How To Hike Skelton Lake Trail In Mammoth Lakes

If you’re looking for excellent day hikes in Mammoth, the Skelton Lake Trail is a moderate 3.4-mile-long hike that leads to a pristine alpine lake. You also have the option to do this trail as a loop and visit three different lakes along the way (which I highly recommend doing).

This is a trail that I’ve hiked several times, including an overnight camping trip next to Skelton Lake. It’s an incredibly rewarding hike that is great for beginner hikers, families, and dogs.

In this post, I share what you can expect if you plan to hike the Skelton Lake Trail, including where to park, trail difficulty, what route to take, and what to bring.

Skelton Lake in Mammoth Lakes, California.

Skelton Lake Trail Highlights

Here are a few quick trail highlights before I dive into more details:

Length: 3.4 miles out and back
Elevation Gain: 850 feet
Time Needed: 2-3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed?: Yes, this trail is dog-friendly

Trailhead Location & Parking

The Skelton Lake Trail starts at the Duck Pass Trailhead, next to the Coldwater Campground. This trailhead can be easily accessed from Mammoth Lakes town within a quick 20-minute drive.

There is a designated parking lot that is located at the far end of the Coldwater Creek Campground for hikers. If you’re doing an overnight backpacking trip along the Duck Lake Pass Trail, this is where you would park as well.

There is usually plenty of parking available at the trailhead unless you come on a busy weekend. The earlier you start your hike, the better chances you will have of finding a parking spot.

About Skelton Lake

Skelton Lake is one of the most gorgeous lakes in Mammoth that is accessible to visitors via a 3.4-mile-long trail. Along this trail, you can expect to see dramatic mountain landscapes, crystal clear lakes, and overall incredible scenery.

Gorgeous mountain reflections at Skelton Lake in Mammoth.

The trail that leads to Skelton Lake has a gradual climb that gains 850 feet in elevation with some rocky sections.

This is not a technical trail, so it’s doable for most people and kids as well. You might be feeling a bit winded from the altitude. If you do, take frequent breaks, go slow, and drink plenty of water.

For the best hiking route, I recommend stopping at Arrowhead Lake first, then hiking to Skelton Lake and on the way back looping around to Emerald Lake. This option extends the trail into a longer loop but you get to see three different lakes on the same visit.

Map of Skelton Lake Loop from the AllTrails Hiking App:

There are many recreational activities that you can do at Skelton Lake, including fishing, swimming, camping, and backpacking. If you plan to camp at the lake, you will need a wilderness permit – I’ll cover more about that in a bit.

For those who are interested in fishing, here are some things to keep in mind:

At Skelton Lake, you can catch & release only. All trout must be returned to the lake unharmed
Only artificial lures are allowed
Flies with barbless hooks can be used
Baits or scented products are not allowed

Skelton Lake is also very dog-friendly. The last time that I hiked this trail, I brought my pup Quito with me, and he had the best time hiking and playing with other doggies on the trail.

Here’s a couple of things that I bring along when hiking with my dog:

Collapsible dog bowl. A collapsible dog bowl is essential for hiking, camping, and road-tripping with a dog. This bowl collapses small and is lightweight, so you can throw it in a backpack and easily carry it everywhere.
RUFFWEAR dog boots. I always keep these in my backpack when hiking with my dog in case the sand gets too hot for his paws or the trail has very sharp rocks.
2 Hounds No Pull Harness. I love this harness because it comes with multiple clip-on points, providing more comfort for my dog and extra control for me when hiking.
Biodegradable poop bags. Dog waste can be harmful to wild animals and nature. It’s always good practice to bring extra poop bags and carry dog waste out on day hikes. These poop bags are also biodegradable – even better for Earth! If you forget to bring any or run out, there are doggie bags that you can grab at the trailhead.

Camping In Mammoth

Day visitors don’t need wilderness permits to hike the Skelton Lake Trail. But if you plan to camp at Skelton Lake overnight, you will need to obtain a backcountry permit ahead of time.

I camped at Skelton Lake one year – my goal was to backpack all the way to Duck Lake, but a few miles in, the trail was completely covered in snow, and Skelton Lake was as far as I could get.

Snowy conditions at Skelton Lake in Mammoth.

Depending on weather conditions, hiking and backpacking in Mammoth can be a hit or miss. The higher in altitude you go, the higher the chances are that you will encounter snow.

For Inyo National Forest wilderness permits you can go on the Recreation.gov website here and see what permits are available:

Click on “Explore Available Permits“
It will ask “Is this a commercial guided trip?” – select “No”
For Permit Type, select “Overnight”
Enter the group size (ex. 2 people)
Select the date that you are interested in camping

Skelton Lake is part of the Duck Pass route so getting a permit for Duck Pass will allow you to camp at Skelton Lake as well. Scroll down to “Duck Pass” and it will show how many permits are available on the nearby dates.

For overnight camping trips, you will need a bear canister because bears are very active in Mammoth. We’ve had a run-in with a bear on just about every Mammoth trip we’ve been on and a bear canister will keep both you and the bear out of harm’s way.

We have the BearVault BV500 canister, which is very spacious and fits all of our food, toiletries, and other scented items for backpacking trips.

If you’d rather stay in an established campground, the Coldwater Campground is located near the trailhead and offers campsites for around $23 a night. For Coldwater Campground reservations see more here.

My Experience Hiking Skelton Lake Loop

Here is the detailed breakdown of the Skelton Lake Trail, covering what the trail is like and highlighting some of the main stops.

To start the hike, park at the Duck Pass Trailhead parking lot where you will see a restroom and a large trailhead sign.

From there, follow signs for the ‘Duck Pass Trail‘. The trail will venture to the left and start climbing up in elevation across sandy, rocky terrain.

Most of the trail is shaded and covered by trees, but it can still get pretty hot out in the mountains.

About a mile into the trail, you will reach a junction for Arrowhead Lake. I recommend going on a short detour to this lake – it will only take a few minutes.

After Arrowhead Lake, continue back onto the main trail and keep going to Skelton Lake. The trail will get a lot rockier, but the path is easy to follow.

1.5 miles into the trail, you will reach Skelton Lake. Here you can walk around the shoreline and enjoy the scenery.

Skelton Lake Trail — Skelton Lake is one of the most scenic lakes in Mammoth.

If you’re feeling extra adventurous and are looking for a longer trail option, you can keep going to Barney Lake or to Duck Lake. On this trip, I decided to turn around after Skelton Lake and start heading back.

On the way back, you have the option to venture into the Emerald Lake Trail. The section that leads to Emerald Lake is very rocky and steep, but it’s well worth the visit.

Rocky section along the Emerald Lake Trail.

Emerald Lake is small, but it’s one of the prettiest lakes in Mammoth. This lake has a deep green color with jagged mountains in its backdrop. After exploring Emerald Lake, you can follow the trail back to the parking lot.

Emerald Lake Trail which leads to the parking lot.

Visitor Tips

Here are a few tips to keep in mind for your visit:

Bring bug repellent. The lakes and meadows along this trail attract tons of mosquitoes, and they are very persistent. I even saw people turn around and head out because the bugs were too much to handle.
Use trekking poles. Overall, this is not a technical trail, but some sections are pretty steep. Trekking poles can definitely help, especially in the rocky section that goes from Skelton Lake to Emerald Lake.
Carry plenty of water. I always carry several bottles of water, even on short day hikes. Our California summers are just getting hotter and hotter, so bring plenty of water. You’ll be passing several lakes, so if you don’t want to carry heavy water bottles, you can also bring a Sawyer water filter and get freshly filtered water from the alpine lakes and rivers in Mammoth.
Pack mineral sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses, and a hiking hat to help with the sun. It’s easy to get sunburned on elevation hikes, even on trails that pass through a forest like this one. Nothing ruins a trip more than a bad sunburn.
I always bring a first aid kit, headlamp, and a portable phone charger, even on quick day hikes. It’s always best to go prepared!
There is a public restroom at the trailhead for visitors. This restroom has running water and a sink for washing hands – a true luxury for the outdoors.
This is a “No Drone” zone. While Mammoth Lakes is not a National Park, drones are still not allowed.

Have you hiked to Skelton Lake in Mammoth before? Let us know your trail experience in the comment section below!

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This post is written by Laura. Hi, I’m a California local and the founder of the California Wanderland travel blog. I currently live in Ventura County and help 50,000 readers a month discover things to do in Central California! Read more about me here.

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