Road trip · California
Mammoth Mountain from Las Vegas
Driving from Las Vegas to Mammoth Mountain: the US-95 route, winter road checks, the 2026/27 season start and how it compares to Lee Canyon.
Updated Nov 1, 2026 · 11 sources
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Mammoth Mountain is the big Eastern Sierra resort, and from Las Vegas it’s a road trip, not a day out. Mammoth’s home page lists more than 3,500 skiable acres, 25 lifts and 181 trails. That’s roughly eight times Lee Canyon’s 445 acres, which is why people make the drive. For 2026/27, Mammoth lists opening day as Friday, November 13, 2026, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. It sells the Ikon Pass, not the Power Pass that covers Lee Canyon and Brian Head.
The drive
There’s no freeway to Mammoth from Las Vegas. The resort and the town tourism office describe the same basic route through the Nevada high desert:
- Mammoth Mountain’s driving page: US-95 north to Hwy 266 west, then SR-168 to US-395 north and SR-203 into Mammoth Lakes, 310 miles.
- Visit Mammoth, the town’s tourism office: about 325 miles and about five hours, depending on conditions. It describes the fastest route as US-95 past Beatty to Hwy 266, then either Hwy 168 to Big Pine or Hwy 6 toward Benton, and on to US-395. Its “locals’ tip” is that the 266 is the fastest way to and from Las Vegas.
Our routing estimate from the Strip at Flamingo Road is 336 miles, about 6 hours 55 minutes with no traffic. The estimate uses OSRM, an open-source router, and it’s slower than their figures; use it only for comparison.
Fuel and services are thin. Visit Mammoth advises leaving Las Vegas with a full tank, snacks and water, and topping off in Beatty. Rest stops are few and far between.
The scenic way. Visit Mammoth also describes a longer route through Death Valley National Park, on Hwy 190 west and Hwy 136 to Lone Pine, then north on US-395. It adds a few hours.
Winter roads
Visit Mammoth’s winter advice is short: carry chains and check road conditions before you leave. The route crosses two states, so check both:
- Nevada: NV Roads or 511, for US-95 and the Nevada side of Hwy 266.
- California: Caltrans QuickMap for chain controls, closures and incidents on Hwy 266, SR-168, US-395 and SR-203. California posts R-1, R-2 and R-3 chain control levels; Nevada uses its own signs, explained on our getting to Lee Canyon page.
Mountain passes on the high-desert stretch can see snow too, so check right before you leave, not the night before.
Flying instead
Visit Mammoth’s flying page lists flights to the Eastern Sierra on United and Advanced Air, from cities including San Francisco and Denver, into Bishop. It doesn’t list a flight from Las Vegas, so for most people here driving is the only practical option.
Once you’re there
Mammoth runs a free shuttle around Mammoth Lakes and the base lodges, according to the resort’s driving page. For people in your group who don’t ski, Woolly’s Adventure Summit has two 512-foot tubing runs and a snow play area.
Mammoth or Lee Canyon?
- A few hours on snow, or your first time: Lee Canyon, about an hour from the Strip.
- A full day and more terrain: Brian Head from Las Vegas, about three hours.
- A real ski trip with several nights: Mammoth.
See all six options side by side on ski resorts near Las Vegas.