Mammoth Mountain and the Mammoth Lakes Basin

The last day of our Eastern Sierra camping adventure, my husband and I took a scenic gondola ride up to the top of Mammoth Mountain. When we were at the top of the 11,053-ft. peak, we met a naturalist from Inyo National Forest, who talked to us about the volcanic and glacial events that formed the mountains that we were walking on and observing. He pointed out to us the Mammoth Lakes Basin, which we had somehow missed on the day that we went to Devils Postpile National Monument. After we descended the mountain on the gondola, we drove the loop around Lake Mary (in the lede photo, along with Crystal Crag) to check out these beautiful terraced lakes.

You can access the gondola at the Adventure Center for Mammoth Mountain. To drive the loop around Lake Mary, take Lake Mary Road from town when the road peels away from 203. Head west towards the Mammoth Lakes Basin, passing the Valentine Reserve Ecological Study Area on your left. At the junction with the aptly named "Around Lake Mary Road," turn left, then continue around the lake. At the terminus of the loop, take a right on Lake Mary Road and continue back to town. The first lakes that you pass will be Twin Lakes. These are not the same Twin Lakes that can be found near Bridgeport, just a little to the north.

There are a lot of campgrounds in the area that are worth checking out. It's worth skimming through the website for the Mammoth Ranger District of Inyo National Forest to get an overview of what is available.