Mammoth Lakes · RedAwning

Mammoth MountainCalifornia's longest ski season — an 11,053-foot summit and 3,500 acres in the Eastern Sierra

California's highest summit ski lift at 11,053 feet, an extinct volcano with 3,500+ acres of skiing and one of the longest ski seasons in North America — Mammoth regularly stays open from early November through June, sometimes into July. 25 lifts, 178 trails, an average of 350+ inches of snowfall, 300 sunny days a year, and the Mammoth Unbound Terrain Parks that have been the official training ground for the U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Teams for over twenty years.

Hours today8:30 AM – 4:00 PMWednesday hours
TicketsFrom $259Adult lift ticket — Peak window
LocationMammoth Lakes, California10001 Minaret Road
Official sitemammothmountain.comPlan your visit

3,500+ acresSkiable terrain
25Lifts
350"Avg. snowfall
11,053 ftSummit elevation

Dave McCoy founded Mammoth Mountain in 1953 with a single rope tow, a permit from the Inyo National Forest, and a hunch about an extinct volcano in the Eastern Sierra that held snow into July. Seventy-three years later it's a 3,500-acre operation with 25 lifts, 178 trails, and one of the highest summit elevations in California — 11,053 feet, accessed by the Panorama Gondola from Main Lodge.

The mountain sits on the eastern face of the Sierra Nevada — six hours from Los Angeles, three hours from Reno — at the rain-shadow line where Pacific storms drop their last and deepest snow before the rangefront breaks. The base elevation is 7,953 feet (one of the highest in California), the snowfall averages 350 inches a season, and the season regularly runs from early November through June. In big snow years (2017, 2023) Mammoth has stayed open into August.

Mammoth Unbound, the resort's terrain park system, has been ranked the top park in North America for over a decade — 10 unique parks, two halfpipes, 100+ rails, and the official training ground for the U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Teams. The base of the mountain is anchored by The Village at Mammoth (a 2003 alpine-pedestrian core with the Village Gondola loading directly onto Canyon Lodge), with three other base lodges (Main, Eagle, and Canyon) spreading the lift-accessed terrain across a six-mile front.

Panorama Gondola to 11,053 ft
The summit gondola from Main Lodge climbs to the highest summit ski lift in California — open to skiers, snowboarders, and non-skier sightseers (with kid-free passes for accompanying children 12 and under). The summit deck delivers panoramic views from Mount Whitney to Mono Lake.
Mammoth Unbound Terrain Parks
Ten progression-driven parks with two halfpipes, 100+ rails, and up to 50 jumps on any given day — the official training ground for U.S. Freeski and U.S. Snowboard, ranked the top park system in North America for over a decade.
Chair 23 & The Wipeouts
The signature high-speed quad to the upper bowls and chutes — Wipeout Chutes, Climax, the Hangman's, and the Hole-in-the-Wall traverse. Lift-served expert terrain reaching 11,000 feet, weather and avalanche control permitting.
An Extinct Volcano
Mammoth Mountain is a 100,000-year-old volcanic dome at the southern end of the Long Valley caldera — the same volcanic system that fuels Hot Creek and the Inyo Crater chain. The CO₂ vents on the eastern flank are still tracked by the U.S. Geological Survey as an active monitoring zone.
350+ Inches & 300 Sunny Days
Mammoth's eastern-Sierra position delivers an unusual combination: 350+ inches of snowfall a season (one of California's deepest snowpacks) and roughly 300 sunny days a year. The 2022/23 season logged over 700 inches and stayed open until August 2023.
The Village Gondola
The Village Gondola loads directly out of The Village at Mammoth — a 2003-built alpine-pedestrian core with restaurants, bars, the Westin Monache hotel, and the Village Lodge condominiums — and delivers skiers to Canyon Lodge in twelve minutes, eliminating the need for a car most days.
Woolly's Adventure Summit
A year-round family activity zone at the base — tubing lanes, the Mammoth Mountain Coaster (a 2,800-foot gravity-driven track), a snow play area, and the Woolly mascot snowbike rentals. Open winter and summer with separate hours.
Mammoth Yosemite Airport
MMH is one of the only U.S. ski resorts with a dedicated commercial airport on its doorstep — a 12-minute drive from the lifts, with semi-private charter service from Carlsbad and Hawthorne and seasonal commercial connections from San Francisco and Denver via Bishop (BIH).

Open hours

Winter season runs early-November through June, sometimes later — one of the longest ski seasons in North America. Summer operations on the Panorama Gondola, Bike Park, and Woolly's Adventure Summit run mid-June through mid-September.

Monday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Tuesday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
WednesdayToday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Thursday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Friday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Sunday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Note · The Panorama Gondola to the 11,053-foot summit operates 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM in winter; the chair-only Chair 23 to the upper bowls runs 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, weather permitting.

Ticket pricing

Per-person admission. Buy in advance to skip the gate line.

Adult lift ticket — Peak window$259Holiday-window window rate; advance online saves significantly
Adult lift ticket — Mid-season$189Standard non-holiday weekday
Beginner lift ticket$89Chairs 7, 11, 15 & 17 only — for first-timers
Child (5–12)$50Beginner ticket; full mountain pricing varies by date
Ikon Pass — Full season$1,259Unlimited Mammoth + 60+ Ikon resorts; pre-season promo

Mammoth runs on the Ikon Pass, not Epic. Lift ticket pricing is dynamic — advance online purchases save substantially over the window rate. Kids 4 and under and seniors 80+ ski free with a complimentary pass; military discounts (25% off) at the ticket window with valid ID. Same-day tickets must be purchased at a base lodge ticket window.

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