Mammoth Lakes, California

Location:  38 miles (61 km) southeast of Yosemite's Tioga Pass entrance

Directions:  Take the Tioga Pass Road 12 miles (19 km) east from the Yosemite entrance to Highway 395; turn right on 395 and go 25 miles (40 km) miles south to Highway 203; turn right on 203 and drive 1 mile (1.5 km) west to Mammoth Lakes

Population 7,093; elevation 7,554 feet (2,300 meters)

Mammoth Lakes sits at the base of Mammoth Mountain, California's premier ski destination outside the Tahoe area. In the summer it's a mountain-biking playground, and if you're flexible about snow quality, you can combine Yosemite hiking and downhill skiing - the ski hill can be open as late as the fourth of July.

Pro:  There are lots of lodging options here, and you shouldn't have any problem finding rooms in the summer. Mammoth Lakes has an active, athletic vibe - it's a popular training ground for triathletes and endurance runners.

Con:  It's a bit of a long drive to do round trip to Yosemite every day, and as with all the communities on the eastern slope of the Sierras, the route into Yosemite (Tioga Road, Highway 120) is closed altogether in the winter months, typically from November through May (see Tioga Road's historical opening & closing dates).