Everything was great from booking the half day to the climbing. Clay was our instructor and was…read moregreat. He is a great guide and coach. I would recommend Ground Up for anyone who is new to climbing and wants a fun day outdoors. I took my 11 year old son and he had a blast. If we come back to Mammoth I will be booking another climbing adventure with Ground Up.

Just had an Amazing weekend in Alabama Hills, Lone Pine CA!! Ground Up programs are a great way to…read moreget outside & climb. Clay is very knowledgeable & experienced (not to mention easy going guy). He made our weekend sooo much fun & educational. I can't wait to climb w/ Ground Up(Clay) this summer in Mammoth!!!

Amazing. Climb…read more Probably one of the best multi-pitch rock climbs I have ever done. We started very late and ended up going down in the dark. I don't recommend this for one main reason: The descent is not straight-forward by headlamp. I found the description from SuperTopo to be a bit confusing, so here's my description (in case you don't heed my advice and try to roll this sucker late in the day): You are going to want to down-climb the last 10-15 ft of the summit pinnacle. The section you JUST climbed up to reach the tiny summit. Down-lead this (or better yet, just leave your pro in from the ascent) and build an anchor at the base. (I know this seems like a stupidly short "pitch" to build an anchor for, but, TRUST ME. The rope drag is heinous if you try to go around the corner and then anchor-in.) Then do a running belay/simul-climb around the corner (you are now going AWAY from the face you just climbed up). Once around the corner, go slightly right (skier's right). Once you've done this, just keep going left and down, gradually, on easy 3rd class terrain (we took the rope off at this point). When it starts to look easy to go right, traverse right until you pop out on the other side of the mountain. You'll probably do some minor bush-whacking, just try to keep hopping on those big granite boulders! The SuperTopo seems to say that you hook back right a lot sooner (after going down-left), the terrain there looked like very run-out/, 5th class slab (read: skeery), so we did not do this. OK, now that we've talked about the boring part (getting down), let's talk about the FUN part: climbing up. It's 5 pitches of 5.6-5.7 on glorious granite with ample spots for pro. You can run it out with ease, knowing there is always going to be a place to get your nuts in. This is the complete opposite of "Snake Dike" on Half Dome in that regard. We did the far-left (climber's left) variation. I think it's variation "A" in the guide book. We decided to simul-climb the first two pitches, this was a good call. The beginning of pitch 1 is very easy (low-5th and even 4th class) by the time it gets more difficult, the leader will already be at the 2nd anchor and the second can be belayed up. If you're a strong climber you could even keep going and link all three of the first pitches! Every pitch is fun, with great moves and great positioning. I'd make sure you are not wearing a pack or gear sling for the start of pitch 4, as the chimney is kinda tight in the beginning. Or maybe I'm just getting fat? I lead the last two pitches by headlamp, a new experience, and shockingly more fun that scary. If you do this, I'd start either insanely early or insanely late, in order to avoid the crowds. Have fun!

Cathedral Peak is arguably the most beautiful peak in Yosemite National Park. Despite its beauty,…read moreand despite the fact that the trailhead is at the edge of Tioga Road and easy to find, there are no crowds. During my hike on this 7 mile round-trip trail, I encountered, at most, only twenty other hikers. The trail is an easy hike for adults and for little kids. There are no cliffs near this trail. This means that, unlike some of the trails leading to or from Hawkins Peak at Pinnacles National Park and unlike the fabled Kalalau Trail in Kauai, there is no danger rocks falling from above, and no need to worry about tumbling over the edge of any cliff. Once you have reached the 3 1/2 mile mark, you will be rewarded with a splendid view of Cathedral Peak, which is photogenic from any angle, and which provides a variety of photogenic rewards at different times of day. Near Cathedral Peak is a meadow with little streams, and orange-colored bedrock near one of the streams. Also in this area, is an exposed granite dome, similar to nearby Lambert Dome. My photographs show: (1) Me posing on a granite dome located next to a meadow. This meadow is just to the south of Cathedral Peak, (2) The trail marker sign next to Tioga Road, (3) The orange-colored exposed bedrock, and (4) Two photographs of a little stream that winds its way through a meadow, with Cathedral Peak in the distance.

Have you ever gone somewhere that reminded you just how big the world truly is? Twin Lakes did that…read morefor me and I'd rank it as my most spectacular Eastern discovery to date! It starts on the drive in. The panoramic views of the valley are breathtaking and the mountains so impressive that their scale is felt on first sight. That feeling only grows as you get closer until they surround and you realize how truly massive they are. The lakes are equally beautiful and breathtaking. Clear and cold water flows from the mountain into the two lakes. The local conservation organizations make sure this area stays clean and filled with fish, making this a fantastic angling destination. We enjoyed the shores of Upper Twin Lakes this Memorial Day weekend and found plenty of places to set up for the afternoon. Parking was a little tricky, so just prepare for that and a walk from the car with your things to ensure a fantastic time. The water in May was quite cold and shallow a ways out, so waders are recommended for anyone who wants to fish from shore, though there were many who were successful without them. All in all, this is a rad area to explore with lots of camping options around. I'm looking forward to another visit soon.

Loved this place! Beautiful scenery. Friendly folks. Great sites! WiFi works great when campground…read moreisn't full

Always love me a rock climbing gym! The location is super convenient - right in south Tahoe. Was…read morethrilled to see a gym so close to my AirBnB. They have rope climbs and bouldering. A day session is $25 but they have a cheaper rate for certain drop in hrs so ask if you have flexibility. There is also a sauna which is lovely. The only downside is that it is very small. I went for bouldering only and it's one large room and that's it. It was fine for 1-2 sessions but if I'm a regular, I'd really want a bigger gym with more routes. That said, any rock climbing gym in the community is always a big big plus for me!

Nightlife in Tahoe? Climbing gym :)…read more I love checking out climbing gyms wherever I go, and I thought Blue Granite was pretty good! Disclaimer: this is only based on my one time experience here. The gym is located a bit of outskirts of town but since I stayed a bit out, it was only 5 mins drive. Super cute building sitting in a forest, small parking lot but I didn't have trouble finding parking. Workers are required to give you a tour of the gym and mine was very friendly and thorough. The gym has little touches here and there to make it special. There is a partner board where people leave their information and names, how cute is that? Also, I enjoyed browsing through the climbing artworks they displayed in the hallway. Lastly, I loved how they up-cycled ropes for bathroom curtains. The route settings are fun! Since the wall space is precious, the settings can be compact. Lots of different colors of holds to identify and read. I'd say the grading is somewhat on the same level of Movement gyms in the bay, so slightly harder than the touchstones. The vibe is chill and friendly, not super packed, kids aren't running around, I personally got tired of the music towards the end though, but that was it. I didn't get to try their yoga/Lyra/Dance classes, but it's so cool they offer those especially Lyra or Aerial classes which you may have to pay $40-$50 for in the Bay Area. Will definitely be back!

Amazing experience with knowledge instructors. Great climbing location! Friendly and helpful…read morestaff during the booking process. Even helped us get accommodations nearby. Would totally do it again!!

Spent three days climbing with guides from Yosemite Mountaineering School. I'm sure all the guides…read moreare spectacular, but I can personally recommend Chase and Jake. Highly professional, impressively safe, and personable, not to mentioned astonishingly strong climbers. Chase and I spent a day cragging gearing up for a run up Half Dome's southwest face via Snake Dike. The end of our 12 hours together had much less talking, but Chase helped make the 6+ mile hike in much more enjoyable (as much as it could be of course) passing the time with fun stories and fun facts. We told some jokes, saw some nature, passed some hikers, and were first on the crag, setting us up for an awesome day! Jake and I climbed the 1100-foot East Buttress of Middle Cathedral and when my foot slipped while scaling a lie back crack and my life flashed before my eyes, I felt the rope tighten and stopped safely (only falling 6 or 8 feet of the 800 feet we had climbed thus far). Awesome day with Jake! Both Chase and Jake were excellent on meeting me where I was in my climbing ability, being a confident 5.10 leader, able to climb middle 5.11 but without much experience on Yosemite's granite I had a few tricks to learn to be successful. I highly highly highly recommend YMS to anyone new to the valley or wanting to safely experience what Yosemite has to offer!

16-17 pitches of Granite?…read more 5 minutes from your car? Right next to a hotel with plumbing and food (and coffee, and beer)? No one pitch on this route is great, but the route in its entirety is really something special. It's a great line to work out your multi-pitch skills. Despite looking like a convoluted route in all the topos, it's surprisingly intuitive while you're climbing it. The rappels going down though. Ugh. So much rap. So tired. Want beer at car.

Before 2010, the only time I'd been to Tuolumne Meadows was a day trip from Crane Flat when I was a…read moreteenager. And I saw this large rock with a slightly slanted side, and thought "hey, I can go up there." It took about 29 years :-D, but I made it to the top of Lembert Dome in 2010. It's a pretty easy hike, and takes less than an hour to get to the top. There are two ways to go, and both start with a slightly steep uphill. Lembert Dome is at the end of a short spur. It's such an accessible hike that I saw a wide range of ages at the top, from pre-teens to those even older than me (I've been 29 for many years now). And why not? It's rock climbing without a lot of effort. The view is tops all around. And it's probably the only way to get a look of all of Tuolumne Meadows. Note also that the part that can easily be seen from the Meadows is *not* the highest point. If you're reading this, you already know that Yosemite National Park is not just the Valley. You could have a great vacation in this section alone. And if you do, then going to the top of Lembert Dome should be on your itinerary.

What an amazing hike to do, especially with loved ones/family. I did this hike with my wife and…read morekids ( ages 7 and 3) on 8/19/2017. We started our hike at 9 am and reached the top at 10:30. I would rate this hike easy to moderate for small kids which means you may have to pick up little ones on the way up or down every now and again but they will enjoy the hike. We saw that there was a 60% chance of thunderstorms the day of our trip but since lighting strikes Lembert Dome every month during the year, and last month when I was here it rained along with a thunderstorm we didn't let that keep us from enjoying the beautiful day. We sat on the summit and had brunch which consisted of; Veggie corn dogs, Chick'n Sandwich (Gardein), Spirulina snacks and Organic coconut bars. We then hiked towards the "lip" (see photo) of Lembert Dome where you can overseen Tuolumne Meadow. We saw 3 rock climbers making there way to the top (see photo). It was so beautiful up there and my kids loved it. My daughter said as we reached the top "this is the best day of my life". As a dad it was so wonderful to hear that. Hopefully she will love and cherish the outdoors too. The weather changed very quickly while on the summit. It became very windy and we could see and hear two separate thunderstorms in the distance. While we were taking a video it began to rain in an instant and the wind blew so cold that the rain came down as very light snow that melted before it touched the ground. It was a bit scary at first because we had to run to find cover under some pine trees that are located right where you can find a small rock climbing path to get to the lip or hike back to the other part of the dome. Fortunately, it only rained for about 5 minutes, but it came on us so fast our hearts were racing. We were the only people on this side of the dome, but afterwards we had a lot to talk about. If I could post a video of this on Yelp I would and you would hear the thunderstorm broke up our video and began to rain on us. After our hike down we decided to hike to Tuolomne Meadows and then to nearby Soda Springs. My children caught several frogs on the way to the lodge and Soda Springs (Tuolumne River) and on the hike back to our car my wife spotted a snake in the grass and I was able to get a photo with it (see attached photos). This is my 2nd favorite hike off Highway 120 because it is easy, great with the family, the views are AMAZING, and there is a high chance of rain and thunderstorms regularly which add a bit of adrenaline to it. Check out my other Yelp reviews of Yosemite Hikes.

I had an amazing time doIng a little back country goodness in divine spring conditions with…read moreAdventure Mammoth last weekend. Im a bit of an adventurist but have safety on the brain. John Rea not only took me on a do-able yet challenging climb up the Sherwins via Tamarack, but taught me some basic safety; what to look for in snow breaks and how they are caused and how the sun changes the snow in the back country by the hour, how to use a beacon (BASCIS only, not like a certified class but thorough, thoughtful and such) - VERY VERY safety conscious. I'm 56 with a tricky knee, he adapted the path that suited me best and we scaled it nicely. He was very complimentary and encouraging - a very "you can do it" attitude. I look forward to doing more with him and his outfit and his kick ass dogs that love to join in on the fun. Stellar guy and company. I see more adventures like this in my very near future!

From the owner: Adventure Mammoth is now in operation for the 2017/2018 Winter Season. Join us in the back-country…read more Activities for all levels of rider/skier. Family snowshoe tours. Winter Mountain Biking and bouldering.

I took the 1 day Lovers Leap class. This was first class with MAS, and my first guided climb…read more While I expected to do some good climbing, I was pleasantly surprised by all the climbing tips I got from Aaron. I've been climbing for 15+ years, and I got more tips for efficient climbing and rappelling in one day with Aaron than I did in my whole climbing career! The staff at MAS was very professional and friendly, and made sure they tailored the climbing to my wants and experience. The on-line registration process was very easy, and the staff made good use of e-mail and cell phone to keep me updated on the climbing plans. All in all, it was a great and instructional day of climbing. I highly recommend MAS!

My wife and I took the MAS Intermediate Rockcraft Seminar in South Lake Tahoe. This class was…read moreexactly what I was looking for. I have done outdoor climbing with my friends and read books on climbing anchors, but I didn't feel comfortable setting up my own protection without supervision. The climbing was very easy which was perfect as the focus for me was not climbing, but on the anchors and protection. Our guide's name was Seth and he was terrific. My wife has done several other trips through MAS and has nothing but good things to say. I highly recommend.