As of June 8th, 2023, @ 2 PM

Mountain Biking Weather Update: There is a chance for afternoon showers and thunderstorms at times right into early next week. As the next cut-off low moves in, the storms could get quite wet by late morning or early afternoon right into Monday. Be ready for possibly heavy rain after the noon hours right into Monday. 

Chances range from 30% to 50% each afternoon. Snow levels during heavy storms could briefly drop down to around 10,000 feet.

Temperatures will be in the low to mid-50s around Main Lodge. Overnight lows are expected down into the low to mid-30s. Winds will be in the light range except in areas where thunderstorms develop and go off. Overall the next month looks to be below average temperature-wise.

Get our full Mountain Bike and Recreational weather forecast at this link.

Current Trail Conditions: As of this update, the available mountain biking has opened up into Shady Rest and the Mammoth Knolls areas. Everything from Shady Rest down to Bishop is ready to ride.

The current snow line is around the 7500-8000 feet level. Any place below the 8000-foot level that gets direct sun is melted out. At the 9000-foot level up to the 11,000-foot mark, about 8-25+ feet of Snow remain.

Trail and Dirt Road Conditions out there are primarily dry unless you’re near any creek, stream, or river, as a massive runoff occurs, with many areas flooded along waterways. A perfect example is the lower section of Lower Rock Creek Trail, which has about a 100-foot-long section that you must walk through water about 8-10 inches deep. Some mud ruts are near the Top of lower Rock Creek Trail.

Some rain has been reaching the ground from Bishop up to Mammoth Lakes. Local trails that had started to get dry did get a bit of a spruce up. Tuesday morning on my ride was an actual brown powder day as we got to ride the moist dirt from a big thunderstorm that went through overnight.

The best trail to ride in the Mammoth area is The Knolls Loop on a traditional Mountain Bike or EBike. Or ride out Sawmill Road and do the Big or Little Smokey Bear Loops. This is a bit of sand, but it is not bad yet. Try an E Mountain Bike on this route, and you will find you can power right through the sandy sections.

When I checked a few days back, the Inyo Crater Loop and Single Track area still snowed in, but the Snow was melting fast.

Down at Toms Place, you can do the Sunny Slopes / Upper Gorge Ride, there is some sand, but it’s not bad yet. Mountain Bikes and Mountain E-Bikes are your best bet on this route.

Out of Bishop, all OHV trails and side single-track routes are now open in the Buttermilks. With the cool weather, now is the time to check this area out before the Summer sets in during July.

The roads and motocross trails in West Bishop have some great riding. Just watch for some big-time eroded sections. Those erosion sections do make for some fun technical riding.

The classic Black Rock Canyon Road climb is crazy right now. I saw some images of locals carrying their bikes through some long boulder sections to get to the Polleta single-track downhill. So it’s doable, but only for the exceptionally fit, and I would not want to carry a heavy e-bike over those rocks, so beware.

The other option is riding your Mountain E-bike right up Polleta Canyon. I have seen it done recently. When I get a Levo in my hands to ride, I plan on trying it.

Silver Canyon is washed out in spots and closed to 4 x 4 traffic. The USFS told us you can still ride up the road on a mountain bike. Do beware that all those river crossings on this route are significant now.  

Mammoth Mountain Bike Park: Word from the Bike Park staff is there is no set date for opening the bike park due to the extreme winter of 2023. With the record snowpack, operations will be cut back this season. It will likely be mid-August before all the trails from MC Coy station down can open. I will update you as I hear any news about the Bike Park.

Ride on Snowman Out… 🙂