The town of Mammoth Lakes is located at
about 8000 feet just off of the 395. Take state route 203 off of the
395, and this turns into Main Street. Mammoth Lakes is composed of many
condo's but also some very individualized stylistic architecture. Most
of the homes in Mammoth Lakes are "play homes" or people's
second home away from home. The streets fill up with the skiers in the
winter and summer outdoor enthusiasts in the summer. Many of the "short
term" inhabitants are from Southern California.
This town is expensive! Expect to pay more for gas, food and lodging if
you stay here. The Von's shopping center is the heart of town. Besides
this supermarket there are several mom and pop video rental stores.
After a hard days skiing there is nothing better to do than rent a good
movie and watch it with a white Russian in hand in front of the fire.
You will find a movie theatre and several small shops in this shopping
center as well.
A great time of year to find excellent sales on merchandise is in
September. This is in between the summer and winter season and many
stores offer large discounts. I saw name brand hiking shoes discounted
from $150-$200 down to $30.
There are several galleries in Mammoth.
The Mammoth scenic loop is well worth a drive. Not many people drive
this and it is a welcomed opportunity to get a way from the hubbub of
the town of Mammoth Lakes. It winds its way through forests and
eventually ends up at 395.
On your way to Devil's Post pile be sure to stop at the little visited
fault zone. There is a small sign on the right hand side of the road as
you drive towards DPP. A small road winds several hundred feet back to a
parking lot and bathrooms. There is a small walkway towards the back of
the parking lot that leads down to a rupture in the earths upper crust.
This rupture is a fascinating example of the power of earthquakes. It
lies along a fault zone. Pay attention to both sides of the gorge. Close
inspection will show you that they once were together.
Hot Creek. Just a few miles south of Mammoth Lakes on the 395, just
past the airport, there is a road that leads east. Take it - it is
called the Hot Creek Hatchery/Airport road. If you are driving south
from Mammoth Lakes, you will have to first turn into the median lane and
cross the oncoming traffic. You will see the road, there is a turn lane
for it in the Southbound direction. This road leads to
Hot Creek which is a creek that flows over bubbling caldrons of hot
gases mixed with hot water. The road is paved for the first part and
then becomes dirt. It passes a
fishing ranch. In
the winter, there may be snow blocking this road and you would have to
cross country or snow shoe into the actual springs. Much of the creek is
fenced off near the main entrance (there is a parking lot with steps
leading down to the actual river). The reason why much of the creek is
fenced off is that many of the bubbling vents and hot water pockets are
so hot they will scald and burn you.
Several people have
died in this creek over the years from the burning water and
their are warning signs posted at the entrance about not
straying into the fenced off areas.
Some years the water
is so low that you can simply wade over to the hot water
pockets. Other more unusual years after high rainfall and snow
pack - the water will be a strong current and you will have to
swim over to the hot water. Once you have crossed the cold water
and are in the hot water its a great feeling. The water is hot
enough that when you swim back across the cold water - it can
sometimes feel quite pleasant.
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Hot Creek as taken from the top of the steps leading down to
the "hot" pools
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