Mammoth Lakes Training Toolkit for Endurance Athletes

August 28, 2025

August through October is Endurance Season in Mammoth Lakes! A prime time for runners, cyclists, and climbers to prepare for Mammoth Gran Fondo, Mammoth TUFF, Trailfest, Flash Foxy Trad Fest, Spartan, and more.

Use these tips to optimize your performance while supporting the local businesses that keep athletes and their supporters fueled, geared, and recovered. Midweek stays are great for long training blocks, fewer crowds, and better access to prime routes.

This toolkit is brought to you by local Eastern Sierra athlete Olivia Amber.

Ultimate Athlete Toolkit

Timing Your Arrival to Mammoth Lakes

  • Day of Event (Not Ideal): Performance will likely dip in the first 24-36 hours.
  • 2-7 Days Before Event (Most Common): Noticeable improvement over day-of arrivals.
  • 14 Days Before (Gold Standard): Near maximal adaptation; ideal for staging training and tapering.

3-Day Acclimation Approach

Listen to your body and adjust your effort, not just mileage and stats.

  • Day 1: Easy effort
  • Day 2: Moderate aerobic (Mammoth Rock Trail or June Lake Loop)
  • Day 3: Sharpen/settle with a quality session (Lake Mary Road climb, track intervals, or tempo ride)

If your event is on Day 3... and you only have two days to adjust, keep Days 1-2 extra conservative and treat Day 3 as race/event day only.

If your event is Day 4-5... you can follow the 3-day approach (easy, moderate, sharpen), then taper into your event.

Go-To Training Zones

Running

  • Easy: Inyo Craters & Earthquake Fault singletrack, Mammoth Lakes Basin trails
  • Moderate: Sherwins via Mammoth Rock Trail, Panorama Dome, Valentine Lake
  • Long: Mammoth Pass to Duck/Pika Lakes, Minaret & Thousand Island Lake loop (don't forget to check Reds Meadow access, as it changes frequently)

Mammoth Lakes Trail System has a lot of great information on the area trails.

Stop by: Footloose Sports and Mammoth Mountaineering Supply are great for recs, conditions, and any last minute nutrition or gear needs.

Cycling, Gravel, and MTB

  • Endurance: June Lake Loop, Lower Rock Creek and Swall Meadows.
  • Threshold: Lake Mary Road climb, Benton Crossing Road rollers.
  • Gravel: Fire roads around Hot Creek, Whitmore, Lookout, and Bald Mountain.

Stop by: Footloose Sports or ASO Mammoth for route tips, conditions, bike fixes, and other gear or repair needs.

Climbing

  • Bouldering: Sherwin Plateau, some around Horseshoe Slabs
  • Sport: Horseshoe Slabs, Matrimony Wall, Warming Wall, some around Sherwin Plateau
  • Trad: Dike Wall, Crystal Lake Wall
  • Alpine/Trad: Mammoth Crest

Stop by: Mammoth Mountaineering Supply for guidebooks, gear, and beta.

Fuel & Recovery

Hydrate more than usual, eat well, and prioritize sleep - your body adapts overnight!

Food & Coffee

Groceries & High-Quality Meats

  • Vons – Full assortment for long stays.
  • Grocery Outlet – Budget-friendly snacks.
  • Mammoth Butcher – Premium meats, to-go sandwiches.

Recovery & Bodywork

Tech & Local Resources

  • Gaia GPS & AllTrails: Offline maps for trail navigation
  • Strava: Heatmaps and pacing at altitude.
  • Windy & NWS: Weather shifts at +8,000ft happen fast! Plan your window and always bring a rain shell, layers, and sunscreen.
  • MTB Project: Local trail beta for MTB & gravel riding.
  • Local Race Sites to study course profiles: Mammoth Gran Fondo, Mammoth TUFF Gravel, Mammoth Trailfest, Spartan

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Visit Mammoth
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Visit Mammoth
Unreal. There is no better way to describe Mammoth Lakes, California. A place so majestic that breathtaking views surround you in every direction. The staff at Mammoth Lakes Tourism is committed to stewardship, education, providing the ultimate visitor experience, and keeping the Real Unreal.
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