Lodging in Mammoth Lakes, California

What a fun trip! There is always a lot to do in the Sierras, and whether you want to spend four days in the Mammoth Lakes area depends on how much time you have. You definitely want to give a lot of time to Yosemite and SEKI (Sequoia/King's Canyon) too.

A few things I really enjoyed was going to Devil's Postpile national monument. There are some lovely hikes there, so definitely spend a day there at the very least. It is a national monument, not a park, so the resources there are limited so do your research before you go for hikes...there was not a lot of information there, and nobody to ask. This was in 2021 though, so I don't know if things have changed.

Another day can be spent exploring the lakes - Mammoth, June. Mono Lake has a lot of activities, including seeing the tufas. It is also possible to explore Tuolumne Meadows area from Mammoth Lakes, and I LOVE the drive from Tuolumne to Mammoth Lakes.

When is September are you going? Devil's Postpile and Tioga Pass close earlier than other areas, so be aware of that, but I think you should be okay.

Mammoth Lakes is a very popular tourism area, so there are TONS of hotels and AirBnB style accommodations. We stayed at a Holiday Haus cottage - the location was excellent but I was not very impressed with the cleanliness. I think you will find a lot of choices for your budget in September.

You need to get on the National Park reservation website for Yosemite yesterday. The government budget hotels might have something in that price range. If you can stay inside the park at Yosemite, that's the most convenient; otherwise you need to make advance reservations to enter the park as well. Research that. And you can also look into/make reservations for Sequoia/Kings Canyon on the site as well. Tenaya Lodge outside Yosemite is our favorite, but it's not going to be in your price range. National Park lodging is always bare bones, but adequate. And you have the advantage of being inside the park, which is always nice.

Mammoth of course isn't a state or national park. There's plenty of condo rentals out there for Mammoth.

Four nights total to visit all 3 locations. Not a chance. Give yourself more time or narrow it down.

For some reason, I read it as 4 nights at each place. But if you mean 4 nights total, I would definitely drop Mammoth Lakes and spend two nights at Yosemite and two nights at SEKI...it would be better if you can add another night to each.

$250/night is a good budget for Mammoth Lakes. In Yosemite, would you be willing to stay at Housekeeping camp or Curry village? They would fit in your budget, otherwise look into staying outside near Mariposa or Oakhurst. Oakhurst may be better in terms of driving to SEKI afterwards.

At SEKI, I definitely recommend staying inside the park and that is expensive. Best bet outside is Three Rivers, but I wouldn't stay there with only two nights to explore the area.

We already have four nights booked in Yosemite in Yosemite Valley at Yosemite Valley Lodge during the second week of September.

Before going to Sequoia/Kings Canyon, we wanted to stay a few nights - I thought 4(?) in the Mammoth Lakes area to see many of the areas people mentioned.

Then going to on to the Sequoia area for possibly 3 nights.

We're not on a restricted schedule and are flexible.

I did some looking at lodging in the Mammoth Lakes area and was not impressed by the reviews, that's why I turned to the forum for guidance.

Thanks for your help.

I did some looking at lodging in the Mammoth Lakes area and was not impressed by the reviews, that's why I turned to the forum for guidance.

Where did you look? There is a wide range of lodging available, including many upscale or luxury properties. There is a large condo rental market - look at VRBO. I've never had a bad experience renting a condo there.

If you want a more rustic experience, check out the cabins at Tamarack Lodge - it's one of the ski area's properties, and is close to many hiking opportunities. The lodge rooms are another option - they are comfortable, but also rather compact.

Prices in September should be soft. And be mindful as to which side of the Sierra your destinations are, as you will be dependant upon the high mountain passes to reach Mammoth from Yosemite, and then back again.

Thank you for the clarification! 4 nights in Yosemite is excellent. With 7 more nights, I would give 3 to Mammoth Lakes and 4 to SEKI, though you cannot go wrong either way.

Congratulations on getting 4 nights at Yosemite Lodge. Those reservations are very difficult to get. You will certainly enjoy your time in Yosemite Velley, with time to explore the Glacier Point and WWona areas, and maybe Mariposa Grove of sequoias as well ( but maybe redundant if you are going to Sequoia NP).

Note that Mammoth and Sequoia NP are in opposite directions from Yosemite Valley. Mammoth is on the east side of the Sierras, just off highway 395, but there is no road access into Swqupia NP from that side. Hiking involves a long Nd strenuous hike over a high-elevation pass into the wilderness areas of the park.

To reach the “front country” side of Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP (where you find roads and lodges) , you exit Yosemite by the South Gate at Fish Camp on Highway 41 and drive almost to Fresno to reach the road into SEKI from the west . From Mammoth, you would drive up Highway 395 to the Tioga Road (highway 120), then drive over Tioga Pass (a spectacular drive) and through Yosemite. via Tuolumne Meadows. Continue on 120 west to Crane Flat and then down to Yosemite Valley, meeting highway 41 at the Valley floor and turning south there.

That is a lot of driving, but it is all beautiful, and you will have an opportunity to see the high country features of Yosemite, such as Tenaya Lake and Tuolumne. This is actually my favorite part of Yosemite, especially for hiking. It is much less crowded than the Valley.

Note that you can also reach Sequoia NP from Mammoth by driving south on 395 past Bishop and Lone Pine, around the southern end of the sierras and up through Bakersfield. That is the “winter route” but it is very hot (partially through desert) and much less scenic. I do not recommend going that way in summer.

The eastern Sierra is known for beautiful golden fall colors, but September is too early for that.

Mammoth offers a large number of accommodations, from luxury hotels to ski condos and cabins in the town (named Mammoth Lakes although not at the lakes) and on the mountains itself, to rustic (sometimes very rustic) cabins on the lakes themselves. There are 4 lakes with cabins/fishing resorts (Mary, Mamie, George, and Twin Lakes) and most have minimum stay requirements from 4-7 nights. They also book up a year in advance and are rarely available after that, at least not during the main season. We scored one in October a few years back.

The exception at the lakes is Tamarack Lodge, a large complex with a main lodge and separate cabins on Twin Lakes. You can usually get a room in the main lodge or a rustic cabin there in September, in the range of $200-$260. The nicer, more modern cabins are considerably more.

https://www.mammothmountain.com/plan-your-trip/mammoth-hotels/tamarack-lodge#accordion

If you would like to be closer to town, on the mountain, or in town, you will find a huge variety of options listed on websites such as Visit Mammoth:

https://www.visitmammoth.com/hotels-lodging/

Or try the Mammoth Mountain lodging site:

https://www.mammothmountain.com/plan-your-trip/mammoth-hotels

My sister and her family, who go to Mammoth each summer and winter,like the Snow Creek complex; we stayed in a condo with them last July.

https://www.snowcreekresort.com/

Many of these places will not have their summer availability up yet as they are gearing up for the winter ski season. You will have no trouble finding a place to stay if you wait until next March or April (unless you want to stay at the lakes).

What places did you find with such poor reviews?

Lynne,
Be sure to review your maps. Mono Lake is on the eastern side of the Sierras, along Hwy. 395. Mammoth is on the east as well. The only entrance to Yosemite from the east side of the Sierras is through Tioga Pass, nearly 10,000 feet in elevation, and often closed due to snow, although barring an early snowfall, it should be open in Sept. It is a beautiful but long drive, bringing you to Tuolomne Meadow, a bit of a ways from the Valley, but beautiful also. Most entrances to Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings Canyon are on the western side. If you go from Yosemite to Mammoth and then to Sequoia you are crossing the mountain range twice. The roads are not fast ones. Start at Mammoth, (and a day at Mono Lake), take Tioga Pass to Yosemite, then south to Sequoia on Hwy 180 after Yosemite. Crossing the Sierras can be a lovely adventure, but may take all day. We have done lots of touring up and down Hwy 395 (often called California's backbone), and along the western side of the Sierras, starting with our camping honeymoon in 1971, and with many, many repeats over the last fifty plus years. Lucky you to have the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful places in the U.S.!
Re time, I think 4 nights at Mammoth is 1 night too many, but there is some nice hiking near there, and June Lake and Twin Lakes are close by. Give the extra day to Kings Canyon/Sequoia, or if you spend part of your southward drive on Hwy 49, spend a night at one of the old gold mining towns.

I see Lola and I posted the same advice at the same time!

I can recommend Tamarack Lodge. It does have a rustic feel, but that is so much more "mountain-y" than the condos in the town of Mammoth. Quieter too (at least when I was last there).

Expanding on Judy’s advice about 3 nights in Mammoth rather than 4: Instead of adding a day to Sequoia, you could book a night in Lee Vining, at the base of the Tioga Road, after the 3 nights in Mammoth. Leave Mammoth that morning and drive up the Tioga Pass road to the park gate, and into the Tuolumne area. Spend the day exploring the beauty of the meadows—maybe take a short hike, walk up Pothole Dome, or join a ranger walk if there is one that day. Be sure to vist Tenaya Lake at some point. And bring a lunch, as there may be no services up there (or maybe they will get the little grocery store opened next summer—-they were busy rebuilding the structure after storm damage when we were there lat summer). At the end of the day you will drive 30 minutes back down to Lee Vining for your overnight. The next day you will drive back up and over Tioga Pass, through Yosemite, and south to SEKI. It will be a long day, but a very scenic one, and you won’t need to take time stopping in Tuolumne as you will have done that already.

This will have you doing some backtracking but it is worth it, in my view. Last summer our reservation inside the park was canceled by the provider, so we needed up staying 3 nights outside the park (at Lee Vining and June Lake) so we could drive in each day and do our planned hikes. I always enjoy that drive.

Some caveats: you cannot leave any food or fragrant toiletries, etc. in a parked car in the daytime anywhere in Yosemite, unless things are completely out of sight—-locked in the truck. At night, as you will learn when you stay at Yosemite Lodge, everything must be removed from the car. The bears can recognize food coolers even if they are empty. Luggage should be hidden as well.

I don't know where you are driving from to get here and where you are driving to afterwards. I'd suggest doing your trip in a more linear fashion, without back tracking. So, start in either Mammoth or SEKI, then drive to YNP, then finish at the other end. Your lodging in YNP will allow your entry into the Park. Driving through YNP a second time will require an entry permit.

On the East side of the Sierras, north of the Tioga Pass Road, is the ghost town of Bodie https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509

Edited to correct the spelling of Bodie.

Lola, If I read ther OP correctly, they are staying in Yosemite for four nights, so, no need to go back down to Lee Vining; rather, they can go from Tuolomne Meadow to their lodging in the valley. However, a night in Lee Vining after Mammoth is a good idea. It means an early start up Tioga Pass and more time in the meadow area....a wonderful place!

To be honest,a good long-ish road trip up Hwy 395 has lots of interesting places to stop at besides Mono Lake, from Manzanar (Japanese Internment camp from WWII,) to the Eastern Sierra Museum in Independence (wonderful collection of Native American basketry) , to a short detour from Bishop to pristine South Lake (swimming and fishing). And nearly every town along the route has something to offer anyone on an unrushed road trip.

Now I am ready to take off myself!

I believe it is Bodie, not Brodie.

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone for your very helpful information. You gave us a great deal to think about.

Our trip begins in Tennessee, a long distance from Yosemite. After spending the day reading and rereading your posts, our trip has changed.

Instead of a road trip we've decided to fly west and rent a car to decrease the number of hours driving.

After taking another look (one of many) at the sites in SE/KC compared to Mammoth Lakes, we're eliminating SE/KC and spending more time in Mammoth Lakes. We've decided to spend more time going to Mono Lake, Devil's Postpile and other sites in the area. We'll visit SE/KC on another trip.

We're still looking for lodging - I may have put the cart before the horse (so much easier to just take a tour :) ). I will look at the places mentioned.

In the reviews I looked at yesterday, people commented on the tired & worn rooms, and lack of staff.

Again, thank you for your wealth of information. It's very much appreciated.

We recently stayed in June Lake at the Heidelberg Inn. It's not fancy but nice to be in town and able to walk to restaurants. There are other acommodations nearby that looked good and maybe less expensive. We have camped in the Sierras many times and highly recommend that you drive down Rock Creek Rd to Mosquito Flats and hike the Little Lakes Valley trail there. It's stunning and not too hard---really nicer than anything we've seen at Mammoth. Try to get there early for a good parking spot. There's a 'resort' that will be on your left on your way back to the 395 that has excellent pie to stop for after your hike. Mono Lake is unusual but will not take much time.

Thank you for this information. The Little Lakes Valley trail looks great & we've added it to our list, I'll hike for pie. :)

I agree about Mono Lake. Interesting to see but will give it less time than we originally planned.

Also looking at the Heidelberg Inn.

There's a resort at Convict Lake that has cabin rentals. We have friends that stayed there and liked it. The restaurant is supposed to be excellent. They have a website. Where are you flying to? The Bristlecone Forest is also a great area to stop for a few hours if along your route.

Driving from SLC to Yosemite to ML then return to SLC. Hoping to score permits for The Wave on our return trip.

Thanks for the recommendations.

Little Lakes Valley is one of my favorite hikes in that area. More beautiful than anything at Mammoth, actually. We were just there last July, staying in the Heidelberg Inn at June Lake, after our HIgh Sierra Camp reservation was canceled.

The Heidelberg is a little quirky but we liked it. It started as a fancy hunting lodge in the 1920’s, famous for its 4-sided fireplace and frequented by Hollywood stars. After a stint as a ski lodge, it was converted to condos in the 1980’s. They are a bit dated but quite comfortable. You can rent directly from the Inn, or on AirBnB from individual owners.

During the week, at least in summer, they have two “movie nights” in the lobby, and an ice cream social on another night.

https://www.heidelberginnresort.com/

If you don't get tickets for the wave, there's a part of Zion NP called Kolob Canyon that is easily accessible and has some nice day hikes.