Crystal Lake & Mammoth Crest
Lake George, Mammoth Lakes Basin · near Mammoth Lakes · Eastern Sierra
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 3 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,000 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- July–October (Basin roads open ~late May/June)
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- None for day hikes; overnight = Inyo NF wilderness permit. Trailhead at ~9,000 ft. Small lot fills by mid-morning.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 0 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Cirque lake beneath Crystal Crag · Aerial views over the Lakes Basin · Alpine ridgeline (Mammoth Crest) · Wildflowers
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- You start above 9,000 ft — pace yourself, and do this on day 2+ after acclimatizing.
The guide
A short, steep climb from Lake George lands you at Crystal Lake, cradled in a rockbound cirque under the fin of Crystal Crag. S…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Crystal Lake & Mammoth Crest — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.5878, -119.0125