Pro tip: Take the shuttle (approximately $15 per person round-trip). You take it from the Main…read moreLodge and they run every 20-30mins from 7amish to 730pmish (as of Aug 2025). You want to get off at Red's Meadow and hike to the falls. It's easy-easy/moderate and is the shortest distance to the falls. Do not take it from Devil's Postpile because it will add 1.5 miles of open sun hike to the falls. Once there, reward yourself with glass of wine and lunch. The water is cool to cold (depending on the time of year) and refreshing. Highly recommended

There's almost a guaranteed rainbow and maybe even a double rainbow if you're lucky at Rainbow…read moreFalls! From the shuttle stop, it's a 1.6 mile exposed hike to the falls, then some stairs to the bottom. We were prepared wearing our swimsuits to take a dip in the frigid water! Totally worth it. So beautiful!

Really easy to get to, no mosquitos, and not crowded at all. An older gentleman there who I think…read morewas an off duty park Ranger or something told us all about the fault, cases of people falling in, and what to look out for, etc. He said it's more impressive looking from the other side of the main road (going from Mammoth Lakes to Mammoth Mountain), though we couldn't find any signs or trailheads for this part afterwards. Nonetheless this is a pretty neat, quick stop with no hike required to get to it.

I recently stopped by this earthquake fault to check it out while in the Mammoth area. It was easy…read moreto find, and parking was easy. Based on the photos, I was expecting this to be more like a cliff with a tall crack in it. In reality, it's more like a very long ditch. If you're into geology, or if you're super impressed by thinking about the earth splitting open, then maybe you should check this out. Personally, I wasn't very moved by this experience. If you didn't know that this was an earthquake fault, then there would be nothing impressive about it. It's just a very long gorge that is kind of deep in some places. I'm not sure if rappelling into the fault is allowed, but I thought it would be interesting to get a closer up view of some of the rocks and pools on the bottom. Honestly not really worth driving out of your way to see this unless you happen to be a geology fanatic, or are just dead set on seeing every possible sight near Mammoth.

The best water I've swam in, ever. So clean. Very calming…read more Affordable. Therapeutic for body, mind, soul and spirit. I go there at least once a year from the Sonoma coast for decades.

Love coming here. Such a hidden gem. My daughter's favorite spot in Bishop. They have a nice snack…read morebar and adorable gift shop for anything you've forgotten. Great pit stop on the way to Mammoth.

Amazing natural Hot springs. We stopped by here on our way from Tahoe to Mammoth and really enjoyed…read morethe beautiful scenery and the natural Hot springs which were really awesome. One tip if you get to the main springs try not to go to the one on the right which is the bigger pool because it's more stagnant water and so there were a lot of these red looking worms or maggots swimming in there. The smaller pool on the left is much cleaner as there are two mini waterfalls that are keeping the water circulating and fresh. Anything less than five stars is an injustice so a glowing five stars and two thumbs up for Travertine Hot Springs!

Travertine Hot Spring is one of those rare places that stays with you long after you leave…read more I've been lucky enough to experience this spot in multiple seasons and it truly delivers every single time. Whether it's a crisp winter soak with snow on the ground, a calm spring sunrise, warm summer nights, or the quiet stillness of fall, this place always feels right. What makes it special isn't just the hot springs themselves, but the feeling of escape. At night, the sky opens up, endless stars, the Milky Way glowing above you, and if you're patient (or lucky), shooting stars cutting across the darkness. It's peaceful in a way that's hard to find anymore. This is my favorite place to unplug, reset and breathe. No noise, no rush, just nature doing what it does best. Respect the land, pack out what you bring in and soak it all in. If you're looking for a true Eastern Sierra experience raw, beautiful and unforgettable this is it.

Activity Type: Hiking Nearby City: Mammoth Lakes…read moreLength: 13 total miles Elevation Gain: 1,700 feet Trail Type: Out-and-back Skill Level: An overall elevation gain of about 1,700 feet makes this a challenging hike. Duration: 7 to 8 hours, though 2 days is preferable. Season: Late June through mid-October. Trailhead Elevation: 8,300 feet Top Elevation: 9,300 feet Other Uses: Equestrians and leashed dogs are welcome. Bikes are not allowed in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. In a region of exceptionally stunning lakes, Shadow and Ediza are two of the loveliest. Both harbor views of the Ritter Range that are among the finest mountain landscapes in the Sierra Nevada. Rolling through green meadows, conifer forests, and rocky outcrops, the trail rises by gradual degrees up the valley of Shadow Creek in view of Volcanic Ridge, to the left (south). Some stretches have been finessed through rocky benches by the vigorous application of picks, shovels, and maybe a surgical stick or two of dynamite. The best of company, frolicsome Shadow Creek entertains us with music and assorted pretty little tricks, including a very clever cascade around an island of polished granite

Ah-May-Zing! I…read moreheard about Lake Ediza last year while on my way to Garnet via Shadow Creek. Fortunately I had a chance to trek up to Ediza this year. I was told that between the split off from the JMT to go towards Garnet and Lake Ediza there was a piece of Heaven on Earth. Truly the scenery was enlightening. Shadow creek was booming (even in this drought). Like all the high elevation lakes it's quite a trek to get there but the payoff is well worth the pain. When we arrived there wasn't too many good camping spots. We had to go around the lake towards the southwest section and camped a little off the trail. If we had just gone a bit further crossing a small creek to the "island" we would have found an even better spot by the beach area under the cover of some trees. My advice: Get there early and grab a good spot. As beautiful as Lake Ediza is it can get busy. Not Thousand Island Lakes busy, but busy nonetheless.

Beautiful views and an excellent walk to stretch out legs. Love coming here to visit the site and…read moresee the creek. Maybe you be lucky to find the geocache that's hidden here

My husband and I went there every year for over 20 years. We wanted to keep going, but my spouse's…read morehealth problems prevented it. I will always love the ranch, cabin 7 , and Kevin Peterson, the ranch manager. I miss it so much.

If you ever visit Mammoth Lakes area, please pay this geologic site a visit!! It's totally worth…read moreyour time! First of all, it's totally free! No parking fee, no entrance fee! And it's just a short 2.5-mile drive from the Wild Willy Hot Spring. Noted that the road leading to this site is unpaved and may require 4WD vehicles. However, my sister's Toyota Corolla did just fine as long as you drive with care and not speeding like 60mph ;) We arrived around 1pm on a Friday. The parking lot looked full but there were spaces for us. There are a few overflow parkings as well. There were restrooms and a few picnic tables there making the place look very inviting. As soon as you stepped out of your car, you'd be greeted with that familiar sulfur smell of hot springs. Step over to the ledges and you'd be wowed by the majestic beauty of the geologic site! Turquoise hot springs ebbs and flows against the silverfish brown volcanic mountain backdrops! A few greeneries here and there and some yellow wild flowers to complete a gorgeous painting by Mother Nature! If you're a nature lover like me, your eyes will be wide opened and your moth will shape into an "O" LOL. Honestly who needs to go to Yellow Stones while we have this mini version at your backyard ? A quick hike down on pave roads will lead you closer to the hot springs. Dogs are welcomed but they must be on leash and not allowed to come close to the hot springs. Spend as much time here to appreciate the majestic beauty of the site! Some of us even tried to touch the water and it was boiling HOT. So not recommended :)! Please don't miss out on this free, dog-friendly, beautiful geologic site if you're ever in the area!

I got from the Benton side and enjoyed the beautiful views of the mountains on the Benton Crossing…read moreRoad. There is absolutely no internet service. At the Hot Creek Geologic Site, they have restrooms. Then, we can walk down the path to see the hot creek. Very nice views but it smelled so bad. Not the best idea to check it out when you have a stomachache.

I visit Convict Lake every year because it's just so beautiful! No wonder those escaped prisoners…read moreyears ago stayed here! You cannot resist such a beautiful lake with the mountain backdrop. Okay, the parking is terrible but if you're patient and parking lot pimpin', there will be an open spot for you! The water is freezing here in the summer but that is why I love it so much! I love being the 1 out of 3 people who swims here lol. If you want to fish here, I promise there's no fish here. We can never catch anything here! 10/10 will always visit again.

Beautiful lake off the Highway 395. I felt so lucky to find a parking space in front of the lake…read morewhere the boat launch was! It was such a beautiful sight of the mountains and the lake. Nice place to take a walk with family and friends!

What a great experience at Devil's Postpile NP. Easy 1/2 mile hike with some climbing, steep…read moreportions of trail. What an incredible experience. Steep climb to top but worth it. Ample parking in dirt lots. Cool info signage about the area. Seeing this phenomenon was amazing. Two miles further to Rainbow Falls. Devil's Postpile is closed 10/6-10/11, major road work repairs.

We came here in July and really enjoyed this monument. It is so interesting with all the columnar…read morebasalt. The columns tower over 60 feet and these columns were formed approximately 100,000 years ago from a volcanic lava flow that cooled. The lava flow cracked into these multi sided columns. When you stand on a column you will see it forms a perfect octagon. WOW! Nature is so incredible. To get here, we took the shuttle from the main Mammoth Lakes Lodge. It was an easy ride down here and back. Parking is available at the lodge. The only vehicles that were allowed on the road besides the shuttles were for campers who had reservations and sites. Take your time when you are here to really study these structures. I highly recommend when visiting Mammoth Lakes.

Finding a place to park for this hike was a struggle! We failed the last time we visited but…read moremanaged to figure it out this time. We parked at Yosemite Valley Trailhead Parking, took a short walk to Happy Isles and where the restrooms were, then took the free shuttle, got off after one stop at Mirror lake! And going back to the parking lot, we took the shuttle one stop again and it was a short walk back to the parking lot. This hike reminds me of the Little Yosemite hike in Sunol, CA in the Bay Area! It's paved for most of it and there's restrooms at the beginning and about midpoint of the hike. The fall foliage was beautiful, but the lake wasn't full since its fall. There was still some water in it since it rained and snowed not too long ago.

I had not done my research and was taken aback that mirror lake was completely empty when we came…read morein late September 2025. I was hoping to show my husband the lake for the first time to get the beautiful reflection but not this time. It was still fun to walk around in the lake bed and hike the surrounding trail and picnic here, but a real bummer not to get the reflection.