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Activities

Death Valley and Mammoth in a weekend

A holiday weekend and a base Ikon pass meant two days wheeling in DV and a day skiing.

February 12, 2021

Distance5.4 MiAscent1,451 FtTime2h 14mActivityMiscDifficultyIntermediate

Background

The US-395 corridor makes the unlikely pairing work: Death Valley’s desert is only a few hours from Mammoth’s snow over the mountains, so a winter weekend can be 4×4 in the dunes one day and a powder day the next. Winter is the only sane season for the desert and peak snow up the 395.

If you go

It sounds like a stretch, but a Death Valley 4×4 weekend and a Mammoth ski day actually pair — winter is the only sane season for the desert and it’s peak snow up the 395 in the Sierra. The catch is the drive between them, a few hours over the mountains, so it’s a real weekend of windshield time. Worth it for the contrast: 80°F dunes one day, a powder day the next.