SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys work through the first heat wave of the year, people are finding relief in the Sierra.
The historic winter snowfall is helping to keep the skiing and snowboarding season alive. Mammoth Mountain Ski Area received over 715 inches of snow during the 2022-23 winter season with some parts of the resort reaching record snowfall.
Joanie Lynch with Mammoth Mountain Ski Area says there are about 60 trails and three terrain parks open. The slopes are open before the heat of the day from 7:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.
The mild spring and early summer temperatures are helping to extend the snow recreation. In fact, Lynch says they plan to stay open through the end of July and could go a little bit longer.
And it's not just skiing and boarding in the mountains for the The Fourth of July holiday. There's also a lot of other activities like hiking and biking.
Keep in mind all that snow is limiting access to some areas. Some roads still have snow on them and some lakes are still partially frozen.
Mammoth tends to hold their snowpack a little longer than most places due to their high elevation. The base starts at around 9-thousand feet with the peaks topping out around 11,000 feet. This helps them extend their season deep into the summer.
