The town of Mammoth Lakes is home to the best skiing near southern California. Near, meaning a six to eight hour drive from San Diego depending on traffic. If you’re a skier or snowboarder and work remotely, you might consider a long-term Mammoth stay during ski season. If you don’t work remotely, have limited time off, or want a shorter trip to Mammoth for whatever reason, you can avoid the long drive and fly instead. Here are three ways to do it.
1. Advanced Airways Flight Carlsbad to Mammoth
Advanced Airways flies directly between Carlsbad (CLD) and Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH) in Mammoth Lakes. With a flight time of about an hour and a half, this is your quickest commercial flight option to Mammoth.
Summer flights run June 30, 2023 through September 4, 2023 and are offered Friday and Sunday only, except on Labor Day weekend when Sunday flights will move to Monday.
Winter service will operate November 22, 2023 (special Wednesday flight for Thanksgiving) through April 29, 2024. Flights will be offered Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Mondays. All dates and schedules subject to change without notice. Book with Advanced Airlines.
2. United Flight San Diego to Bishop
Another option is to fly United Airlines between San Diego International Airport (SAN) and Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in Bishop (BIH), which is about a 45 minute drive south of Mammoth. A drawback is that this flight is not direct between San Diego and Bishop. You have a layover in San Francisco. So, this option might not end up saving much travel time, but it still might be preferred to making the drive solo. You’ll also need to plan your transport between Bishop and Mammoth, one option is to book a shuttle.
For ’23/’24, summer flights between San Francisco (SFO) and Bishop run June 30 to September 4, daily. Winter flights run December 14 to March 30.
One perk with this option is the delicious Thai restaurant attached to the tiny Bishop Airport. You can enjoy some hot tea and Tom Kha Gai soup while waiting for your flight (best airport food I’ve ever had).
3. Find a Pilot Friend
Okay, so this one isn’t accessible to all, but if you’re fortunate to have a friend who’s a licensed pilot and will give you a ride, this is definitely the most memorable way to fly to Mammoth.
For more Mammoth travel info, check Mammoth Lake’s website as the season approaches.