A Day (and a half) of Happiness in Mammoth Lakes

I want to talk about what happened when a group of us went up to Mammoth Lakes over a July long weekend.

It wasn’t a trip we planned far in advance. When the long weekend came around, we just decided to go — a group of ten of us. We booked a fairly large Airbnb house close to the central town of Mammoth Lakes, so we wouldn’t have to travel far back and forth. Everything was chosen so it would be quick and easy to get to.

We left LA around 5 PM and reached Mammoth Lakes by 8 or 9 that night. We already had the gate code and keys, so we let ourselves in and settled down. That night, we looked up what was nearby and got a rough idea of what to see the next day.

What “Mammoth Lakes” Actually Is

Mammoth Lake isn’t one single lake — it’s a cluster of several lakes in the area, plus a small town called Mammoth Lakes. Its real specialty is winter; it’s most beautiful under snow. But even in summer there’s plenty to do, so it’s a place worth visiting in either season.

Day 2 Morning: Devil’s Postpile and Rainbow Falls

The next morning we woke up early and headed to Devil’s Postpile. The trick with this place is the timing: if you cross into the area before 7 AM, you can drive your own car straight in. After 7 AM, you have to park at the gondola area and take a shuttle bus in. There’s a small parking fee, but since no one is checking payments before 7 AM, we got in without paying (you do pay on the way out, once the park staff are on site).

The road in isn’t paved — a rougher dirt road — but it was an enjoyable drive. There are bear warnings everywhere, and you’re not allowed to leave any food in your car, since bears will break in for it. We parked at a small campground-style lot and walked about 700 meters to reach Devil’s Postpile.

It’s genuinely a natural wonder — hexagonal basalt columns formed by unique geological processes, the kind of rock formation you don’t see in many places in the world. We hadn’t originally planned for more than this, but once we got there we realized the trail continues on to a waterfall called Rainbow Falls, so we kept going.

The full round trip — Postpile to Rainbow Falls and back — took a little over two hours. It’s an easy trail, not physically demanding, and totally doable with kids. There are two viewing points at the falls: Upper and Lower Rainbow Falls. We only made it to the upper viewpoint (the lower one requires walking down a set of stairs to the base of the falls) and came back up without much more exploring. Since it was late July, the water flow was decent, though naturally less than earlier in the season — still, a solidly good waterfall by US standards.

The whole hike runs through forest, so those bear warnings apply throughout, but it’s a genuinely enjoyable trail, especially early in the morning.

Back to the Gondola

After the hike, we checked out of the Airbnb and headed to the Mammoth Gondola — a fairly large cable car that takes you up the mountain. Honestly, I can’t call it the best gondola ride I’ve seen in the US. It’s fine, but there isn’t a huge amount to do at the top, especially in summer. We went in July, so there was no snow at all, and the ride is definitely more scenic with snow. In winter it would probably be a lot better.

At the second station along the gondola, there’s a small artificial lake, which was fun to see, though we didn’t get off there since there wasn’t much else to do at that stop. Down at the base, there’s a stuffed mammoth on display, and a large metal mammoth statue outside — a popular photo spot. There’s also a visitor center where you can pick up souvenirs.

After the gondola, we continued on toward our next stop: Lake Tahoe.

Gull Lake: A Quick Stop for Food

On the way out of Mammoth toward June Lake, we stopped first at Gull Lake — a small, quieter lake in a small town just a two-to-three-minute drive from June Lake, technically part of the same area. It has clear water, and there’s a park right beside it with a kids’ play area and benches. Since we’d packed food, this was our spot to sit lakeside and eat — we sat by the water, had our food, took some photos, and then moved on. There are also boat rides and kayaking available here if you want to linger.

June Lake: Kayaking

From Gull Lake we continued on to June Lake, which might be one of the coolest lakes I’ve seen in California. It has more going for it than the water itself — mountains in the background still had some snow at the peaks even in early summer, half-melted but visible. The water itself is a striking turquoise, and the lake is notably shallow. There are only a few deeper spots; most of it you can wade through, sometimes up to your neck at the deepest points I walked into. The lakebed has a crushed-rock texture, and since it’s freshwater and clear, there’s very little mud — visually, it’s beautiful.

There’s a small sandy beach area right next to the lake (crushed-rock sand), with kayak rentals and changing rooms nearby. Kayaking was our main activity here, and we spent a good amount of time at it — it’s beginner-friendly too. Unlike some other lakes where you need to swim if you flip the kayak, at June Lake you can stand up in about 70–80% of the area, so it never feels risky. You can stay near the shallow edges and paddle safely. It’s also a good spot for kids to play in the water because of how shallow it is.

There isn’t much of a food scene at June Lake itself — just a few small restaurants and the usual casual spots — so we didn’t explore that side much, especially since we’d already eaten at Gull Lake.

Mono Lake

Also nearby is Mono Lake — and if I’m honest, it’s the least appealing lake because of its smell and dirt, but it’s really huge. It’s a saltwater lake formed where mountains enclose the water with no outlet, so it evaporates over time and the salt concentration rises. Because of that, insects and other things get trapped and die in parts of it, giving certain areas an unpleasant smell. That said, it’s only in specific spots — the higher salt content also creates interesting limestone formations along parts of the shore.

We didn’t kayak here because of the smell, but it’s a worthwhile quick stop — walk up, see the limestone rock formations, take it in, and move on. We didn’t spend much time there.

Crowley Lake (The One We Missed)

One place we didn’t get to, due to time, was Crowley Lake, which is actually along the route between LA and Mammoth — we passed it at night on the way in, so we missed seeing it. If you skip Lake Tahoe and instead loop back after Mono Lake, Crowley Lake has a rock formation called the “stone columns,” similar in spirit to Devil’s Postpile — another naturally occurring wonder worth seeing, and one that can be folded into the same day’s plan.

Putting It All Together: A One-Day Mammoth Itinerary

If I had to condense this into a single day’s plan for someone else visiting Mammoth Lakes, it would look like this:

• Arrive at night, settle into your Airbnb.
• Before 7 AM: Drive in to Devil’s Postpile (to skip the shuttle and parking fee), then hike the trail out to Rainbow Falls and back — budget around two hours.
• Back in Mammoth town: Check out of the Airbnb, then ride the gondola.
• Gull Lake: Stop for food by the lake.
• June Lake: Kayak, swim, or just relax — it’s shallow and beginner-friendly.
• Mono Lake: Quick stop to see the limestone formations.
• On the way back: Stop at Crowley Lake for the stone columns.

This wasn’t a tightly scheduled trip — we didn’t plan much of it in advance — but even without a strict itinerary, we managed to cover a solid chunk of what Mammoth has to offer in about a day and a half. There are still plenty of lakes and spots we didn’t get to, and realistically you can’t cover everything in one day. But if you follow a route like this, you’ll come away having properly experienced the area — with room to slow down and enjoy each stop rather than rushing through.

If you’re coming from LA, this makes for a great long-weekend trip: drive up in the evening, spend a full day exploring, and head back that same night or the next morning.