Mono Lake is situated in California’s eastern Sierra Nevada region not far from Yosemite National Park, near the small town of Lee Vining on Highway 395. The lake sits in Mono Basin, a depressed region of the high desert at about 6,400 feet above sea level. The lake’s surface covers about 65 square miles and it’s surrounded by mountain peaks and the Great Basin desert.
Mono is an ancient saline lake, lacking an outflow (like the Great Salt Lake in Utah), and is estimated to be a million years old. Because of this lack of outflow, the salinity of its water has increased with time. Currently it’s 2.5x as salty as the ocean and because of its alkalinity, the water feels soapy when you touch it. The lake’s salty water is buoyant, so you can float in it like in the Dead Sea, but be careful that you don’t get lake water into your eyes or an open cut because it will really sting.
The lake’s best-known feature are its unusual tufa towers – tall irregular limestone formations that rise from (or stand near) the water. Tufa form when calcium-rich freshwater springs bubble up through the lake’s highly alkaline, carbonate-rich water, precipitating calcium carbonate. In places, the tufa-laced scenery seems otherworldly.
Mono Lake’s ecosystem revolves around billions of brine shrimp and alkali flies, which are a food source for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway. It’s estimated that as many as two million migrating birds stop here annually.
In the early 20th century, the City of Los Angeles began diverting water from the Mono Basin’s inflowing streams into the Los Angeles Aqueduct system – part of the attempt to quench Los Angeles’ endless quest for water. This started in the 1940s and caused the lake level to drop dramatically (approximately 45 feet), which had significant consequences. A lot more tufa was exposed and the water’s salinity doubled. A landmark 1994 decision sets protections, including target lake levels and limits on diversions. We’ll see if the lake can be slowly restored with time.
Popular access points include the South Tufa area (with an easy 1 mile self-guided trail) and boardwalks, the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center, and spots for kayaking or birdwatching. The Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center is a great place to start your visit to this area and includes exhibits explaining the history of the Mono Basin.
I’ve driven past Mono Lake a number of times on our trips towards Lake Tahoe and Reno, but it’s been several decades since we actually stopped to look around. The photos in this blog were taken from that last visit. Our two boys – then young – are now married adults.
One last look at the lake before we hit the road and traveled back into nearby Yosemite National Park.
