July 27th, 2022 – Good afternoon, it’s been warm and muggy up here in the Eastern Sierra. Air quality went bust last weekend but has returned to clear skies.

The mountain biking has been great, Snowman has been on some really fun and long rides over the last week. If you like cooler weather rides the Mountain Bike Park is the place to be especially during the AM hours.

If you’re planning a trip up I highly recommend the bike park for at least a day and then a day to ride off the hill.

Outside of the park with it being mid-Summer I would advise getting out early in the morning. My favorite ride not in the park when it’s warm is to take Uptown to the Mountain View Trail to the Minaret Vista. (If you have a bike park pass you can get into the park from the Vista, just look at your trail maps.)

If you’re inside the Mammoth Mountain Bike Park you will now find they have 100% of the trails and lifts open that they run during the Summer months.

My favorite rides in the park are mixing up some of the intermediate downhills with cross-country routes and the break-through 2-way climbing section. Try Break Through, Beach Crusier, Off the Top, Uptown and Downtown, Lincoln Express, Timber Ridge, Paper Route, and Manzanita.

I also like Skid Marks off the top for a bit of a scare with the mid and lower sections prime for maximum fun on the mountain bike.

Should be a great week and weekend in the park remember that 16 and 2 only run Fridays into Sundays.  Here is a link to the trail status page.

Mid Town Bike Trail Ride

In Mammoth Lakes, both Mountain View to Minaret Vista and the Knolls Loop by Shady Rest Park are open and in great shape.

Mammoth Rock Trail is a great family ride to try out, but do watch for others as this is a shared-use trail. Lots of bikers, hikers, and horses coming both up and down this trail.

Trails and service roads out in the Inyo Forest are also all open, however, watch out for sections of sandy road on some of those forest service bike routes. I would be riding a wide tubeless tire with low pressure in these conditions for sure.

Lower Rock Creek Canyon is sweet right now, but it will be hot by mid-day. Ride early if you can and watch for downhill bikers, hikers, fisher people, and dogs. I saw three of those combos last Friday on that trail.

Chipmunk Canyon in Bishop I ride here a couple of times a week in the Summer with a 7:30 AM start. By 9:30 AM the sun is very hot in that area so you want to ride early or forget it.

Sand Canyon from Upper Rock Creek Lake is a 4000-foot vertical fun run on a mix of old service roads and single-track trails. This one is open and ready for those looking for a long adventure.