Mammoth Lakes is the place to come for some of the most scenic mountain biking in the whole Eastern Sierra. From beginner trail systems such as the Shady Rest Forest and Park loops to one of the fastest downhill tracks (Kamikaze) on Mammoth Mountain, you are sure to find the perfect trail to suit your fancy. Below you will find a small array of options.
For more ideas, pick up a guide book at one of the local bike shops, check out the trails of Mammoth Mountain's bike park on their interactive trail map, or ask one of the bike shop locals to get the skinny on their favorite places to ride.
Make sure to bring Water, Repair kit, and trail map (Maps can be picked up from the Visitors Center).
Please respect the environment by staying on established trails.
Please respect others by sharing the path.
If you encounter horses, dismount and communicate with the horseback riders, they will know how their horse will respond to the bikes.
Enjoy this amazing part of the world!! Once you visit, you will surely come again!!
(All rides copied from: Mountain Biking the Eastern Sierra's Best 100 Trails by R. Hemingway-Douglass, M Davis, and D. Douglass.)
Shady Rest Area
Shady Rest Park Loop
Distance: 2 Miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 7,800
Type: Loop ride on single track, dirt road, and paved bike trail
Features: An easy ride around Shady Rest Park
Shady Rest Forest Loop
Distance: 4 Miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 7,800 plus 200 ft gain and loss
Type: same as the park loop
Features: A fun ride through Shady Rest Park and Forest
As you enter Mammoth Lakes on Hwy 203, make a right turn onto Sawmill Cutoff Rd which is across from the McDonalds. These two rides are easy loops which begins at the paved bike trail at the entrance to the Shady Rest Park. The park loop circles around the ball fields while the Forest Loop extends past this point and rides through the forest with wonderful views of the Sherwin Mountains. There are many intersecting singletrack and dirt road intersections so make sure to get a map to follow. These rides have restroom and water available in certain locations.
Knolls Area
Knolls Loop
Distance: 11Miles
Difficulty: Moderate, Non-technical, one big climb
Elevation: 7,800 to 8,300
Type: Loop ride on paved bike trail, singletrack, and dirt roads
Features: An up and down ride with wide vistas from Obsidian Knoll and other spots
Knolls Blue Diamond Loop
Distance: 9.8 Miles
Difficulty: Moderate, Non-technical, one hard climb
Elevation: 7,800 to 8,300
Type: Loop ride on paved bike trail, singletrack, and dirt roads
Features: There is an excellent view of Mammoth Lakes and a pleasant ride through pine forest.
Knolls Triangle Loop
Distance: 12.5 Miles
Difficulty: Moderate, one hard and one moderate climb
Elevation: 7,800 to 8,300
Type: Loop ride on paved bike trail, singletrack, and dirt roads
Features: See the town of Mammoth Lakes from an overlook, then ride through forests of Red Fir and Jeffrey Pine. Lots of wildlife on this one.
As you enter Mammoth Lakes on Hwy 203, make a right turn onto Sawmill Cutoff Rd which is across from the McDonalds. These three rides are moderate loops which begins at the paved bike trail at the entrance to the Shady Rest Park and extend onto and past the Mammoth Scenic Loop road. You will have hours of fun on these rides and will be afforded many opportunities to explore further. Off of the Scenic loop you can take an excursion to the Inyo Craters.
You can also access these trails easily by taking the downtown trail directly to the Mammoth Scenic Loop Rd thereby not having to drive at all. These rides do NOT have restroom or water so make sure to be self sufficient. Also be aware of off road dirt bikes as they do use some of these trails as well.
Uptown/Downtown Loop
Distance: 5.6 Miles
Difficulty: Moderate uphill, fun downhill
Elevation: 8,200
Type: Loop ride on singletrack
Features: Singletrack ride through a mature red fir forest and access from Mammoth Mountain's Main lodge to The Village. Can be accessed from behind Mammoth Ski and Racquet Club.
Uptown goes up from The Village to the Main Lodge and Downtown descends from the Main Lodge to The Village. As one is designated an uphill and the other a downhill, make sure to stay on the appropriate side so accidents don't happen. Particularly on Downtown where bikers can get going at a good clip. These are two separate trails and they mostly stay pretty close together. You can even make a stop to check out the Earthquake fault and have a picnic.
Mammoth Mountain Bike Park
Distance: 85 miles of trails
Difficulty: easy to extremely technical
Elevation: 8,000-11,053
Type: Singletrack, downhill, man-made trials park, jumps, You name it!!
Features: Summer time brings Mammoth Mountain into mountain bike mode with the opening of numerous trails of all difficulty and skill level. You will ride on pumis, dirt, over bridges, through trees, and will experience views like no other all along the way.
With summer comes mountain biking on Mammoth Mountain. There are easier trails for the beginner to exhilarating downhill runs for the more adventuresome; a little something for everyone. To view the trails on the mountain see the interactive trail map. You have easier trails such as Paper Route, Downtown, and Trial home. Intermediate trails such as Big Ring, Timber Ridge, Juniper, Lincoln Express, and Brake Through. Difficult trails such as Shotgun, Skid Marks and Kamikaze. Most difficult trails such as Bullet, Flow, Pipeline, DC-10 and Velocity. Through out the park there are rest stations with picnic tables and water and there are bike rangers riding around to help those in need. Bike rentals, camps, and lessons can be had from the Mammoth Mountain Adventure Center at the Main lodge. With a bike park pass you can take the bike park shuttle from The Village up to the Main Lodge or you and your bike can take the Gondola up to McCoy Station (Mid station) or to the top of the mountain. This is an amazing place to play which will surely keep you busy for multiple days. They are even creating a new trail in 2006 called Twilight Zone which has a heart pounding 32 ft wide, 10 ft tall, 180 degree banked turn at the end. FUN, FUN, FUN.... And all accessible from the three trails that come into Canyon Lodge or from Uptown, Downtown. If you don't want to drive up to the main lodge but don't want to bike uphill, you can simply ride downtown or Canyon Blvd down 1/2 - 1 mi. to The Village and catch the shuttle to Main.
Minaret Vista trails
Mountain View Ride
Distance: 11.2 miles
Difficulty: Moderate, somewhat technical
Elevation: 8,300 - 9,200
Type: Out and back on singletrack and jeep road
Features: A Fun, rolling ride through transitional forests consisting of old-growth red fir, jeffrey pine, lodgepole pine, whitebark pine and juniper.
Minaret Vista Ride
Distance: 11.4 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous, but not technical
Elevation: 8,200-9,200
Type: Out and back on paved road
Features: Similiar to the Mounain View Ride but on the paved road (Hwy 203) that goes from town to Mammoth Mountain's main lodge and beyond.
Hard Core Ride (San Joaquin Ridge)
Distance: 5 Miles
Difficulty: A difficult, challenging, and technical ride at high elevation.
Elevation: 9,200-10,700
Type: Out and back
Features: Outstanding views of the San Joaquin River Canyon, the Sierra, Mono Craters and Mono Lake. This ridge is slowly being uplifted by the massive block of Granite on which it sits.
These first two rides can either start at The Village riding up Hwy 203 or even Uptown until you reach the Earthquake fault Interpretive area. At this point you have the option of taking the Mountain View trail staying in the forest until you reach the Minaret Vista or stay on the road (Minaret Vista ride) which takes you past the main lodge. Once you reach the Minaret Vista lookout, you can either turn around and head back on one of the two previous options or continue onto Hard Core. For a real challenge link Uptown/Downtown, Mountain View or the Minaret Vista ride and Hard Core and see how tough you really can be. As these rides can be challenging make sure to bring extra water (you can fill up at Main lodge if needed), wind jacket as you will be climbing to high elevations where the weather can change rapidly, a camera for the amazing views and a strong pair of legs!!!!
Rock Creek
Sand Canyon Loop
Distance: 24.7 miles but can make shorter by starting and ending at different points
Difficulty: A very strenuous and technical loop. (Very fun even if you have to walk your bike here and there)
Elevation: 7,100-10,200
Type: Loop ride on pavement, jeep road, and singletrack
Features: One of the highest Sierra mountain biking trails. Travel through Upper Rock Creek Canyon along an outstanding high alpine traverse, pine forests and alpine meadows with stunning vistas along the way.
While this ride in full might seem intimidating, you can break it up with starting and ending points in different locations to make it easier. This ride in entirety starts at Tom's Place about 16 miles south of Mammoth Lakes off of Highway 395. You ride up Upper Rock Creek Road until you hit Rock Creek Lake and amazing views of the mountains around Mosquito Flats. From the Rock Creek Lake Campground you pick up a dirt service road which passes some small summer cabins. This will lead you to a singletrack with many rocks which you will either walk or ride (if you are up to it). The trail is easy to follow from here for quite a way and will carry you through forests, alpine meadows and down into Sand Canyon (which is named for a very long decent down a very sandy road). You can loop it back to Toms Place or can hang a right and head down into Swall Meadow and back to Tom's place. To make this ride shorter, you can do a shuttle with one car parked in Paradise (which is at the bottom of the valley) and drive to begin the ride at the Rock Creek Lake Campground. This is an extremely fun ride with many options. There is even a trail called the Wagon Wheel trail which follows a path worn out by wagon wheels when the pioneers traveled through the Eastern Sierra. Make sure to bring plenty of water with you for this ride as it is lower in elevation and gets a bit hotter. For specific details, inquire in one of the local bike shops.
Road Riding
The road riding in Mammoth Lakes can't be missed!!! With the abundance of lakes, long stretches of road, and views of the Sierra Nevada and White Mountains, this will quickly become one of your favorite places to ride.
Whether you are interesting in burning your lungs on an awesome climb or the exhilaration of coasting downhill you have many options.
Below is a short list of some of the favorites as well as an opportunity to ride with an established group every Sunday.
The East Side Velos Club
Has weekly rides every Sunday at 9am
Meet at Footloose Sporting Goods on Main Street and Old Mammoth Rd.
All are welcome to join along.
Call Footloose at 760-934-2400 for more information.
Mammoth Scenic Loop
Distance: 8 miles from Minaret Rd to Hwy 395.
Difficulty: Moderate. 500' elevation gain and loss
Type: Out and back or loop onto Hwy 395 to Hwy 203.
Turn onto Minaret Road like you are going toward Main Lodge. Make a left heading uphill for a short distance. The right turn to the Mammoth Scenic Loop will be on your right. You can either do an out and back or can go onto Hwy 395 and then to Hwy 203 to make a loop back.
June Lake Loop
Distance: 25 mile round trip (50 miles if riding from Mammoth Lakes on Hwy 395)
Difficulty: Moderate. 900' elevation gain.
Type: Out and back or loop using Hwy 395.
From Mammoth Lakes, drive approx. 16 miles North on Hwy 395. Park at the gas station/store at the corner of Hwy 395 and Hwy 158. Start riding here going into the community of June Lake, and continuing past the four beautiful lakes until you reach Hwy 395. Follow this highway south until you reach your parking area. You might even want to make a pit stop to cool off in one of the lakes. This is an amazingly beautiful ride with lakes on one side of you and incredible mountain peaks on the other. The alternative option is to ride from Mammoth Lakes with adds about an additional 25 miles.
Upper Lakes Basin
Distance: 7 miles round trip
Difficulty: Moderate.
Type: Long steady uphill, fun downhill.
This is a classic Mammoth Lakes ride. The uphill on Lake Mary Rd is a steady uphill but really not that bad. Particularly if you make stops to enjoy the many lakes that you will pass along the way or for lunch or dessert at Tamarack Lodge, Lake Mary Store, or Pokenobe Lodge. You can even lock your bikes up and take a small hike circling a lake or take a paddle boat out on Lake Mary. Overall, this is a great ride with lots of amazing views and pit stops. Best to go on a weekday or off hour since this is a popular drive for many visiting Mammoth.
Ride to Red's Meadow
Distance: 25 miles round trip.
Difficulty: Very challenging ride. More elevation gain and loss than I can explain here. There are a few options however to make it easier.
Type: Out and back.
They say that completing a round trip from town will make you a Hardman and there are very good reasons why. From the village you ride up Minaret Rd to the Main lodge. From here it is more uphill but a bit more gradual until you get to Minaret Vista. Then it is downhill all the way until the end of the road at Red's Meadow. The downhill is awesome but unfortunately that means that you have one grueling uphill on the way back. Make plenty of stops to enjoy the views as they are in abundance. You can stop for lunch at Red's Meadow Ranch, and take some hikes to enjoy Mammoth Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Devil's Post Pile. You may even meet some thru hikers on the PCT as it comes right through Reds Meadow. Be prepared and make a day of it. Alternatives: Between 7am-8pm you must take the shuttle in, otherwise, you can drive in. You can drive up to the Main lodge and start there. You can even arrange for someone to pick you up at Reds Meadow after 8pm, but that just doesn't seem right now does it?? haha
Benton Crossing Road
Distance: As far as you want.
Difficulty: Moderate.
Type: Out and back
This ride has some of the most fantastic wide-angle views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and White Mountains. You can either start from Mammoth and ride the 5 miles to Benton Crossing Rd (by the Green Church) on Hwy 395 or can drive and park at the Green church. This is a very popular road ride and has a good bike lane. As this road goes through the valley between the two mountain ranges it is relatively flat with a few good hills. It does get hot out there, however, so this is best reserved for morning, evening, or winter. Take it as far as you wish, turn around and head back. There are even natural hot tubs that you can soak in along the road if those muscles are screaming at you. Take plenty of water with you as it will be scarce on this ride.
Rock Creek Pie Ride
Distance: At least 50 mile from Mammoth but can drive to Tom's place for a shorter jaunt.
Difficulty: Pretty darn tough. Lots of uphill but one fast downhill.
Type: Out and back
This is one of the Mammoth Lakes local's favorite road ride. What makes it so appealing is the dream of a slice of Rock Creek Lake Resort's famous Dutch Apple, Strawberry, Blueberry, or Rhubarb pie when you reach the top of a very long uphill. Hence the name!! From Mammoth, take Hwy 395 south for about 16 miles turning right at Tom's Place. Head uphill into the mountains until you reach Rock Creek Lake Resort. Stop for slice of pie, a good breather, and leg stretch because the ride back is going to be quite the hoot. If you so desire, you can drive to Tom's place to start the ride uphill. If you choose, however, to drive up to Rock Creek just so that you can enjoy the downhill, you are not allowed to partake in a slice of Sue's famous pie as you will be considered a wimp by all and will be shunned upon entering the resort. haha
