A Snow Day! | The Big 2025 Parks Tour, Part 3
Original Adventure Date: October 3, 2025
On my last day in Mammoth Lakes, I woke up well before dawn. Kimber's bed was empty, and she'd left a message saying there had been a generous dusting of snow above 8700 feet. She was headed up to Minaret Vista, a lookout point at about 9200 feet, to catch the sunrise.
Wanting to seize every beautiful moment I could, I decided to make a quick cup of coffee and head up there too.
And here’s what makes Mammoth Lakes so instantly appealing to me (besides the obvious fact that it’s in the Sierra Nevada mountain range). “Heading up there” meant a 10-minute drive. That's a stark difference from my home in Merced. Yes, it's the gateway to Yosemite, and a myriad of mountain adventures can be enjoyed in multiple directions with a 90-minute drive.
But Mammoth is much more immediate. And definitely conducive to impulsive adventuring. All the lakes (like Convict Lake which I wrote about here), all the skiing, all the hiking, all the adventures, are right outside your door.
I'd had my Kia for less than a month, and she was definitely getting broken in! Multiple dirt and gravel forest roads, and now a bit of slushy, icy snow. (Don’t worry, I pack snow chains if the conditions demand them).
The pre-dawn drive was serene. I actually rolled the windows down and let the brisk, clean air wash over me.
And the lookout point was… well, it was disappointing at first because it was socked in with fog. But it became magical as the fog blew and cleared, revealing a panorama of minarets and high mountains with telltale peaks of white against the alpenglow of dawn.
That’s the best photo I could get (I'm kicking myself for not bringing my Canon and zoom lens, but at least I always have the memory in a virtual brain frame). But this was only a slice of the view.
It was spectacular, majestic, and awe-inspiring.
But a few hundred feet below us, there was fresh snow to go play in!
Kimber and I walked around this snowy forest area and tossed a few snowballs at each other. Breathing in the cold, fresh, pine-scented air. It was so invigorating just walking in the snow, hearing that satisfying crunch beneath my feet.
One of our last stops on the drive down from Minaret Vista was this waterfall lookout area near Lake Mary. Right here, Mammoth Creek spills into the lake, and you can get a very close-up view. Which I enthusiastically did!
Our snow day continued at Horseshoe Lake. As we explored the area and observed the strange phenomenon of dead and decaying trees surrounding the lake, we came to learn something tragic about this place: certain sections of it have dangerous levels of carbon dioxide. Yes, dangerous to animals and humans alike.
In 1989 a series of small earthquakes hit this region and disturbed a gas reservoir. Extremely high levels of carbon dioxide were pushed out through the volcanic vents surrounding the lake (nearby Mammoth Mountain is a volcano) and wiped out about 120 acres of trees and vegetation.
Though the lake itself is safe to swim in (and it's legal to do so), the area's carbon dioxide levels can increase dramatically in the winter. Deaths have occurred here, because people chose to ignore warning signs or remove fences that block off dangerous volcanic vents.
I’ll leave you with this photo from Horseshoe Lake, which for some reason is deeply satisfying.
Maybe it’s the symmetry of it? Maybe it’s that “abandoned America” vibe? This might have been a winter Ranger cabin at some point, I'm not sure. Now it’s just a dilapidated little shack with a torn up mattress and warped wood, but I thought it was charming in its own weird way.
Mammoth Lakes might just become my new Yosemite. It’s further away for sure, but it’s well worth the drive. It's a place with endless adventure opportunities, not to mention some stunning hikes.
The icing on the cake: it snowed later on in the day too, and gave the surrounding mountains an even more beautiful coat of white.
Until we chat again: take care, and take care of each other! Coming up next, Great Basin National Park! As long as I don't get distracted...
PREVIOUSLY ON THE 2025 PARKS ROADTRIP:
Jason Evangelho
Jason Evangelho
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