Happy Tails to You

The dog knows something is up.

There sits the Explorer in the driveway, rear hatch open, luggage piled all around. The dog knows he’d better stake out a spot in the car or he might be left behind. So, a good hour before getaway, he stations himself inside. Bag after bag is stashed around him, but he won’t budge.

Smart dog. By the end of the day, after a hot, 5 1/2-hour drive, his stubbornness has paid off for him. All three of us are sitting on a wooden deck overhung by two enormous pines, looking out on blue water dotted with fishing boats, watching the evening sun paint the rust-hued mountain across the lake and luxuriating in the quiet. We’re back in Mammoth Lakes.

We first came here several years ago, almost on a whim. My wife, Cathy, and I were looking for a pretty place where we could stay with our recently adopted German shepherd, Lobo. Mammoth filled those needs, plus a few we hadn’t expressed.

Since then, something brings the three of us back every year to this little town in the Eastern Sierra. We think it’s a combination of the scenery (blue lakes, green mountain slopes, white granite and whiter snowpack, all illuminated by that blinding mountain sunshine) and the weather, which can bite you with its chill in the morning and then warm you to sleep in the afternoon. That, and the constant perfume of the evergreens. A longtime Mammoth regular once told us that the bark of the Jeffrey pine smells to him like “pineapple and vanilla,” and after one sniff, we had to agree.

One more reason: The town of Mammoth Lakes and the surrounding area are notably dog-friendly. You see them almost everywhere: big dogs, little dogs, resident dogs, tourist dogs, dogs jogging along lake shores with their owners, dogs riding in pickup trucks and SUVs, dogs lounging around outdoor tables as their owners eat. A dog, if leash-trained and well behaved, will get along very well in this town. So, starting with our first trip, we felt right at home.

For the tourist dogs, there is no shortage of places to stay. On a list of hotels, motels, lodges and cabins published by the local visitors’ bureau, I counted 14 establishments, from budget-priced to fairly expensive, that allow pets.

We’re staying at the Crystal Crag Lodge on the southwestern shore of Lake Mary, largest of the Mammoth Lakes chain. The lodge is a collection of 21 cabins ranging in size from studio to four-bedroom. Our one-bedroom cabin has a kitchenette and fireplace and comes stocked with linens, cooking utensils and firewood. We like to fix some of our own meals, and the kitchenette is also handy for dishing up Lobo’s two meals a day.

Traveling with a dog can prolong the settling-in process a little. (Reader alert: An earlier article I wrote on traveling to San Francisco drew letters from readers who were shocked, shocked, to hear that a certain motel allowed dogs in its rooms. Since this paragraph contains details about dog and human cohabitation, those readers may want to avert their eyes.) We put out Lobo’s food and water dishes, scatter a few of his toys around the place and drape a sleeping bag over the sofa to protect it. From the lodge office we obtain a couple of “dog blankets” to protect the bedspreads. Then, just to be safe, we liberally spray all the likely surfaces with flea killer.

Our first dinner is a microwave-reheated takeout pizza from town, and it’s followed by an early bedtime. Not only are we tired from the trip, but we can feel the altitude and the dry mountain air. Lake Mary is at 9,000 feet, a full 1,200 feet higher than the town of Mammoth Lakes. For us lowlanders, climbing from sea level to this altitude in one day is a little abrupt. Experience during past trips with headaches, dehydration, sometimes even nausea, has taught us to pace ourselves up here. We drink lots of water, so it’s nice to discover that the tap water tastes pretty good.

Next morning we’re up with the sun, ready to fall into our familiar mountain routine. First, coffee and cinnamon rolls out on the deck, where Lobo samples the air for new scents, and we marvel at the fisher folk who are already out on the water in their boats. Above all, there’s that eerie silence, broken only by an isolated birdcall or the occasional cough of a fisherman way across the lake.

What to do on our first full day? At Mammoth, the more likely question is, what can’t you do? The place has become one of those one-stop vacation wonderlands, and it’s getting a little more so every year.

In the winter, of course, there’s skiing over on Mammoth Mountain, the place that started it all. In the warmer months, there’s hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, fishing (the lakes are stocked weekly with rainbow trout), golfing (two courses). There’s the Devil’s Postpile National Monument, part of a wilderness area along the San Joaquin River that is so pristine that most private vehicles are banned and visitors must take a Forest Service shuttle bus.

If you’ve an itch to range outward a bit, get in the car and drive up U.S. 395 to where it turns west for the Tioga Pass, which takes you into Yosemite National Park by the side door, 45 minutes from Mammoth. Or keep going up 395 to the turnoff for Bodie, where you’ll see what remains of a late-1800s gold-mining boomtown where 10,000 people once lived. Today all that’s left are a few dozen crumbling buildings that bake in the summer and freeze in the winter--a testament to the toughness of the people who came to California hunting the yellow metal.

If your tastes run to cultural events, Mammoth explodes with them during the warm-weather months: There’s summer theater, a Celtic festival over the Fourth of July weekend, a jazz festival in July, arts and crafts festivals in July and August, blues performers and a food and wine festival in August, Oktoberfest in the fall. . . .

In past years, we’ve sampled a lot of the above. Lately, though, show us a map of the area and we see hiking trails, more than we can count, each one leading to some kind of special place--a lake or string of lakes, mountain streams, a beautiful valley. So, just about every morning, we load the backpack with food and water, leash up Lobo and head off for a hike.

Still feeling the altitude on our first morning, we decide to make it an easy one. We drive to nearby Lake George, which has several trail heads, and hike up to two small lakes called Barrett and T.J. Total walking distance is not much over a mile, but the first half is a steep climb, and our L.A.-acclimated lungs get a workout. Lobo’s in his Mountain Dog mode, walking point, frequently stopping to sniff out something suspicious, then straining at his leash to get to the next bend in the trail.

We try slightly longer hikes each day, some of them familiar, some new. A big favorite is Little Lakes Valley, elevation 10,000-plus, which lies within Rock Creek Canyon, south of Mammoth. A series of small, clear lakes is connected by Rock Creek and its rapids and bordered by meadow after meadow filled with wildflowers, all of it encased in granite peaks. To avoid the one minor hazard, don’t forget your mosquito repellent.

Another is Convict Lake, named after a deadly 19th century confrontation between a posse and a gang of escaped prisoners. A two-mile trail, sometimes dipping down to the water’s edge, circles the lake against yet another dramatic mountain backdrop. Hikers may share part of the trail with horseback riders. Horses have the right of way, a rule that some dogs may dispute.

After a hike, there are myriad rewards, depending on one’s taste. We like to sit on our deck in the afternoon sun with good books while Lobo watches the lakeside road below, ready to announce the approach of a jogger--or, even better, a dog.

There’s also food. Maybe it’s the exercise or the mountain air, but Mammoth always struck us as a good place to eat hearty. We like Angel’s on the main drag, a wood-paneled barbecue place with big rib platters and a small, homey bar. Also Perry’s for Italian food and Whiskey Creek, which has a ski-lodge decor, a varied menu and a microbrewery right on the premises. For breakfast there’s the Breakfast Club, naturally, and the Stove, with its down-home biscuits and lumberjack-size servings. Schat’s Bakery, with its restaurant in the back, is a kind of Mammoth landmark. If you have the nerve to order something called the “Dutch baby,” your table will groan under a giant, bowl-shaped baked pancake filled with glazed fruit.

There are a handful of breakfast and lunch spots that have outdoor tables where dogs can hang out, but few for dinner. So, because house rules dictate that Lobo cannot stay in the cabin alone, we take him with us when we eat out. If it’s sunny, we park in the shade, open the windows and make him comfortable in the car.

We meet dogs on all our hikes and on many of our trips to town. The meetings are usually friendly, but not always. We warily eye every new dog on the trail, especially if it’s off the leash. On two occasions during past trips, two different aggressive off-the-leash dogs--clearly from out of state, to judge from their behavior--jumped Lobo with mayhem in mind. Now we never hike without a stout stick, and we slip off his leash only when we’re clearly alone.

There’s also the risk of hiking-related injury, to dog and human alike. Toward the end of this trip, Lobo surprises us by beginning to limp after a particularly rough hike on a scorching day. We take him to a local vet, Dr. Peggy Chew, who finds a bruise under the pad of a rear paw and recommends we ease up on the hiking.

Because of the unseasonably hot weather during our visit in late June (mid-80s, which feels 10 degrees hotter at this altitude), it’s a welcome prescription. So the next day, the last of our trip, we drive up to Tioga Pass, which is closed by snow much of the year, to do some exploring around the entrance to Tuolumne Meadows. There we make one of our best discoveries--a place called Twenty Lakes Basin, a few miles north of Tioga. A small fiberglass boat dubbed “Old Red” takes the three of us across Saddlebag Lake to the northern shore, where hiking trails loop around a series of lakes with stunning views of mountains to the west that border the Yosemite high country. Lobo’s never been on a small boat before, but he doesn’t want to be left behind, so he jumps aboard and finds a comfortable spot in the shade.

Dropped off on the other shore, we stroll to the first lake in the chain, a lovely place called Greenstone, set against a backdrop of 12,000-foot peaks streaked by year-round snow, and spend about an hour there, lost in the scenery. There are 19 other lakes to explore, but time is running short. Old Red will be back soon, and although Lobo is game as always, we don’t want him to push it. Besides, all three of us will be back.

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GUIDEBOOK

Mammoth Bound, With Pooch

Getting there: Take California 14 north through the desert to U.S. 395, which skirts the Eastern Sierra and will take you all the way to the short turnoff for Mammoth Lakes (California 203). The 325-mile drive from L.A. to Mammoth takes about 5 1/2 hours.

Where to stay: A one-bedroom cabin for two at Crystal Crag Lodge on Lake Mary costs $693 per week, plus $8 per night per dog; telephone (760) 934-2436, fax (760) 934-8416. Other lodgings that welcome dogs include Woods Lodge, which has about two dozen cabins (rates begin at $434 to $630 per week for a one-bedroom cabin for two, plus $8 per night per pet), tel. (760) 934-2261; Katherine’s House B&B; ($85 to $180 per night), tel. (800) 934-2991; Econo Lodge/Wildwood Inn ($54 to $99 per night), tel. (800) 845-8764; and Shilo Inn ($85 to $119 per night), tel. (800) 222-2244.

Where to eat: We’ve found no full-service restaurants in Mammoth that allow dogs inside. But a few eating places have outdoor dining, and a well-behaved dog will usually be allowed close to the table. Two examples: the Good Life Cafe in the Mammoth Mall, local tel. 934-1734, and Gomez’s Mexican restaurant, just off Main Street, tel. 924-2693. Or get takeout. Two sandwich places on Old Mammoth Road are Susie’s Subs, tel. 934-7033, and Nik-n-Willie’s Pizza-n-Sandwiches, tel. 934-2012.

For more information: Mammoth Lakes Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 48, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546; tel. (888) 466-2666, Internet https://www.visitmammoth.com.