Twin Lakes is a vibrant hub for outdoor recreation throughout the summer months. It offers…read moreexceptional opportunities for kayaking, fishing, paddle boarding, canoeing, camping, and hiking. The area is a true haven for kayak anglers, not only due to its breathtaking scenery but also for the impressive brown trout that have been caught in these waters. You can check it out here: https://www.paddlingcalifornia.com/Twin_Lakes_Mammoth.html

Nice views and a lot of hiking and biking trails, but a lot of mosquitoes and pretty crowded.read more

I love hiking the Crystal Lake Trail. It's a scenic, popular hike in Mammoth offering panoramic…read moreviews of the Sierra Mountains. The hike itself is an uphill, 3.5 miles with elevation starting near 9,000 feet leading to lake. I was lucky to get a beautiful, sunny picture perfect day. There's plenty of shade due to the dense forest of pine, fir and hemlock trees that line the path. The trail is well kept and clearly marked. It is a dog friendly trail - I took my pup and she did great. The lake is very beautiful and because I went during the week in the offseason, there wasn't anyone else around. It was very quiet and all you could hear was wind, birds and the water. I would recommend this trail to everyone. The views are spectacular but the lake itself is breathtaking making the trek up there worth it.

This review is for Crystal Lake Trail which was a ~3.2 miles round trip that took ~2 hour to…read morecomplete. This was one of the more strenuous hikes in Mammoth Lake due to the continuous incline to the top with an overlooking view of Lake George and Lake Mary! Trail can be difficult to follow in some areas. Best view of Crystal Lake would be on the right before you follow the trail to the left. Crowded with limited parking available. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/aHW-s-pHAIw

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!

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!

The first time I visited HorseShoe Lake, the lot was packed, and the hike was no joke! I was out of…read moreshape, and there was still a lot of snow on the trail in July! It was tough. My cousin even had a close call when he accidentally slid off the trail, ran down 100 feet, and narrowly missed hitting trees. (Slipper snow) Despite the challenges, the reward at the top was well worth it. It was a beautiful, secluded lake. Some of us tried a little fishing, while the girls jumped into the freezing cold water for a swim. The water was so "pristine" that my hair felt conditioned afterward. It was magnificent, the water felt untouched and almost holy! This past summer, we hiked it again for the 4th of July, and it was so much easier because I had lost 20 pounds, haha! I'd say the hike is about 13 minutes up, around 2 miles round trip, and great for all ages. Just make sure you're in decent shape and don't have any serious health concerns. When I was 20 pounds heavier, the hike felt like a 10/10 in difficulty. Now, it's more like a 3/10, a total breeze!

When you arrive, you see a bunch of dead tree and the waterline really low. Your first impression…read moreis "huh. But as you walk around the lake, you're surrounded by beautiful lush green pines. Small quaint bridges over stream beds. The wind in the trees with a beautiful view of the lake and its surroundings. It's a very easy straight walk. Highly recommend

Beautiful lake and state parks . We were there on a Sunday afternoon. Many families with kids were…read morethere playing in the beach . You need to pay $10 parking fee for your car so that you can enter the beach . It has one public restroom ( which is rare in these mountain areas) and has no water to wash hands because it is a chemical toilet . The view is beautiful, water crystal clear . A group of ducks were swimming towards us . They had no fear of human probably because no one tried to harm them before . The attitude is high there so oxygen is less than what we used to . Just relax and chill and we ate our packed lunches .

Spent a few hours here with family and friends! The lake is gorgeous. Beautiful place to come with…read moreyour family to relax and enjoy a breathtaking view. Water is cold as expected but worth getting in. We rented two kayaks to take the kids around and it made for great memories and a great time. The kayaks were 40.00 per hour and they also provided life jackets.

Our favorite of the Mammoth lakes, but all of them are amazing. Will definitely be back and camp…read moreagain!

9/30/2022 After…read morefishing at Lake Mary with no success, decided to stop by Lake George. A great decision! This lake is perfect in size, and today's views were breathtaking.... Fall colors were vibrant, and there was no winds... plus it was early! I picked the perfect spot... You could see the fish cruising and they were big!... Made the best decision getting a second rod, and did utilize it nicely.. Definitely will be back the same time next year! Four trout weighing in at over 10 pounds... Not to brag, but my first one was the biggest.. closer to three pounds.!

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.

So this lake is one that very few people know about. However it is a super easy hike to say the…read moreabsolute least. Once you get to the lake, you will be at a place that very few people know about, let alone have ever seen. It is a great pristine lake that is fun to fish at, swim at if you are open to super cold water. It is mostly filled with mountain run off. I have never had a bad time at this lake. Heck as a kid I would come here with my parents and grand parents to get out of town and into nature. The only way up here is basically mountain bike, horseback, or afoot. I have always come here on foot and loved it. A lot of the Mammoth locals come here as a nice way to get out of town and be completely in nature while being a short hike away. This particular lake is filled with great memories for me. I took my daughter here for the first time this summer. She loved it. Heck we even found a trio of deer in the brush on the way down the hill. She was super excited about it. We even made it within bowshot of the deer but were just there to trek. Regardless, nature abounds in this close but remote spot. ;) I dare you to hit it up if you can find it and you dare... Hint: park at the Horseshoe Lake lot and head up the hill a mile or mile and a half and boom... there it is ;)

Rainbow Falls may be the more popular waterfall in Mammoth Lakes. However, Twin Falls is just as…read moreimpressive, and you see it without paying for the shuttle to ride into the park to see it during the summer months. It's very scenic and drains into one of the Twin Lakes. I had difficulty finding a convenient place to see it up close in the lake campground area during my recent visit there (unlike my prior trip there in 2005 from what I recall). However, one good place to see it is at a small parking lot off Lake Mary Road west of the tunnel. One can look straight at the waterfall with the nice lake in the foreground. Also, there's a point further uphill on Lake Mary Road where it passes the top of Twin Falls and one can look down it.