Three ways to have California wintertime fun that don’t involve skis

Six inches of early November snow ushered in Mammoth Mountain’s ski season six days earlier than expected. They’ll take you from a luxury picnic atop one of the finest viewpoints in Mammoth to the treetops of San Bernardino National Forest to the shores around California’s deepest lake. Snowshoe along the shores of Lake Tahoe “And it’s like snow at the beach, weird but f— beautiful …” So begins the chorus of the fourth track on Taylor Swift’s recently released album “Midnights.” Whether you’re a devoted Swift fan or you simply enjoy odd but lovely vistas, I recommend bringing this song to life by embarking on a snowshoe adventure around Lake Tahoe this winter. Ride a snowcat up the mountain at Mammoth Lakes Mammoth Mountain’s heated-snowcat tours, which include food and drinks, are expected to begin Dec. 15. “It takes a little effort to find bioluminescence, and that’s part of the lore and why people like it,” photographer Patrick Coyne told Times contributor Dakota Kim.