Meet the Lakes of the Mammoth Lakes Basin

Mammoth Lakes Basin lies southwest of the city of Mammoth Lakes in the Eastern Sierra and is known for its natural beauty. Nestled on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in Eastern California, the area is a montage of lofty granites sheltering pretty mountain lakes that lie scattered at the foot of the mountains.

Some of the well-known lakes in the Mammoth Lakes Basin are Twin Lake, Lake Mary, Lake George, Lake Mammie and Horseshoe Lake.

These lakes are all picture-perfect sights whatever the season might be. Snow, wildflowers and fall colors — all take turns to add seasonal character to this area.

Let me also tell you that this basin and the lakes that it houses were carved out by the glaciers that slid off the Sierras during the ice ages.

How to get to the area

Mammoth Lakes Basin, as I mentioned earlier lies to the southeast of the downtown area. If you are driving, you could take Lake Mary Road or Old Mammoth Road to get to the basin.
Or you could take the Orange Line Trolley from town.

Things to do in Mammoth Lakes Basin

Depending on the season that you are there, you might be able to do some 

• Water Activities
• Snow Activities
• Fishing
• Hiking
• Leaf Peeping
• Scenic Drives
  &
• Landscape Photography

Tipsy from the Trip to Mammoth Lakes Basin

It was in early fall that we visited Mammoth Lakes Basin during our leaf-peeping trip in the Eastern Sierra.

We took Lake Mary Road to the Mammoth Lakes Basin and it was a scenic drive with some fall foliage adding dashes of color to both sides of the road.

Twin Lakes

When you’re on this route, the first lake you get to see is Twin Lakes. As such, we made our first stop at Twin Lakes Vista and I had to freeze that first look at the Twin Lakes.

It felt like being in a painting. It was an October morning and the sun was still on its way to the zenith. The soft am-lighting, the blue waters and a mix of green and yellow vegetation made for a picture I’m always going to treasure.

Watch a Twin Lake reel on Tipsy from the Trip on Instagram

We made stops at 3 of the lakes in the area. However, if you have more time to spend in the Lakes Basin, you might also want to add Twin Lakes Overlook to your itinerary. From there, you’ll get to see the lakes from a higher elevation.

Lake Mary 

Lake Mary is the largest of the lakes in the area and sits at an elevation of 8,920 ft. It is around a mile in length and you can drive around the lake and make stops at several points along the route.

This lake is also a favorite fishing place for many. We found a lot of people out fishing that fall morning. There weren’t many boats out there at that hour so the water was still and it was a calm quiet atmosphere. Some shrubs that were turning yellow for the season and a whole lot of driftwood on the southern side added more features to the lake.

The mountains that wall the area looked imposing and at every stop, we found that Crystal Crag seemed to stand out.

Lake George

This was our third and final stop in the Lakes Basin and wasn’t it the best!

Lake George is situated at an elevation of Elev. 9,008 ft. When we were on that uphill drive from Lake Mary, we saw that the roadsides were lined with cars and trucks — an overflow from the parking lot up there. The shoulders were tightly packed and I was expecting a crowd by the lake.

Surprisingly, when we finally found a parking spot (after making a few rounds in the lot), there weren’t a lot of people around the lake. I believe many of them were camping in the area and a lot of them had hit the trails up in the mountains.

Here again, that morning the lake was a sight to behold! Lake George was a greenish blue, reflecting the wall of mountains in the background, the trees that lined the shores and the patches of yellow that blanketed parts of the mountain slopes. The moored boats on one side of the lake only added more visual elements to the artwork that nature created here.

You’re not going to want to miss this Lake George reel on Tipsy from the TRIP on the gram.

Much as I was tipsy from this trip to the Mammoth Lakes Basin and the rest of the Eastern Sierras that we visited, I’d like to return there and see more of the lakes of the area. And there are some hikes I’d love to do too! 😉

Have you been to the Eastern Sierra? If yes what are your favorite spots? I’d love to check them out the next time I’m there.

You might also want to visit:
Eastern Sierra
Fall Trip Ideas

Linking to —
My Corner of the World

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