How to Predict Air Quality in Mammoth Lakes Before Your Trip

Air Quality in Mammoth Lakes can go from crisp, clean mountain air to hazardous in an instant. In recent years there have been several wildfire incidents that have significantly affected the air quality in town for extended periods. Luckily, the town of Mammoth Lakes itself has not been threatened by direct flames from these fires, but they significantly affect air quality and visibility.

In 2020 the Creek Fire came within 20 miles of town and grew to become one of the largest wildfires in California that year, burning almost 380,000 acres in the Sierra National Forest region. Being in Mammoth at that time was like being inside a BBQ; thick smoke engulfed the town for over a month. The Caldor Fire also impacted Mammoth Lakes. It was a major wildfire in the Lake Tahoe area that started in August 2021 and burned over 221,000 acres, threatening communities around South Lake Tahoe and prompting mass evacuations. Even through the fire was 150 miles away, smoke inundated the town of Mammoth for a number of days. Most recently, the Garnet Fire started on August 24, 2025, in Fresno County and has burned approximately 60,000 acres as of mid-September. Even though this fire is over 100 miles away, the smoke was blown into town and created hazardous conditions for over a week. As I write this blog post with the fire almost 90% contained, there is still a haze of smoke in town.

So, how do you check the air quality in Mammoth Lakes? There are a couple tools you can use, but predicting how long or how pervasive a fire's smoke will be is tricky. Smoke is heavily influenced by weather, the direction of the fire, the size of the fire, the wind, and what kind of fuel is burning; among other factors. The truth is, no one really knows until about 24-48 hours ahead of time. A great tool to use for Air Quality anywhere in the US is IQair.com. They have a map tool and a 7-day forecast which can help predict how much smoke will be in town, but it isn't always accurate more than a few days in advance. For a quick snapshot of the air quality in the entire Eastern Sierra, you can check out the Air Quality Info page on the town of Mammoth Lakes website.

The best way to check real-time AQI in Mammoth Lakes is to check out some of the webcams around town. Visit Mammoth, the organization that does marketing for the town, has a nifty little webcam in the middle of town that lets you view a 24-hour timelapse. Also, the webcams on MammothMountain.com are great tools to monitor air quality. They are most widely used in the winter by folks checking snow and weather conditions, but they will give you an instant view of the skies around Mammoth Mountain which is great to visually see if there is smoke in our area.