Eastern Sierra Labor Day Weekend Itinerary

In this itinerary, Julie and I took advantage of the Labor Day Weekend so neither of us needed to take a day off.

This trip targeted a visit to the Eastern Sierras while basing ourselves out of the Mammoth Lakes area.

This was our first time visiting Mammoth outside of the ski season. Of course, we were motivated by the scenery and waterfalls as this was becoming our new-found obsession. Indeed, this trip was exposing us to how diverse the scenery of California was, and we could totally see ourselves doing more of these kinds of trips.

Here’s a summary of what we accomplished in this holiday weekend…

Trip Map

Mono Lake – This high salinity lake had a rather unique ecosystem as indicated by their unique flies around its shores which had no interest in biting anything but the microbes on the ground. And when we’d step close to the lake, they’d buzz around then settle on a different part of the ground away from you. The tufas around the area grew quite tall and they were also a pretty cool feature.

Hot Creek – At the end of the day, Julie and I enjoyed ourselves soaking in the geothermally heated creek to relax our muscles. It was quite the popular spot, and there was even a tiny natural arch on the drive in.

Rainbow Falls and Devil’s Postpile – This reserve featured a gorgeous 100ft waterfall as well as a Lower Falls, Minaret Falls, and the intriguing basalt formations known as the Devil’s Postpile. It exposed us to what was possible in the Summer in this area as we realized it wasn’t just a skiing destination.

Day 1: Drive from Los Angeles to Mammoth Lakes

Overnight: Holiday Haus (Mammoth Lakes, California, USA)

This was a driving day. No sightseeing.

Day 2: Devil’s Postpile, Mono Lake, and Hot Creek

Overnight: Holiday Haus (Mammoth Lakes, California, USA)

This was a busy day of visiting Minaret Falls, the Devil’s Postpile formation, Rainbow Falls, and Lower Falls. After leaving the reserve, we then went to Mono Lake (South Tufa) before soaking in Hot Creek to unwind the day.

Day 3: Drive Home

We began this day by visiting the Twin Lakes and Twin Falls. Then, we left Mammoth Lakes and did a hike along McGee Creek towards Horsetail Falls. Only after this hike did we drive home.