Mammoth LakesAn 11,053-foot Eastern Sierra ski mountain with five alpine lakes and Yosemite out the back door

Mammoth Lakes sits at 7,880 feet at the base of an 11,053-foot Sierra Nevada peak — Mammoth Mountain runs 25 lifts on the Ikon Pass with 3,500 acres of terrain, the Village at Mammoth gondola climbs out of a pedestrian-friendly base, and the five-lake Mammoth Lakes Basin (Twin Lakes, Lake Mary, Lake George, Lake Mamie, Horseshoe) starts a mile south of town. Devils Postpile National Monument and Rainbow Falls sit ten miles west; Yosemite's east entrance opens for summer.

Our rentals span the valley — slopeside Canyon Lodge condos a short walk to the Eagle Express, Snowcreek townhomes on the cross-country trail and Sierra Star golf course, Old Mammoth cabins under the Jeffrey pines, modern Juniper Springs lofts at the foot of the gondola, and Village at Mammoth lofts with ski-in lockers next to the main pedestrian plaza.