick’s Sports Center, Kittredge Sports, and the Lake Mary Marina & Store. A fishing license costs $15.69 for one day or $24.33 for two days. Annual licenses cost $48.34.

Hiking is another fun summer activity since there are many hiking trails around the lakes. One can also go hiking at nearby Devils Postpile National Monument, famous for its unusual columnar rock formations. A very popular trail is the one that takes hikers to the beautiful Rainbow Falls.

Mammoth Lakes, with its fun winter and summer activities, is a small town where wonderful unforgettable memories are made. My family and I have made many memories there and cannot wait to make countless more. It truly is a special place where people will enjoy spending time with family and friends.