>>Mountain Biking Disclaimer Alert<<
The Mammoth Mountain Bike Park is digging out from a cold, wet winter and spring. Starting this Friday, they plan to open with the Shot Gun Downhill Run and the lower 2/3 of Downtown. The Shuttle from the Village will be open and will drop people off just above the Chair 4 parking lot. Bike Park Tickets this weekend are $29, or you can pick up a season pass for $379.
Mammoth Lakes Area The meltoff is complete below the 8,000-foot level, with patchy snow up to about 8,500 feet. Sherwin Creek Road is melted, plowed, and mostly dry. The back Meadow and Single-Track Trails off Sherwin Creek Road are wide open and in excellent condition.
When I checked a few days back, the Mammoth Rock Trail was rideable in the lower sections. With the warm days coming, it should be open top to bottom by the end of the month, if not sooner. You can also ride down the Mammoth Creek OHV road to the Mammoth Creek Crossing. Do note that the water is high, and you will have to ride back the way you came at this time.
When I checked last weekend, the Shady Rest & Saw Mill Road Area was melted out. Access to the Big and Little Smokey Loops is wide open and clear for Mountain Biking. However, these routes are very loose and sandy in many sections, so a class 1 E-bike is the call if you want to ride these loops.
(LRC) Lower Rock Creek Trail: All three sections are open, clear, and in prime spring shape. Watch for hikers, fishermen, and dogs along the trail. You can learn more about LRC at this link.
Wagon Wheel Trail off Lower Rock Creek Road is open and in great shape.
Sunny Slopes / Upper Gorge Loop is now ridable, but be aware that some roads on this route are starting to be a bit sandy. Be ready to power through. We need to get a crew together and clean up the road section leading up from the River to the upper sections of this ride. Tons of overgrowth make it almost impossible to ride at this time.
The Poleta Canyon OHV Area is located at the end of E Line St and has miles of open, ridable terrain. Poleta Ridge and Poleta Canyon Trail are open, as are all the OHV Roads and other unnamed single-track trails in that area. Last I heard, the Black Rock Mountain road was still a mess, but a crew from Valley Org will be cleaning the road up sometime soon.
White Mountain Road to the White Mountain Single-Track Trail is now open. Be aware that this area offers some very steep climbing in spots; if you plan to ride this area, you better be in mid-season shape or on a class 1 E-MTB. There are also several water crossings on the lower part of this route, so be ready for the water.
The Buttermilk Country and the Tungsten Hills are also melted out and ready for a great Spring ride. This is a great time to explore these areas as the weather is still not hot and perfect for riding and exploring the mix of OHV roads and off-the-cuff single-track trails you will find in this area.
Mill Pond to the Foothill areas of Western Bishop is in great shape as of this post, with miles of OHV roads and hidden single-track trails you can ride. Here is a link to the Google Maps for these areas. To find a place to park and ride on that map, zoom in, and you can see all sorts of open dirt roads. Many of these roads have single-track trails that break off from the road you can explore.
That map’s roads and trails are on BLM, DWP, and Forest Service Land. You can ride in these areas if they are not signed as closed. On Forest Service roads that are closed, you can check with the Forest Service, as many times you can still ride a mountain bike or Class 1 peddle-assist E-MTB on those roads. I advise you never to ride by a road closed sign; check first, and don’t get ticketed.
The Footloose Bike Shop is now fully open for Bike and e-bike Rentals and Bike Repair Services. They also have mountain bike and road biking gear available for retail sales. Give them a call at 760-934-2400, and they can answer your questions.
If you’re looking for other activities to do while you’re in the area, check out our Things to Do page at this link.
Steve Taylor the Snowman – Ride On
