Mammoth Consolidated Mine Trail in Mammoth Lakes

The Mammoth Consolidated Mine Trail is a short, less than a mile trail in Mammoth Lakes that takes you to the ruins of a once “somewhat successful” mining district. This area was used from the late 1920s to the early 1930s, and it ended up producing a little over $100,000. Today you can walk through the mining district and see many of the old buildings in different states of preservation. It is a fun way to explore the area’s history, and if you want to make it a longer hike, you can head up to Heart Lake as well. Here is all the information.

Details

1 mile
Flat
Parking at the Coldwater Campground
This information was from my hike in 2018

Getting There

The Mammoth Consolidated Mine Trail is located in the back of Coldwater Campground, which you can access via Lake Mary Road. Continue all the way to the back of the campground, and you will see the parking area for Emerald Lakes. On the left of that lot, there is another parking area that takes you to Mammoth Consolidated Mine and Heart Lake; park here to begin the hike.

The Trail

As you begin the trail, you will see a large plaque that designates the historical significance of the area and a bunch of information on its history.

You will then walk down a small hill and across a bridge, from there you will see the ruins of the mining area.

These buildings are much like Bodie and are preserved in what the park calls “arrested decay.” Basically, they do not make any updates to them, but they try to keep them standing and as much as possible what they would have looked like when the mining area dried up, and everyone left.