featuring the stunning
outdoor photography of
the late Galen Rowell,
whose High Sierra
images are some of the
best in existence.
Where Hwy 395 swings
west, continue north for
4.5 miles on Hwy 6 to
reach the Laws Railroad
Museum & Historical
Site (%760-873-5950; http://www.
lawsmuseum.org; Silver Canyon
Rd, Laws; donation $5; h10am-
4pm; c), a remnant of
the narrow-gauge Carson
and Colorado rail line
that closed in 1960. Train
buffs will hyperventilate
over the collection of
antique railcars, and
kids love exploring the1883 depot and clanging
the brass bell. Dozens of
historic buildings from
the region reassembled
with period artifacts to
create a time-capsule
village.The Drive » Back on Hwy
395, continue 35 miles north to
Hwy 203, passing Crowley Lake
and the southern reaches of
the Long Valley Caldera seismic
hot spot. On Hwy 203 before
the center of town, stop in at
the Mammoth Lakes Welcome
Center for excellent local and
regional information.6 Mammoth Lakes
Splendidly situated at
a breathless 8000ft,Mammoth Lakes is
an active year-round
outdoor-recreation
town buffered by
alpine wilderness
and punctuated by its
signature 10,000ft peak,
Mammoth Mountain
(%800-626-6684; http://www.
mammothmountain.com;
winter lift ticket adult $96, child
7-12 $30, child 13-18 $75, 1-day
bike pass adult/child $43/22;
c). This ever-burgeoning
resort complex has 3100
vertical feet – enough
to whet any snow-
sports appetite – and
an enviably long season
that often lasts from
November to June.TRIP HIGHLIGHTMammoth Lakes Woman in hot springsCOLIN BRYNN / ROBERT HARDING WORLD IMAGERY / CORBIS ©