Review of Mammoth Lakes - you can never go home (Los Angeles: ski resorts, condo)

[jamies]

Some thoughts on our recent visit to Mammoth Lakes last week.

The fall colors are in bloom! If you want to see the aspen change NOW is the time to go. Interestingly they are further along in the south towards Bishop, but I'd guess from now until the end of the month should be quite nice all through the eastern sierra.

I lived there for two years as a kid in the '70s. Haven't been back in 40 years. Still pretty as ever, but sooo crowded, and it's the slow season. Most businesses are a, rip off. Our hotel, supposedly the best in town, had 4 star prices and 2 star quality. Between the $25 "resort fee" for nothing, not even a newspaper, plus all the tourist rip off taxes added $63 a night to our already over priced room. I know rooms get beaten up in ski resorts, but Mammoth has never had very good rooms and I can see nothing's changed. Cost us nearly $1,000 for 3 days. We would have stayed another couple of days but the weekend room rate was nearly $350 a night, for mediocre quality. I think this would be a great place to visit with an adventure RV where you could boondock camp and cook your own food.

We drove by our old house, it's falling down. Someone must have lost it in the RE bust. Or maybe someone plans to build a new place there. The porch and roof were collapsing. Sad to see. Many happy memories there. I was surprised by several entire abandoned condo complexes in various states of ruin. Yet new construction is everywhere.

The best place to eat in town seems to be the Pita Pit. We were going to eat at Convict Lake but it would have been $100+. Was really surprised, there's like no local trout or "mountain" food, venison or whatever. Or we didn't find them. Just the same old steaks, burgers and garbage you can get in any city for half the cost. Didn't get time to try the Mogul, which used to be reasonable and good. Breakfast for two was $36 at a small place in town, and $18 for a hamburger? Pleeeze... We got a nice deli sandwich at the market for six bucks.

Several places were cash only. Sorry, but it's the 21st century, I carry plastic money, not spending upwards of $70 cash for a meal for two. Cash only businesses smack of skimming to me. Even our favorite bakery was cash only. And we walked out after picking out a nice pastry then being given a substandard one and the snippy counter girl who barely spoke english wanted to argue over it. I guess the businesses in Mammoth have been making money hand over fist for 50 years and don't care about customer service.

I really liked the new "Village" with all the shops and restaurants that was across from our hotel. It was pleasant to wander through, even though we couldn't afford anything.

And they PAVED the road to Devils Postpile! When did that happen? I told my spouse about the scary, bone shattering road perched on a cliff that we were going to drive down, we had our 4WD, jacks, ax, (for trees down across the road) extra food and the whole day set aside to get to Reds Meadows. Instead we had a 25 mph nearly glass smooth asphalt expressway! Progress. Oh and the postpile itself hasn't changed since my last time there about 45 years ago. LOL I was surprised at the number of people though. The parking lot was nearly full. It must be simply overwhelmed in July!

And OMG - there's like FOUR stop lights in town now! We left about the time they got the first one. Clearly the town's gone to h*ll, probably be a freeway soon. Same with the road to Sherwin meadows. They paved that one too. We used to drive the washboard road out to deer hunt. It was so rough we used to have to stop and tighten the bolts on the jeep twice and see the dentist after driving out there. Now it's paved clear out to the campground, and big "no shooting" signs all over.

Speaking of guns, I'm from AZ. We carry guns, any kind you want, nearly any place you want. Being stripped of my right and ability to defend ourselves from predators, 2 or 4 legged gave me a distinct feeling of being a second class subject in CA. Especially with all the cops and pseudo cops of various sorts running around with their guns. Really felt like a police state, CHP, sheriff, city police, state and national rangers, game wardens, and knowing Mammoth, probably a few DEA agents policing the ski bums, all in a town of 7,000. Didn't see a single vagrant or obvious tweeker though.

Not only can you not carry a gun to defend against bears or cougar or people, you can't even carry bear spray in nearby Yosemite. So the bears win... And before some environmentalist tells me to hug a bear, I've already done that. Literally tripped over one as a kid, was lucky it was more surprised than I and it ran one way while I ran the other and I didn't get mauled. I've had many bear encounters and never needed to shoot one yet, but black bears do get confused or agressive on occasion and they don't respond to kind words. Our neighbor shot one on his porch on Old Mammoth Rd back in the day, and got arrested for hunting in city limits or something. CA's long standing anti gun and anti personal defense stance has only gotten worse.

And what's with closing the campgrounds and all the road closed barricades everywhere now? We used to go all over, now it's like "they" (the gubbermint?) doesn't want people using our public lands except in places where they funnel everyone. Not just Mammoth, this trend is everywhere now, lock the people out. I heard they closed Tioga pass last week when they got like 3 inches of snow. Gimme a break. Too much nanny state.

Hot Creek now has bathrooms and a bunch of no swimming signs. Though we did see some folks hiking up the hill wrapped in towels. So I guess they aren't enforcing the no swimming thing. But apparently over the years a number of people have been scalded and even died, so this is apparently one place where restrictions or warnings are valid. And if there's a road that needs paving, that's the one!

Rock Creek and Convict Lake are both still gorgeous, and the beauty of the mountains more than offsets the negatives of the support businesses.

I guess the old saying, "You can never go home," is true. LOL I'm glad we went, I'm glad progress hasn't destroyed the place, but I won't be back.

[Trekker99]

We were just in Mammoth Lakes last week, too - but our stay was Monday-Thursday.

Stayed at the Best Western Premier for only 170/night.

All the places we went to accepted credit card; loved Mammoth Brewing.

All the roads we went into were open, but did see the gates and asked around that they get closed in the winter.

Had a great time cruising the roads to Twin Lakes, Lake George, Horseshoe Lake, Convict Lake and all the hiking trails.

The off season let us take a direct drive all the way to the bottom of Devil's Postpile Nat'l Monument (as opposed to the mandatory shuttle during the summer months).

Had a great time.

[jamies]

Originally Posted by Trekker99

We were just in Mammoth Lakes last week, too - but our stay was Monday-Thursday.

Stayed at the Best Western Premier for only 170/night.

All the places we went to accepted credit card; loved Mammoth Brewing.

All the roads we went into were open, but did see the gates and asked around that they get closed in the winter.

Had a great time cruising the roads to Twin Lakes, Lake George, Horseshoe Lake, Convict Lake and all the hiking trails.

The off season let us take a direct drive all the way to the bottom of Devil's Postpile Nat'l Monument (as opposed to the mandatory shuttle during the summer months).

Had a great time.

Yeah, I read about the DP shuttle. Must be a lot of people there in the summer.

How was the Best Western? It was $222 when I looked. But we didn't book ahead. I meant to look at it for future reference but ran out of time. We were there midweek too.

Yes the lakes were nice. But I never had luck fishing them as a kid. The streams yes, lakes, no. And yes, wasn't the drive to DP nice on that paved super highway? My mom worked at the pack station for a summer when I was a kid, there were spots we'd walk behind the truck so only the driver would go over the side... We used to take our jeeps up to the lakes in the winter and go snow blasting, but now I guess it's all closed off for x-country skiers.

I think my favorite place is Rock Creek though. So pretty and only a handful of people. I wanted to go up to Sherwin lakes, but one look at the road, err trail, and at my nearly new truck and that was a big "nope." LOL Maybe in a quad or on foot. But not unarmed, we took a bear (yes legally with a license) with a .30-30 up there about this time of year back around '72.

[Mr5150]

The changes at Mammoth are what you find everywhere. At least in places where it is desirable. Oregon, WA, Idaho, Colorado, AZ, MT, etc. are not the same as they were in the 70s. Unless you go to Iowa things have not changed. And even then those small towns are usually dying.

My town had one stoplight in the 70s. Now we have close to 15. With that said it is still a nice place to live, with lots of open National Forest land nearby. But the issue with Mammoth is that it’s become a playground area for LA.

[2011KTM530]

I go to Mammoth at least one a year to do mountain biking. We camp over in the Mary lakes area. It’s a fun area, but we don’t go to the restaurants, to expensive and rarely drive into town, traffic is bad. It’s a beautiful place to visit but I can see the point of the OP, it’s getting loved to death by Los Angeles.

[dcisive]

The comments on not being able to go home would apply to nearly ANY PLACE you can come up with when looking at a perspective of what it would have been 20-30 years ago even. I lived in the Bay Area in the 80's, a time I feel was one of the best for that area. it's a FAR cry from what it was back then. Living in Redwood City and Half Moon Bay at that time. For the first few years I commuted to a job in SF from Redwood City and it wasn't a bad commute at all. Then moved to Half Moon Bay and commuted to San Carlos for my job, once again not a big deal. Today ALL commutes are a near nightmare involving thick nearly stopped traffic and a long delay time. I remember when taking Hwy 280 was like being on the Autobahn where people could and did drive in excess of 80mph all the time without issues. Now of course it's become a image of 101 and not what it once was. Housing in general has grown through the roof in all areas let alone the prices. The home we bought in Half Moon Bay for $139k sold last year for 1.2 Million. Yes indeed with time things change and not always for the better.

[DutchessCottonPuff]

My late fiance is buried at East Line in Bishop but grew up there in Mammoth in the 70's and Graduated in 82 then would sort of come and go . He LOVED To ski and climb and sail the lakes up there .
I was last there for his funeral almost 2 years ago and paid with plastic , I was too distraught to deal with cash . It is always just terribly beautiful up there but his death really changed the way I see it .

[LaJollaEast]

We have been going to Mammoth from Southern California for the past 45 years to ski. It has definitely changed since we first started going there as most places have in California. We are going on a 10 day road trip later this month and will stay a night in Mammoth and then drive over to Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon and up to Big Sur before heading home. My husband and I are hoping to catch some nice fall colors and do a little hiking and a lot of picture taking. We just stay at the Motel 6 when we are in Mammoth since we only need a clean bed to sleep in and would rather spend money on eating out and other things. We like John's Pizza which is just across the street from Motel 6. We usually have at least one dinner at Convict Lake during our ski trips. We always stop by Mammoth Brewing and Black Doubt Brewing Company for a beer and take a walk up to the Village to window shop while there.

[BeauCharles]

Towns may change but the mountains don't. The east side of the Sierra is so amazing.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by LaJollaEast

We have been going to Mammoth from Southern California for the past 45 years to ski. It has definitely changed since we first started going there as most places have in California.

Our family used to pay $10 per kid (under 12) for a lift ticket at Mammoth...times have definitely changed.