About Twin Falls
Twin Falls drains Lake Mamie as it tumbles into the Twin Lakes near the Mammoth Lakes area (which is most known as a resort town for skiing).
We were able to experience this reportedly 250ft waterfall from both its top and its bottom.
The photo you see above was taken of its front side at the bottom in between the namesake Twin Lakes.
The Top of Twin Falls
From the top, we were able to see the waterfall tumble down the cliff below us towards the scenic Twin Lakes Recreation area.
In the afternoon, this was a great spot to take photos and perhaps even have a little bit of a picnic as the viewpoint was right next to a picnic area.
But given that the afternoon sun was mostly behind us, it really brought out the colors in the Twin Lakes and the surroundings.
We were also able to see that they might even turn off this waterfall as the outflow of Lake Mamie seemed to pass through a sluice gate before rushing below the pair of bridges on its way over the precipice.
I have to apologize to my former office-mate for disagreeing with her that this was the waterfall they turn off. Apparently, she was right all along!
The Bottom of Twin Falls
At the bottom, we were able to walk towards a bridge separating the two lakes comprising Twin Lakes, which I’ll refer to as the Twin Lakes Bridge.
In afternoon lighting, the lake was colorful, clear, and serene. So it was perfect for taking lake photos while basking in the chill atmosphere of people enjoying themselves amongst classic Sierra frontcountry.
But in addition to the lakes, we could look against the afternoon light across one of Twin Lakes and see Twin Falls tumbling right into it.
Although afternoon lighting was good for looking away from the falls, it wasn’t great for photographing the falls itself.
Even though we were pretty happy with the waterfall exhibiting unusually high flow during our August visit in 2010, clearly the best time to photograph the falls from the bottom was in the morning.
Julie and I first visited the falls back in September 2001 in the morning so it had nice lighting, but the falls had low flow.
So we were never really able to get that combination of great flow and great lighting.
In any case, I think the best view of the waterfall is from this bridge.
I recalled trying to get a closer look at the falls at its base, but after running into lots of overgrowth and obstructed views, I determined it wasn’t worth it.
Finally, I’d have to say that for people enjoying themselves at the Twin Lakes (whether it’s swimming, chilling, boating, fishing, etc.), Twin Falls made for a very nice scenic backdrop for all this activity.
I couldn’t imagine a better conglomeration of attractions in one place.
I mean, it’s got attractive lakes for recreation, a waterfall in the backdrop, walking paths, and mountains surrounding the scene. What more can you ask for?
Authorities
Twin Falls resides near Mammoth Lakes in Mono County, California. It is administered by Mono County. For information or inquiries about this area as well as current conditions, visit the Mono County website.
From the Mammoth Lakes Village (roughly 6 hours drive north of Los Angeles), we drove west on Main St/Hwy 203 towards the traffic light at the intersection with Minaret Rd/Lake Mary Rd.
We continued going straight at the light and followed the Lake Mary Road for another 2.2 miles eventually reaching the Twin Lakes Camp Store.
There’s a spur road (Twin Lakes Loop Road) to the right leading to car park where we were briefly able to park the car and walk to the bridge.
Beyond the camp store, we drove further up the paved Twin Lakes Loop Road for about 0.4 miles.
That was where we turned right and followed the much busier Lake Mary Road for another 1.5 miles towards the Twin Falls Picnic Area right across from Lake Mamie (just beyond Lake Mary).
Find A Place To Stay
Bottom up sweep from the very top of the falls
Left to right sweep from near the top of the falls ending at the lakes below
Bottom up sweep from the bridge at Twin Lakes zooming in on the waterfall at the end
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Twin Falls March 17, 2023 5:26 pm - Twin Falls at Mammoth Lakes has unique viewing points across the three lakes below the falls, with a hiking trail to the base of the falls from the southern most and upper most of these lakes. With a view from the middle of these lakes, you can see Crystal Crag in the distance above the… ...Read MoreNearest Waterfalls
