Between the Mountains and Lakes of Mammoth 🏔️🌊

Taking advantage of the long weekend on September 1st, we embarked on a spontaneous road trip from Los Angeles to Mammoth Lakes. Overall, the journey was full of pleasant surprises—each landscape offered its own unique charm, making it a perfect escape from our busy lives. Our first stop was Hot Creek Geologic Site 🪨. We only visited the viewpoint without hiking down. Though the weather was a bit overcast, the photos still turned out stunning! From a photography perspective, this was definitely the most perfect spot of the entire trip. Next, we visited the famously beautiful Convict Lake 🌊. We arrived in the afternoon and originally wanted to rent a boat (options included 4/9/14-person vessels), but it was too late to book. If you go in the morning, you’ll likely snag a reservation—highly recommend circling the lake by boat! The shore was dotted with people fishing, and the whole area is ideal for cycling or a leisurely walk. The vibe was totally vacation-like and relaxing. On the first day, we also stopped at Mono Lake 🏞️, located north of Mammoth. The lake is vast—it reminded me of a smaller version of Qinghai Lake (though I’ve never been there!). I suggest heading directly to the Navy Beach viewpoint on the south side, which offers better views than the north. While the northern area doesn’t have many additional attractions, it’s still worth a visit. The most fascinating and surprising sight for me was the Crowley Lake Stone Columns. Note: 🚗 Only vehicles with off-road capabilities can drive close to the site. Sedans must park 1.9 miles away and hike in—a 3.8-mile round trip on dusty slopes. We drove most of the way and only had to hike about 0.3 miles. It was my first real off-road experience, and it was so much fun! The landscape here is truly unique—it felt like stepping into a Windows desktop wallpaper. The most “complicated” spot to visit was Devils Postpile National Monument 🌋. You must take a shuttle (national park passes aren’t valid—adult round-trip is $15). If you want to drive yourself, you can only do so before 7 AM or after 7 PM. When I arrived at 8 AM, crowds were light, but by 11 AM, the line had tripled. Main attractions include the devil’s rock columns (a unique geological formation) and Rainbow Falls, which requires a 40–50 minute walk each way (almost 2 hours round trip). Since I’d already seen waterfalls in Yosemite, I skipped it this time. All in all, it was an amazing trip—California is so vast, and there’s always more to explore. Next time, I might head south to Big Pine to finish the trails we missed and finally go boating! #MammothLakes #CaliforniaTravel #LAGetaway #TravelGuide #NatureEscapes #RoadTrip #OutdoorAdventure #MountainViews #LakeLife #PhotographySpots #OffRoadFun #NationalParks #WeekendTrip #ExploreCalifornia #Wanderlust