Mammoth Lakes and Yosemite Valley Travel Guide: 3-Day Itinerary Chasing the California Fall Colors

Most of California is known for its great weather year-round, but the one thing we don't get is a true fall season like the East Coast does. So we made it our mission to find fall colors in California! We had already roadtripped through much of California, including visiting Yosemite in all different seasons, driving up and down the California coast to see the redwoods and cliffs, and hitting up the desert in Joshua Tree and Death Valley, but somehow had not been to Mammoth Lakes. When researching Mammoth Lakes, we found that the Eastern Sierra mountain range was the best place to see fall colors in California so we timed our trip for mid-October. Not only did we get to see the beautiful trees change colors, but we also got to soak in the most incredible natural hot springs and see the Milky Way clearly with our own eyes. Check out this 3-day itinerary for seeing the fall colors in Mammoth Lakes and Yosemite National Park (and it's dog-friendly too!)
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Yosemite + Mammoth Lakes Fall Travel Tips

• To find where the fall colors in California are, use these three resources:
  • California Fall Color Map (shown below - it updates regularly with which locations are peaking with fall colors!)
  • Mono County Fall Color Report
  • Eastern Sierra Fall Color Map

• When looking for sunrise and sunset locations, keep in mind that the sun may rise later or set earlier behind the mountains. We ran into this when waiting for sunrise at Tunnel View in Yosemite (the sun wouldn't rise above the mountains until 9 AM even though sunrise was at 7:15 AM) and waiting for sunset at Convict Lake (the sun dipped behind the mountains around 4:30 PM even though sunset was at 6:15 PM). We used the Sunseeker app to overlay the sun's path with each location so we knew exactly when it would rise above or dip below a mountain.
• Get to popular places early! One of the best decisions we made was getting to Wild Willy's Hot Springs before sunrise. We got to soak in the hot springs with only one other person in the pool, and watch the colors of the sunrise reflected in the waters. It was our favorite part of our trip, and well worth the early wake up call!
• If you want to photograph the Milky Way, look for clear skies and use the Capture the Atlas Milky Way Calendar to find what time the galaxy will be visible. We found that the Milky Way would only be visible for about an hour and a half, so we planned to photograph the stars during that time. 
• We had already been to Yosemite many times before, so we aimed to go to only dog-friendly locations and skip any hikes. Glacier Road was also closed for all of 2022, so we stuck to easy stops in Yosemite Valley. If you have more time, we definitely recommend Glacier Point and Taft Point for sunrise and sunset!
• On the topic of dog-friendly, we found that Mammoth Lakes was very dog-friendly! This was our first trip with our 11 month old puppy Bixby. In Yosemite, dogs are only allowed in developed areas, paved roads, sidewalks, bicycle paths, and campgrounds.

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Day 1: Yosemite National Park

• Watch the sunrise at the famous Tunnel View
• Walk in the fields with dramatic mountain views behind you at El Capitan Meadow and Cook's Meadow Loop
• See the reflection of Half Dome at Sentinel Bridge
• See the reflection of Yosemite Valley and El Capitan at Valley View

​Day 2: Mammoth Lakes (North)

• Drive the June Lake Loop and stop at the different lakes - June Lake, Gull Lake, and Silver Lake
• Hike through Lundy Canyon for waterfall and lake views*
• Travel back in time at Bodie State Historic Park, a preserved abandoned mining town
• Take a dip at Travertine Hot Springs*

*We didn't have time to go to these places because we had too much fun just hanging out at June Lake Loop, but they came highly recommended and were on our itinerary!

​Day 3: Mammoth Lakes (South)

• Wake up early and take a dip in Wild Willy's Hot Springs at sunrise
• Drive through a tree tunnel on the scenic route to Rock Creek Canyon
• Hang out at Convict Lake, a beautiful blue-green lake with mountain reflections
• Watch the sunset and photograph the Milky Way at Hot Creek Geological Site, where geysers bubble up from the creek