Mammoth Lakes Warnings Or Dangers Tips by chewy3326 Top 5 Page for this destination

Volcanoes and CO2 and Eruptions, Oh My! CO2 Dangers Review

Mammoth Lakes looks like the prettiest little place ever, but there is to some extent, a quite major danger here (not likely to occur while most visitors are here). The town of Mammoth Lakes sits on the enormous Long Valley caldera (a geological feature somewhat like Yellowstone), which could possibly erupt in the near future. In the 1980's, a series of quakes here made scientists worry that something might blow- but nothing did. A road was constructed as a secondary evacuation route from Mammoth, but since the eruption never came, the road was left unused, and was eventually renamed "Mammoth Lakes Scenic Loop". Geographical features around Mammoth attest to the volcanic history of the area: Inyo Craters, Obsidian Dome, Hot Creek, Devils Postpile. Occasionally, CO2 will seep up from the ground in some areas and kill trees, etc, making areas toxic and unsafe; this is very noticeable around Horseshoe Lake, and on parts of Mammoth Mountain itself.

Website: http://lvo.wr.usgs.gov/CO2.html

Snow and roads Other Natural Dangers Review

It snows alot at Mammoth, and much of the winter snow lingers into summer. Many roads in the area are plowed and open year round (including the road to Mammoth Mountain Ski Area), but some are not, and don't open until sometime in summer. On a typical year, the road to Devils Postpile (which we had planned to visit) opens in late May/early June. Although we arrived on June 24, the road had not yet opened because of particularly heavy snowfall. Before you go on a trip to someplace like Mammoth, always check first to see when roads and facilities will open.