Mammoth Mountain Scenic Gondola was one of the highlights of our Mammoth trip! We decided to get…read moreon the gondola towards the end of our adventure and turns out we made the right choice! The Gondola takes you up to McCoy where you can get off and enjoy an intermediate course or stay on and head up to the top of Mammoth Mountain! We started off thinking we were going to just enjoy the cafe up there and the views and then some of us would head back down the gondola. Turns out, my boys decided to take the chance and ride down the top of the mountain with me while my wife headed down on the gondola and met us at the bottom after getting some gifts from the gift shop. The way down is a little frightening if I am to be honest but I am a strong believer in the adage, where there is a will there is a way! My boys coming down with me was a wonderful life lesson and a truly exhilarating and exciting adventure! I highly recommend taking the gondola to the top! 5 stars for sure and 2 thumbs up!!

The views from the top are amazing (on a clear day). Whether skiing/snowboarding and heading to…read morethe top, or just here to enjoy the scenery and surroundings, it's more than worth a visit. Personally a clear day after a storm is the best! The gondola ride up is quick and enjoyable. On busy days, they will fill the cabin, so be ready for a tight squeeze. It's almost ski/boarding season!

Must added to the list for hiking / beach/ kayak spot…read more No need a big jeep or any special vehicle. You will be fine as it's easy to get down to these stone pillars with 2 mi hike. Very easy flat step - straight road. Actually there's one big deep hold up hill at the beginning and one slightly slippery downhill to the lake. General, worth the hike and time to visit the unique nature made sandstone pillars. A beautiful place with peaceful quiet lake. You can hang around right at the lake or do kayak Tips: - When you are inside - under these columns, never look up. There is always some sand falling from top. - No restroom / trash bin / info center. Make sure bring water and essential items. - Plan to arrive early so you can come back around before noon. And use a lot of sunscreen in summer. No shade at all. Like walk in the middle of dessert! - Parking spots are marked correctly in google map. No actually parking signs. You just find your own the spot closest to the first hill and leave the car there at your own risk for 1hr at least. - follow google map. There's some crosspath and no signage!

From the 395, there's a nice dirt road to Crowley Lake but you can only go so far with a regular…read morecar. A 4x4 off road vehicle is needed to access the stone columns for the last mile or two. There's a hill with really bad ruts. Another way to access the columns is to kayak to them. We saw a kayaker who parked his car at another beach off the lake and kayaked over. There is a steep sandy trail down to the beach where the columns are. The water was high when we were there so fortunately we couldn't access the larger columns that day. It's definitely worth the visit when the water level in the lake is low to see these unique stone columns.

If you want to go on a scenic drive, and you have a few hours to kill--check out Tioga road--drive…read morethrough the pass at just shy of 10k feet, and head down to Mono Lake (which is amazing in its own right). If you want to explore some of Yosemite's best beauty that is far less crowded than Yosemite Valley (but far superior in my opinion), plan to spend some time up in the majestic nature that can only be found along Tioga Road. In my opinion, this is the best road in all of Yosemite National Park, and is the best way for us in the valley to get from Fresno to Highway 395 when opened. Be warned: This road (aka Hwy 120) is usually closed from mid Autumn (late October through some time in November) until late spring/early summer (May or June most years), as the road traverses some extremely dangerous avalanch zones and is unsafe to plow until the spring thaw hits the snow in the high country. Also-be warned: There is a lot of wildlife in the high country. Tioga Pass (and Tioga Road) is not a road to speed across. Take your time and savor the beauty of the landscape--high alpine forests, lakes, meadows, granite domes, wetlands--all home to bears, pine martins, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, yellow bellied marmots, deer, red foxes, and so many other amazing creatures. Driving fast means you are more likely to have a tragic encounter between your car and an animal that may be trying to cross the road. That and the road meanders some steep curves along some sheer drop-offs. If you aren't careful along the curves, you may find out the hard way that your car doesn't fly. This is definitely a sipping tea type of road, and not one to be mindlessly chugged. As for provisions, make sure to bring provisions, and also top off your gas tank on either end of the road (either Crane Flat on the western side before you hit Tuolumne Grove, or the Mobile Gas Station/Whoa Nelly Deli on the east side outside of the park boundary--but after you leave hwy 395). There are very limited services between the two ends (usually only in Tuolumne Meadows, but not all services open every year). Restrooms are also limited. There are some opened seasonally at Crane Flat (indoor plumbing, but closed if the gas station store is closed), Tuolumne grove nearby, Tenaya Lake (pit toilets--pretty gross at the end of the season), Tuolumne Meadows, and a few other spots along the road. If you plan to do some hiking--especially when the weather is nice, expect to encounter some soggy or wet areas, as some parts of the high country never fully dry out even in the summer months. And mosquitos can be quite wretched. Make sure you bring protection, whether it is bug spray, face nets, long legged and sleeved clothing, or all of the above. Be bear aware as well, and don't store food in your car overnight or in sight during the day. Also, you should always prepare for weather to change rapidly at these elevations. I've had 70 degree sunny days turn to 40 degrees with hail in as little as an hour. As a resident of California's central valley and a lover of the high country, I don't consider my year complete until I've gone over Tioga Pass a few times. This truly is a beautiful road. It requires respect, and a little planning....and what it gives in return is usually more than you'd expect.

This is a gorgeous road. It stretches from Lee Vining to the west on a pass which goes all the way…read moreto Yosemite. There are lakes and creeks and the best time to take photos is during fall or first snow. The road is very windy and steep so take it slow. During this time of year (not sure if this is all times) you will be required to stop and pay I believe $35 per car at the 12 mile mark. The drive however for those 12 miles is worth it. You can turn around and not pay. I highly recommend taking this pass if you are up at the Mammoth Lakes area or Mono Lake. We didn't have much time, so we only took a few photos, but there are so many cool places to check out. Totally cool drive!

Huge children's section with an entire wall of activity boards, a large rug for crawlers, and a…read moregood selection of board books. There's a separate room for kids programs that looked pretty sweet, but I only peeked in through the window since it's locked unless there's an event in session.

Visiting this library I was mortally affected from the initial visit. Imagine 16,000 square feet…read moreand expansive windows throughout, intelligent use of natural lighting and views on all four (4) sides designed by Ryan Group Architects. Had a request for the Mammoth Library that I thought "No way" would they have this book in a "Mountain Town." Surprised to learn they had the book and finished it during our stay in Mammoth Lakes. Doors were open/closed depending on what day you visited. Kids can hang in the children's library and see "vistas" of Sherwin range on the south side. Class and service are not expletives here but the norm.

Easy very short hike for kids. Or adults if you're not looking for something challenging!…read more Few bridges to cross over the water

Big city boy comes to small town and needs to use the library. I wasn't expecting much and when I…read moresaw it from the outside I about started laughing, but friends, this is a wonderful little library. I much prefer it to the libraries I go to in Los Angeles. We were greeted by Elaine, the librarian. I told her we needed to use the internet. We had to sign in to use it but it was as simple as that. No password needed and the internet was plenty fast. Pages loaded quickly and videos streamed seamlessly. It's a simple layout. They have three snappy desktop computers and a table that will seat six people with laptops along with a couple power strips with plenty of outlets. They have a nice little children's section off in the corner, along with child sized chairs and a table to go with it. I was impressed with the DVD selections. It's more than adequate. Lots of people were using the printer. It's 10 cents a page. Not bad. It's a small library but the number of books is pretty impressive. One patron complimented Elaine the librarian on the outstanding selection of Louis L'Amour novels and he was especially pleased with how well kept all the books were. There's a picnic table in front where you can still tap into their WiFi. One of the locals said you can still use the WiFi outside even when the library isn't open. Speaking of open, they only open from 1pm-5pm Monday-Saturday. It's in the same lot as the high school, by the way so make sure you look for the library sign or you may end up back in 9th grade!

Stopped through Lee Vining and needed some internet. I was immediately greeted by Mr. Reece (sp)…read morewho was also helping a second grade class pick out books for their class projects on animals. He was SO kind and friendly to each student. I would have loved a teacher like him. He even ended their class visit with a song on his guitar! He also pointed my fiancé and I to some fun things to do locally and was so knowledgeable about Bodie and the hot springs. Thank you for being so kind to us and keep up the good work!!

Don't know his name but needed help finding the Ca. Welcome Center and he was…read moreextremely helpful. Even though his name was on his uniform. I should have asked him how to pronounce it. This was on Sunday June 12 around lunchtime. Found the place and picked up some info. Heading there again sometime in Sept. I think it's one of the most beautiful places even though I live in Southern CA and my town is a jewel.