My husband and I have been visiting Mammoth ever since we started dating about 8 years ago. Adding two kids has changed our visits quite a bit but we still manage to get up there a few times a year. Our girls love the snow and it’s a nice change from the coast. We just visited again this past weekend and I thought I would put together a little travel guide in case anyone else is interested in going!
Let’s talk about getting there.. for us in San Diego it takes about seven hours in the car. I think how we travel with kids (road trip or flying) will be a whole separate blog post. There is also a small airport in Mammoth but it is about 10 miles from the ski area.
Occasionally we will stop and stay the night in Bishop, CA. It helps to somewhat break up the drive and it also allows our bodies to get acclimated to the altitude since it’s about half way up. Bishop has a few cute shops and there is a Schat’s bakery in town, they are famous for their pastries and breads. If we do end up staying in Bishop, we usually leave first thing in the morning so we have a full day on the mountain. It’s under an hour from Bishop to Mammoth.
There are many affordable accommodations in Bishop. We have stayed at the Creekside Inn, it’s really nice and includes breakfast!!
Accommodations in Mammoth
There are plenty of great places to stay in mammoth, from hotels to Airbnb cabins. The two places I am going to recommend are because of their location, both are in walking distance of the slopes. It’s a ton of work loading/unloading snow gear and finding parking. I like staying nearby because we can take breaks and warm up whenever we want, which is ideal with kids.
#1 place we stay is the Mammoth Mountain Chalets. Once you arrive and park your car you will not have to get back in your car for the duration of your trip!! The chalets are rustic 2-3 bedroom cabins with full kitchens. There is plenty of space here for snow play and you are in walking distance from the slopes (yes, that means you can walk there carrying your bundled up kid, snow gear, etc… super close). I believe they are also pet friendly although we have never brought our dogs. I will say these are more expensive and book up pretty far in advance, but if you split it between two families its affordable and there is plenty of space! Highly recommend!!
If the chalets are unavailable at the time of your trip then second best is the Mammoth Mountain Inn. This is a more hotel like atmosphere but they do offer multi-bedroom suites. The rooms do feel a little older but you can’t beat the location, even closer then the Chalets I mentioned above. This hotel does have a pool/jacuzzi, an underground parking garage, restaurant, and child care.
Snow Activities with Kids
There is plenty of things to do here with kids. Mammoth mountain offers ski school for both kids and adults. We put our 4 year old in half day and she loved it! They offer morning or afternoon lessons and it includes rentals, snacks, playtime.. You can choose between ski or snowboard lessons and they group them by age. Usually 3-4 kids per lesson. The morning lessons is 9-12 and this is usually a good time for the adults to get some uninterrupted time on the slopes. Also, after their lesson their ticket is good for the lifts the rest of the day. You can spend the afternoon with your kids on the bunny slopes if they are brave enough, our four year old was a little nervous so we didn’t end up doing that. Maybe next year!!
If your child is under 3 years old or not interested in lessons, they do offer regular child care. This is located in the Mammoth Mountain Inn. Our good friends had their 2 year old in it for the day and she had so much fun! I will definitely be doing this next time for our youngest. They have tons of activities, they go outside for snow play, and even take them on the gondola.
There is also tons to do outside of hitting the slopes.. we always make a special trip with our kids on the gondola. They love it! You can take the gondola all the way to the very top of the mountain. There is an indoor museum up there with telescopes, coloring, fossils, etc and a cafe. This past time we even took them outside for a quick photo with the sign on top of the mountain!! Also, a little trick: the gondola ticket is only good for one ride up and back to the base. However, there is a mid point (McCoy Station) where you can stop and get off. You can ride between this midpoint and the top as many times as you want. We typically go back and fourth a few times. Once you go all the way back to the bottom, your ticket expires.
We also spend a ton of time around the chalet. Building snowmen, sledding on little hills, and snowball fights! Our girls really love the snow!!
Dining
Since we usually stay in the chalets with full kitchens we don’t dine out very often. We bring up some groceries or stop and get some on the way up there. This saves money and is more convenient with the kids.
However, this past trip we ate at the restaurant inside Mammoth Mountain Inn. I think it is called Mountainside Bar and Grill. We got lucky and it wasn’t very busy. They had soups, salads, vegan nachos, and kid meals. There is a full bar in there with great bloody marys too (according to my husband)!
There is also The Yodler next to the main lodge, serving beer and German food (think pretzels and bratwurst). Inside the main lodge is a cafeteria that has good food if you need a quick bite to eat while on the mountain.
There is also a ton of great places to eat and shop in the village. There is a free shuttle that picks you up in front of the main lodge every 20 minutes. One of our favorite places to eat in the village is Campo, but beware they do book reservations weeks in advance and the wait can be long. There are also quick eateries like Pita Pit and a Starbucks.
Hope this was helpful and inspires you to take a snow trip with your kids!! Let me know if you have any questions about visiting Mammoth, happy to help!!