Like Summer Camp, Only Better

Mountains, lakes, ample playtime. Mammoth Lakes is like the ultimate summer camp, only way better: because it's for kids and kids at heart!

Take a guided kayak trip on Mono Lake, a high-desert oasis filled with fascinating towers of gnarled limestone tufas. Kids will be in awe of these Dr. Seuss-like formations and parents will relish the lake's peacefulness. Your kayak guide is like the coolest camp counselor you'll ever meet. Or settle into a canoe for a sunset paddle on Inyo National Forest’s Convict Lake—framed by 12,000-foot granite peaks.

Rather pedal than paddle? Ride on! Miles of paved bike trails surround Mammoth Lakes, with beginner-friendly trails leaving right from town. Pro Tip: Ride on over to The Village at Mammoth for outdoor live music, a distillery, restaurants, ice cream, and fun games. Novice and expert mountain bikers have a variety of choices at Mammoth Mountain’s legendary bike park (yep, the famous ski slopes are transformed every summer into impeccably groomed trails). Everyone gets to share the epic High Sierra scenery.

For those who'd rather have their summer camp feel more Westworld than Walley World, Bodie State Historic Park is an old Western ghost town that can be explored by horseback.

And of course there’s hiking—miles of it—made super accessible by the free shuttles in Mammoth Lakes, from a 2-mile circuit around Lake Mary to longer adventures up to hidden oases in the Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Who says kids get to have all the fun? The whole family's invited to the place that's like a giant summer camp for all: Mammoth Lakes.