Touring * Fitness * Street * Slalom * Artistic *

From U.S. 395, exit at the Mammoth Lakes junction, State Highway 203 heading west. At the second stoplight in the town of Mammoth Lakes, about 3.75 miles up from the junction, the road becomes Lake Mary Road. (Highway 203 takes a right turn here and becomes Minaret Road, heading toward the ski area.) Go straight on Lake Mary Road and proceed another three miles past Twin Lakes, taking the high road on the left at the "Y" intersection, until you reach a bend where Lake Mary Road makes a 180-degree turn back toward the west. Right in the middle of this bend, turn left onto Crystal Crag Drive, and park at the campground parking lot. Crystal Crag Drive is the Lake Mary Loop.

The Lake Mary Loop is one of the most popular places to skate in the Mammoth Lakes area, no surprise given its many blessings. To name a few: it's only about two and a half miles south of downtown Mammoth Lakes, it's surrounded by the gorgeous lakeside scenery and pine forests of Mammoth Lakes Basin, traffic is usually low enough to allow worry-free road skating, and the pavement is unplowed in winter, meaning it's protected by a layer of snow during the year's most brutal weather. It seems quite fitting that the Tamarack Cross-Country Ski Center, located just up the road at Twin Lakes, should have the Lake Mary Loop marked on its trail maps; in fact, Tamarack skiers who love to skate are directed to special lanes of the Loop where they can hone skills that translate directly to the pavement later in the year.

There's one fairly steep hill on the loop, so bring along your slalom abilities or heel-braking skills. After you return to your car, you might be tempted to explore Lake Mary Road farther to the west. Don't bother; the pavement is poor and the tar patches so grabby in summer heat that skating actually becomes dangerous.