Eastern Sierras- Mammoth Lakes, CA
Weddings/Elopements, Portraits, Events, Business, Real Estate, and Landscapes
Mammoth Lakes is a small mountain town nestled on the Eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is a year-round destination offering outdoor recreation activities like skiing, hiking, fishing, mountain biking and more.
You can find gorgeous views any time of year, from the rugged snow-capped mountains, numerous alpine lakes, to forests, and even grassy fields. It is an amazing place to take family photos, conduct a surprise proposal, or host a wedding.
Surrounding areas like Hilton Creek, Convict Lake, the Twin Lakes Basin, June Lake, Lee Vining, and Mono Lake are excellent locations with numerous opportunities as well.
Things to know:
-
Permits
-
Winter Road Closures
-
Weather
-
Altitude
-
Minaret Vista – Panoramic view of the White Mountains, Mammoth Lakes, Mammoth Mountain, the Minarets and Ritter Range are popular for sunset ceremonies and epic-backdrop portraits. As you leave the Main Lodge of Mammoth Mountain and head towards Red's Meadow, you will turn right at the guard shack. This skyline is absolutely incredible any time of day. It takes your breath away. In the winter, you can snowshoe or cross-country ski up here.
-
Mammoth Mountain summit - Take a ride up the gondola to the top of Mammoth Mountain. Summertime brings mountain bikers. Wintertime brings alpine sports. You feel like you are on top of the world. This is one of many of Mammoth Mountain's wedding and event venues.
-
Twin Lakes Basin - The home of several alpine lakes to which one can drive has easy access to gorgeous views, waterfalls, aspens, evergreen forests, and more. Camping, hiking, biking, horseback riding, boating, fishing, paddle boarding, snowshoeing, and Nordic skiing. There is so much to do and see and simply not enough time. From Horseshoe Lake, you can take a quick 15-30 min. jaunt up to McLeod Lake situated under the Mammoth Crest, or up and over, down to Red's Meadow. Drive around Lake Mary to Coldwater Campground which housing trailheads to Duck Pass or TJ and Barrett Lakes, and around to Lake George quietly sitting under the monolith of Crystal Crag. Lake Maime sits just about across the road from the top of Twin Falls, a popular overlook and common spot for photography. Perhaps, you want to take a short walk up to Panorama dome to see all the grandeur of the Lake's basin and the White Mountains. While this area does get busy in the summer months, the winter months tend to be quieter. Regardless of the season, intimate locations with variety are available. Mammoth Mountain hosts weddings at the lakeside Forrest Chapel.
-
Devils Postpile / Rainbow Falls/Red's Meadow - Access is seasonal via shuttle from Mammoth Mountain. Campgrounds, backpacking, horseback riding, fishing, and the John Muir Trail converge here. It is a playground of rural variety. Devil's Postpile features a basalt column formation. Rainbows Falls is feature that is looked forward to every year. One can hike down the many steps to feel the spray of the waterfall.
Mammoth Lakes
This iconic lake is known for weddings, family portraits, elopements, hiking, backpacking, boating, fishing, paddle boarding, and photography! Nothing matches its turquoise water, the brilliant reflections, the colorful striated rock of Laurel Mountain, easy shoreline access, and the towering Mt. Morrison. This resort is year-round to visit. This lake will freeze, but as it begins to thaw, cracks in the ice create unique foreground elements in the photograph. Fall is a gorgeous time to visit this place. A short hike around the lake takes you to the back of the lake where a boardwalk wanders through the aspens to help cross the incoming creek. Frequently named the #1 pick by other Eastern Sierra elopement and wedding photographers, this lake continues to create a sense of awe and wonder. Convict Lake Resort, nestled in aspens, has cabins and boats you can rent, horseback rides, a store, a fine dining restaurant, and features a tent designed specifically for weddings and events.
Convict Lake
The June Lake Loops is filled with epic, breathtaking views of alpine lakes and surround Sierra Nevada Mountains. The year-round town might seem small and quiet, but winter sports, summer campgrounds, fall photographers, hiking, boating, and fishing make it burst with life. Silver Lake is often named the best of the loop's lake for elopements with its quiet shoreline. Double Eagle Resort is a popular wedding venue nestled in the aspens. Everywhere you look, you are surrounded by giant granite mountains and scenic views. It is definitely worth driving, even if not stopping for photos...good luck not stopping.
June Lake
-
Lee Vining - More than a small town to drive through...Lee Vining is a gateway to great things such as Mono Lake, Lundy Canyon and Tioga Pass. It provides food, lodging and gas for this cluster of sights to be seen.
-
Tioga Pass/Hwy 120 is not only the portal to the Eastern Gate of Yosemite, but it is also an incredibly scenic. Along the way you will pass two glacier fed lakes, Tioga and Ellery Lakes offer incredible reflections. Saddle Bag Lake offers great intimate elopement settings. After passing through the gate to Yosemite, you will be near the trailhead for hiking Mt. Dana and Tenaya Lake and on to Tuolumne Meadows with wide open meadows, forests, and granite domes. Because it is quieter, it is a great place for elopements. Scenic views abound along this stretch of highway. It is important to note that the National Parks Service does have Special Use Permit requirements that differ from those on BLM land like Mono Lake. The road does close for the winter. Once closed, one can only enter the park from the eastern gates of the Sierras; however, these areas will not be accessible.
-
Mono Lake - Tufa Towers that feel otherworldly, brine shrimp, birds, and one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world make this place unique. Hwy 395 parallels the western edge of the lake. The visitor center has an incredible patio for viewing the lake. This is a great place for night or astrophotography and seeing the milky way. There are tufa towers at both the south and north ends of the lake.
-
Lundy Canyon - This glacially carved canyon provides colorful scenic mountains surrounding a lake filled with foliage. Fall colors is a must for this canyon bringing photographers from all around. This is perfect for family or intimate portraits.