John Muir Wilderness
Managed by United States Forest Service
71 acres0.1 mi of trail
Duck Pass Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Perfect Zero from Los Angeles, CA, US · CC BY 2.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Mammoth Lakes
More than half of Mammoth Lakes’ land is conserved: 86%
86% of Mammoth Lakes’ land is conserved, about 13,599 acres. 77 miles of mapped trail cross Mammoth Lakes, 3.1 per square mile of land. 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #101 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
86%
13,599 acres · of 24.9 sq mi of land
Trails
77 mi
3.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
95 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
77 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 75 mi paths
Highest peak
10,079 ft
Lincoln Mountain
Lakes & rivers
9
What kind of outdoors town is Mammoth Lakes?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mammoth Lakes have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mammoth Lakes is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #101 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Mammoth Lakes’ overall grade.
Conserved land86% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails3.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (77 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (95 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home97% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 88%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is John Muir Wilderness, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Owens River Headwaters Wilderness
Managed by US Forest Service
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
John Muir Wilderness71 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsTrails End Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsShady Rest Park15 acres
DirectionsOwens River Headwaters Wilderness4 acres · US Forest Service
Community Center Park4 acres
DirectionsAnsel Adams Wilderness3 acres · US Forest Service;National Park Service
Mammoth Creek Park West1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
13,599 conserved acres
86% of Mammoth Lakes’ land. Who manages Mammoth Lakes’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service13,362 ac
Town or city166 ac
Other state land147 ac
State fish & wildlife16 ac
National Forest · 13,362 acState Other or Unknown · 147 acLocal Park · 83 acLocal Other or Unknown · 79 acUnknown Easement · 16 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 16 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inyo National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 13,362 | Open |
| Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserve - Valentine Camp State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 147 | Restricted |
| Unnamed Site - Mammoth, Town of Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 44 | Open |
| Shady Rest Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Camp High Sierra Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Mammoth Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Trails End Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Community Center Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Mammoth Lakes Holding 7 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 1 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
39 places to go in Mammoth Lakes
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Mammoth Lakes
Mammoth Creek Park Playground
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Mammoth Lakes
Mammoth Lakes Community Dog Park
DirectionsWaterfalls in Mammoth Lakes
Mammoth Creek Falls
DirectionsTwin Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Mammoth Lakes
Twin Falls
DirectionsTwin Falls view
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Mammoth Lakes
Lincoln Mountain10,079 ft elevation
DirectionsMinaret Summit9,265 ft elevation
DirectionsMammoth Rock9,138 ft elevation
DirectionsPanorama Dome8,937 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Mammoth Lakes
Camp High SierraCity of Los Angeles
DirectionsColdwater Campground
DirectionsCrystal Crag Lodge
DirectionsLake George Campground
DirectionsLake George Tract
DirectionsLake Mary Campground
DirectionsLake Mary Tract
DirectionsLower Falls Tract
Directions15 more campgrounds
Mill City Tract
DirectionsNew Shady Rest Campground
DirectionsOld Shady Rest Campground
DirectionsPine City CG
DirectionsPine Glen Group Campground
DirectionsTamarack Lodge
DirectionsTwin Lakes
DirectionsTwin Lakes Campground
DirectionsTwin Lakes Campground
DirectionsTwin Lakes Tract
DirectionsTwin Lakes Tract
DirectionsUpper Falls Tract
DirectionsUpper Lake Mary Tract
DirectionsWildyrie Lodge
DirectionsWoods LodgeFee
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.4 miHorses · 9.2 miUnpaved · 31.5 mi
Mammoth Rock Trail2.7 mi
Dragon's Back-Twin Lakes Trail2.6 mi
Mammoth Crest Trail2.0 mi
Coldwater Campground to Lake George Trail1.9 mi
Mammoth Rock Trail Connector1.7 mi
Meadow Trail Connector1.6 mi
Sherwin Trail1.5 mi
Minaret Vista Trail1.2 mi
Mammoth Mountain Trail1.2 mi
Barrett Lake to Lake Mary Trail1.1 mi
15 more trails
Panorama Mountain Bike Loop
1.1 miMammoth Mountain-Mammoth Pass Trail
1.0 miBlack Bear Run
1.0 miPanorama Dome Trail
0.8 miMammoth Creek To MCWD
0.6 miSeven Lakes Point Loop
0.6 miHorseshoe Lake Trail
0.6 miMammoth Pass Trail
0.6 miHidden Lake Trail
0.5 miEmerald Lake Trail
0.5 mi27E205
0.5 mi3S94
0.4 mi27E206
0.4 miT J Lake Loop Trail
0.3 miDuck Pass Trail
0.3 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
77 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
75 mi
off-road bike paths
0.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Horseshoe Lake TrailBike route
0.6 miCourts & fields
22Tennis
4Soccer
4Baseball
2Football
2Basketball
2Skate park
1Pickleball
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Mammoth Lakes: June to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 39 | 43 | 47 | 54 | 65 | 72 | 71 | 66 | 55 | 46 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 4.0 |
August is the driest month (0.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 72 °F). 4.2 inches fall in January, the wettest month. The climate in Mammoth Lakes →
Questions about parks and trails in Mammoth Lakes
Where can I hike in Mammoth Lakes?
The longest trail networks: John Muir Wilderness, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mammoth Lakes is conserved land?
86% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Mammoth Lakes’ trails?
John Muir Wilderness and Shady Rest Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mammoth Lakes?
77 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes, 75 of off-road paths and 0.7 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Horseshoe Lake Trail.
Is there public land near Mammoth Lakes?
151,071 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mammoth Lakes or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,875 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Mammoth Lakes have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #101 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Mammoth Lakes neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →