There’s so much to see and do in the Mammoth Lakes area that there simply isn’t enough time to do it all. The closest you can get is during the summer when clear roads and a little extra daylight make for the best time to drive through sights near Mammoth Lakes and the surrounding area.
To help you figure out what you should see while you’re in the area, we’ve put together a quick list of attractions within driving distance of Mammoth Lakes that are perfect for a summer drive from town or as part of a longer road trip passing through the area. Check it out below and plan your stops today!
Mono Lake
The Eastern Sierras may be full of incredible wildlife, but Mono lake is a stunning departure from environmental diversity right in the middle of it all.
Mono Lake is an incredibly old lake just around 30 minutes away from Mammoth Lakes. The isolated location and lack of anywhere for the lake water to run off to over hundreds of thousands of years has resulted in water that is twice as salty as seawater and hostile to all fish. While there are no fish in Mono Lake, there is life due to the algae that grows there which supports the Mono Lake Brine Shrimp. Along with the Mono Lake Brine Shrimp, which only exist in Mono Lake, visitors will also appreciate the stunning rock formations that form as a result of chemical reactions between the minerals in the water.
Bodie Ghost Town
Bodie is the closest thing left to a real Californian goldmining town.
Gold was first found in Bodie in 1875, and for nearly a century it was inhabited with the population swelling to 10,000 at one time. After being mostly abandoned, the town was taken over by the state and was preserved in a state of “arrested decay.” Now, after an hour and a half drive from Mammoth Lakes you can walk through the streets and see what life was like in a boom town thanks to the preserved buildings and provisions still on their shelves from the days when Bodie was booming.
Alabama Hills
If you’re a western film fanatic, or you just appreciate unique natural attractions, then Alabama Hills is a must see.
Here you’ll find rock formations that are as old as the Sierras but have now been worn down into unique shapes due to the desert climate surrounding them. Once you see the rocks, you’ll understand why so many westerns films and television shows were shot in the area! As mentioned, Alabama Hills is in a desert climate which means you have to drive around two hours south of Mammoth Lakes to visit.
Yosemite National Park
We saved the best for last.
You must have known we wouldn’t leave Yosemite National Park off our list of sights worth driving to as it is one of the most popular national parks in the country, and for good reason. Yosemite is home to stunning granite walls, beautiful valleys and waterfalls, and everything else that makes the High Sierra region worth visiting over and over again.
Yosemite’s 700,000 + acres of pristine wilderness attract over 4 million visitors every year, mainly to see the famous Yosemite Valley where one of the premiere rock-climbing features in the world, El Capitan, towers over the valley and visitors. Don’t be put off by the crowds though as there is still plenty to do in the park even on the most crowded days, which tend to be in summer. Plus, if you’re visiting in summer then the passes that connect Mammoth Lakes and Yosemite should be open, making for a much shorter drive of about an hour and a half versus 6 hours when the roads are closed!
What’s your favorite sights near Mammoth Lakes?