I have fond memories of family trips to Mammoth. The Sierra Nevada Mountains are a great place to hike, bike, ski/snowboard, and fish and doing it with your family always makes for a good time.
We were pleasantly surprised how quiet Mammoth was for a holiday weekend. It was the last weekend for the mountain to be open for skiing and snowboarding and some of the mountain biking trails were already open. We hiked around Horseshoe Lake, did some fishing at Lake Mary, and hiked around Devils Postpile National Monument.
Artistic Picture of Twin Lakes
Rainbow Falls is a relatively easy 2.6 mile roundtrip hike from the Rainbow Falls Trailhead and a much better option than the alternative 5 mile roundtrip hike from the Ranger Station. There isn't much shade on the trail and the altitude and sun really get you. Devils Postpile is an easy 0.8 mile round trip hike from the Ranger Station. The entire trail is paved and there are convenient log benches along the way.
Back in town, we discovered the Mammoth Brewing Company and I have a feeling that it will become a regular stop for us. They do not offer any food and have a relatively small tasting room to try their brews. The boys tried a couple beer flights and each found beers they really enjoyed and I really liked their root beer. We'll be back!
