Beginner *

From U.S. 395, exit at the Mammoth Lakes junction, State Highway 203 heading west. About three miles up, turn left onto Old Mammoth Road at the first stoplight, and drive the four blocks through town. Cross Meridian Boulevard at the second light, the mall corner. After crossing the creek, the street veers toward the west, passing the Snowcreek driving range. Just after that turn left onto Fairway Drive between a pair of pillars marking the Snow Creek condominium entrance. Park in the sales office lot or on the road shoulder near there.

Beginning skaters, do you feel tense, awkward, unable to make an effective stroke? Here's a great location for a first or early skating experience. Fairway Drive is very flat, very smooth, and very pretty. And although it's a public road leading out to the Snow Creek condos, most of the time traffic is minimal.

Take your eyes off the pavement when you skate here, and instead gaze up at the mountains in the distance all around. The mesmerizing beauty of those grand formations is bound to help you relax. The lush greens of Snow Creek Golf Course run along the road's western border, making up for the drab desert scrub that's so prevalent in these parts. There's a driving range just across Old Mammoth Road--just one more reason to make sure you wear your helmet..

Intermediate skaters who can handle gravity and slightly rougher pavement can get more of a workout by skating the condo loop that Fairway Drive leads to.