Rainbow Falls is a must do if you're in the area! We also stopped at Devils Postpile, and it was…read moredefinitely worth seeing while you're there :) Make sure to bring plenty of water, wear comfortable shoes, and be ready for the hike down to the actual waterfall once you get to the top, you'll go down to the actual water. The hike back up is a bit of a workout, but it's 100% worth it. The views are beautiful! The water is chilly, but we got getting in. Such a fun experience, and one of our favorite stops on the trip!

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

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.

Nice off road, trail leads to sealed mine shaft. Unfortunately, none of the mining operations…read morebuildings were maintained.

Great family hike that is right off the parking area. How…read moreto get there: (I was a little confused and unsure when we went). When you turn left off of Lake Mary rd into the campsite, just keep to the right and go further and further back into the campsites, where you will eventually run into a really large parking area. The mine parking lot is marked by a short, small brown post and you will see more in that area for other hikes like Duck Pass. As far as the mine goes: really fun place to go look and explore!! Perfect for a day hike, but be prepared for bugs! Lots of sunscreen, water, and bug spray. Always make sure the little people to go the bathroom before this, and any, hike because it is back there as far as distance goes. I honestly believe it was less than .25 miles from parking lot to destination and there are many things to look at. Make sure to hike up the side of the hill, there's a shut mine there where you can take pictures of the mine and the beautiful scenery. We have a 4 year old and she had a blast here with us! Bring a camera, and take out what you pack in! Please don't liter and don't feed our bears

This really is an easy trail going up to some gorgeous views. It doesn't have switchbacks, but it…read morealso doesn't go straight up the hill (contrary to the other review). Instead, it gradually goes up at a cross slope. It was windy when we went here, so we nearly got blown away. A hint it to park by the Old Mammoth Lakes Rd, walk up the road for the water tower to where the trail veers off to the left. Nice little hike.

My family loved this short hike. There appears to be two trails; one for hikers and the other for…read morebikes. The trail is shady and easy to hike. Great views once you get to the top. We saw deer along the way up! The trailhead is located near the road and there isn't much parking near the trailhead. We parked at twin lakes and walked to the trailhead. Great for kids and photo ops !

Parker lake is a little trail that's a hidden gem just off the side of June Lake. It's an easy high…read morewith just a few hundred elevation gain. It has lots of shaded area on trail, a small creek stream, once to the lake it's a beautiful site to take in. Great for a beginner overnight backpacking trip. Great fishing and a dog friendly trail.

I hiked almost 4 miles on Parker lake trail with 640 feet elevation gain and it was a beautiful…read morehike! You have to drive a few miles on a dirt road to get to the trailhead but it's passable for a sedan. No fees or recreation passes needed. The hike starts uphill for a bit with great views of the mountains, then you hike along a creek amongst apsen trees, and at the end you get to Parker lake where it was super windy.

Breathtaking I…read morewent on a 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip to Ruby Lake located in the John Muir Wilderness. No permit required for day-hiking but you do need a permit to camp. The Forest Service reserves 60 percent of permits for advanced reservations and the other 40 percent are available to walk-ins 24 hours before the day of adventure. Trip Details: 3 days, 2 nights Distance from Venice, CA to Mosquito Flats Trailhead: 302 miles Money spent on gas: $128.62 Time of Year: August Weather: 80's during the day, and 30's at night Permit: no permit for day hiking but a permit is required to camp Elevation gain : 908 feet Distance to Ruby Lake from Trailhead: 2.1 miles Dogs: Dogs are allowed Water Temperature: 39 degrees Day 1: We parked in the parking lot at the beginning of the Mosquito Flats Trailhead at the end of Rock Creek Road. We started our hike around 1:00pm and arrived at Ruby lake at 3:30p. When we got to camp, we setup our tents, jumped in the water and then prepared dinner. The weather during the day was in the 80's with clear skies and a nice breeze. The temperature at night was in the high 30's low 40's with very little wind. The night was bright because of the full moon, very minimal wind noise. Day 2: Hiked to Mono Pass and hungout at summit lake before heading back to camp. Weather was also in the 80's during the day and high 30's/ low 40's at night, very little wind. Day 3: The morning before hiking out was very windy and cold in the morning, we hiked out at 9:30 am.

As the other guys wrote: amazing. A great hike with minimal people contact. I hiked up on Sept 3…read moreand there was still lots of snow leftover from last year. I kept going past Ruby Lake to a second, smaller lake. From there one has easy access to the back country. The parking was a little ugly at the trail head: the masses tend to hike to a larger lake on the valley floor. After this hike and on your way back to Mammoth stop off at one of the hot springs near the airport for a soak. This is what I did and my muscles were very grateful.

Loved this hike. A gorgeous short 2 mile round trip hike to 3 beautiful lakes. Can't get any better…read morethan that. The trail starts out at Lake George and is short and fairly easy, but steep in spots (however going back is all downhill). After hitting the steep spots you will hit Barrett Lake which is the smallest of the 3 lakes and not the prettiest in my opinion. A short walk from Barrett Lake is TJ Lake which is stunning and worth the extra walk. We took a picnic lunch and ate along the shores while taking in the peace and quiet before heading back. Overall takes about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours depending on pace and if you stop to take numerous pics like I did. Park in the Lake George campground.The trailhead is to the left of the parking lot as you drive in. Highly recommend this hike!

This hike was listed as easy. After the first part of climbing the equivalent 3-4 flights of stairs…read moreat 9000 ft it gets super easy. The trail leads you first to Barrett Lake. (Maybe should be renamed Barren Lake...felt very desolate there). Next lake is a quick walk over tiny hill and beautiful TJ Lake is in sight. Absolutely gorgeous! TIP: I did not return the same way I came up this hike. I veered off towards the right of where I entered in and looks to be where TJ lake turns into a creak that flows into Lake George. There were some gorgeous flowers growing next to creek and wonderful small waterfalls. This trail is not on the map that I bought at the visitor center but I took a chance anyway and followed the water hoping that the trail wouldn't end and I would have to trek back up. I found some horse poop along the trail and thought "Hey if a horse can get down here then it must be big enough for me to walk through." This trail is much easier to take going downhill. Not too many large steps and less steep then the way I came up. At the end I came up on some cabins and Lake George! I headed off to the right and came right back to the trailhead.

Beautiful lake with nice trails around it. The beach can be busy but worth it to lounge in the…read moreshallows, great for pets. Cool water and picturesque views of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Lots of boats, kayakers and paddle boarders on the lake enjoying the summer day. Interesting history about the lake, had to look it up due to the name. In the late 1800's there was a prison outbreak and many convicts fled here to hideout. Tip: instead of paying $ for parking, go through the wooden poles to the right before the toll booth to park for free and access the same beach. dirt road but worth it to save $.

+ Fun, beautiful place to kayak. We enjoyed the 4-person tandem pedal kayaking with Convict Lake…read moreResort Marina Rental. . Pedal kayaking is done with your feet, like bike riding, instead of with your arms. + CLRMR's 4-person pedal kayak raft is secure, reliable, and good quality. + Pleasant ambience. Aside from 1 or 2 other boats blasting music, it's almost like we had the whole lake to ourselves. . Life vests are under our seats, and optional. . No seat belts. . Lotta fishers here, - so gotta be careful not to pedal close to their lines. - 4 stinky, under-maintained restrooms (37°35'38.8"N 118°51'04.4"W). - Water spigot not working. + Free parking, - but very crowded.