We wanted to post a quick update to our original post about what is happening in Mammoth Lakes this summer. With our historic, record breaking snowfall this winter and an unusually cold Spring, there is still a ton of snow in popular recreation areas near Mammoth Lakes. If you are planning a visit in June or July, you'll want to be aware that there are much fewer options for hiking, mountain biking, boating, and fishing; but there is still plenty of opportunity to go skiing or snowboarding, snowshoeing, and even the backcountry skiing/splitboarding is still good.
Sierra Star Golf Course is now open for the season along with Sherwin Lakes hiking trail. About half of the Mammoth Rock trail is snow free, but we are still a few weeks away from it being fully open. They will start plowing Lake Mary road up to the lakes basin next week. That will take a week or two and then they'll likely be a lot of repairs needed, so we are not expecting it to be open for the 4th of July. Stay tuned to the Visit Mammoth the Town of Mammoth Lakes Instagram pages for updates as things may change.
If you are planning on camping the weekend of 4th of July, then you are going to need to change your plans. Coldwater Campground and Lake Mary Campground are not even permitted by the USFS to open until after July 4th, 2023. It may be mid-July or early August before they can open, but again, stay tuned to local websites and Instagram pages for the most up to date info. You are allowed to walk/hike/snowshoe up to the lakes, so they aren't technically closed, but the road, marinas, and campgrounds won't be available for a while.
The Mammoth Lakes town loop is fully open for biking, walking, and running. The only official mountain biking trail that is open is the Rock Creek Trail, but be warned, the bottom half of the trail is extremely challenging. You can also ride in the Shady Rest recreation area. It is not looking like the Mammoth Mountain bike park will be open this season, but check the Mammoth Mountain website for updates. It currently states "Due to this massive winter and our record-breaking snowpack, we expect Bike Park operations to be significantly delayed and limited this summer. We will closely assess conditions as snow begins to melt and determine what is possible to operate this summer. At this time, we do not have an opening date and are not selling Bike Park season passes, but continue to keep a close eye on conditions and will update as things progress."
The good news is that the skiing and snowboarding is great. There is little to no dirt patches showing anywhere on the mountain and it looks to stay that way for at least a few more weeks. The terrain park is still in mid-season condition with large features and huge jumps in Main Park and mid to small features on Forest Trail. You can still ski top to bottom from Cornice Bowl and the top of Chair 23 to Main Lodge or The Mill. There is some great backcountry snow out there, so don't put away your pack, shovel, beacon, and probe. Be careful out there if you are planning to enter the Mammoth backcountry. Even this late in the season it can be dangerous; a skier just passed away on June 14, 2023 in an avalanche in the high peaks outside of Bishop, CA.