A Guide To Visiting Mono Lake Ca: An Ancient “Dead Sea” Near Yosemite

In the mediate of the Eastern Sierra successful California, you’ll find a earthy improvement that you wouldn’t expect to find conscionable 75-miles from the verdant Yosemite Valley.

The past and mystical Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve is 1 of America’s oldest lakes. It’s peculiar successful that it has to outlet, which means h2o cannot escape. This causes the water to go saline, forming brackish deposits connected its water’s edge.

These deposits are called “tufa towers” and are 1 of the main attractions of this past saline lake.

They mystical Mono Lake

Before visiting California connected a Globus Tour, I knew thing astir it. As soon arsenic I saw a kayak travel of Mono Lake advertised, I deed the “sign maine up” button.

I emotion to spell off-the-beaten way to prosecute my curiosities and dive deeper into a spot without the crowds. I’ve traveled truthful overmuch that it tin often beryllium hard to find things that WOW me.

So, I was stoked that this chartless and otherworldly water was connected our Northern California itinerary.

What’s peculiar astir Mono Lake, California?

Mono Lake Tufas

At implicit a cardinal years old, Mono Lake is 1 of the oldest lakes successful North America and has an mean extent of 100ft and covering an country of 65 quadrate miles.

Mono Lake is known arsenic the Dead Sea of California, and is conscionable 75-miles distant from Yosemite National Park.

It’s 2.5 times saltier than the water and precocious successful alkalinity. This is due to the fact that Mono Lake has nary outflow and lone collects h2o wherever ample quantities of salts and minerals accumulate.

But, it’s not really DEAD, alternatively teeming with life.

It is known for its uniquely shaped Tufas – columns and spires of coagulated calcium carbonate formed by enactment of freshwater springs gathering the alkaline h2o successful the lakes.

As the h2o levels of the water receded these ample tufa towers arose retired from the underwater satellite and present galore beryllium connected the shores for you to research and regard successful wonderment at.

This precocious salinity and alkalinity person not conscionable created unsocial tufas, but a uncommon ecosystem, that includes greenish algae, alkali flies and much than 80 taxon of migratory boards and endemic taxon of brine shrimp.

Saving Mono Lake, California

Endangered Mono Lake

Mono Lake is simply a bully illustration of the powerfulness of radical coming unneurotic for a bully cause: to support Mother Nature and unsocial ecosystems similar this.

The water’s aboveground level erstwhile stood astatine an elevation of 6,417 feet successful 1941. 

It was during this twelvemonth that the Los Angeles Department of Water built a reservoir successful the Mono Basin.

This aqueduct providing LA with h2o drained Mono Lake’s main tributaries raising the salinity level of the water and taking distant its freshwater supplies.

Mono Lake shrunk implicit the years until the 1970s erstwhile the water reached is little feet of 6,372 feet (a driblet of 45 feet)  

The dropping levels caused a onshore span to signifier betwixt the enactment and Negit Island, location of thousands of nesting migratory birds. This onshore span gave predators a mode to termination immense portions of the vertebrate colonisation causing an ecological crisis.

This spurred the radical to travel unneurotic to signifier the Mono Lake Committee combat the large corporations successful LA and support the flora and fauna of this region.

After a decennary of litigation, the California State Water Resources Board ruled to support Mono Lake and its tributary streams, allowing Sierra mountains run-off to replenish the lake.

The reserve was created to support the tufas, the water aboveground level, arsenic good arsenic the wetlands and delicate situation for the taxon of migratory birds that remainder astatine Mono Lake each year.

Those birds see California seagulls (coming successful from the beach) plovers, avocets, red-necked phalaropes, and grebes. Today, much than 1-2 cardinal birds remainder astir Mono Lake, making it a premier spot for vertebrate watching.

The committee has acceptable a extremity for a caller water level of 6,392ft, and successful April 2015, it was sitting astatine 6,383.3 feet supra oversea level , conscionable a fewer feet distant from people level.

Ongoing clime issues specified arsenic drought, utmost vigor and evaporation are making it hard for Mono Lake to scope the target.

Let’s anticipation they marque it and much beauteous and unsocial places similar Mono Lake; California is protected for the planet’s aboriginal and truthful this large scenery tin beryllium admired by aboriginal generations.

Things to bash astatine Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area

1. Hike the South Tufa Towers Loop Trail

Enjoying the Loop Trail with my Globus friends

Of course, outdoor escapade and stunning areas of quality are my passions, truthful I was blessed to beryllium capable to locomotion astir the South Tufa country and instrumentality successful its mystical beauty.

Views implicit Mono Lake to the island

We went to the South Tufa entranceway to locomotion astir exploring the limestone tufas of Mono Lake. It’s a 1 mile, level and casual self-guided quality way that starts astatine the parking lot. 

The tufas reminded maine of stalagmites and stalactites heavy wrong the earth’s caverns. Our circuit director, Derek, besides perfectly described them arsenic a transverse betwixt Yellowstone with its ethereal geothermal enactment and Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos.

It was brainsick to deliberation if we had walked this way successful 1941, we would person been waist heavy successful the water. As they are moving to rise the h2o levels of Mono Lake (see below) I was grateful for the accidental to research them truthful closely.

The southbound enactment way has interpretive panels on the mode sharing the geology and past associated with Mono Lake, Ca.

After 0.3 miles, the boardwalk conception of the way ends, and you locomotion connected the brushed soil astatine the lakes edge.

Keep walking connected the way to here!

Be definite to loop astir the trail, don’t treble backmost to the paved section. I truly enjoyed the dense tufa formations and outcrops present and those forming islands a small offshore.

There are respective stretches of beaches present that are colorful and picturesque with the tufas. I deliberation this was my favourite portion of the trail.

You’ll besides large views crossed the water of the Sierras: Mount Dana, Mount Gibbs, Tioga Peak, and Mount Lewis.

Don’t hide to look retired for the birds and the alkali flies astatine the shallow waters borderline flying adjacent to the muddy ground. They won’t wound you! They supply nutrient for overmuch of the birdlife.

2. Go for a aquatics oregon kayak from Navy Beach

Navy Beach

For those wanting to bash a small much than the South Tufa boardwalk, Navy Beach is wherever the kayaks and canoes usually motorboat and radical swim.

Be acceptable for effortless floating! Many judge a soak successful Mono Lake volition cure astir anything, truthful bring your ails and fto them interval away!

3. Learn astir its past and ecology astatine Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center

If you privation to larn much astir explorations of Mono Lake, arsenic good arsenic quality past of the Mono Basin and however the water was formed, you volition find a tiny depository with curated accusation astatine the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center.

FAQs About Visiting Mono Lake

How to get to Mono Lake

Mono Lake is situated successful the Eastern Sierras adjacent the municipality of Lee Vining. It’s 22 miles (35 km) southeast of Yosemite’s Tioga Pass entranceway and 20 minutes from Mammoth Lakes, making it an casual travel from either of these apical places to sojourn successful California. 

The Mono Lake Visitor Center is conscionable disconnected US Highway 395 and is the champion spot to find retired astir existent conditions and spot exhibits astir the lake’s history. 

Lee Vining is simply a tiny town, but is wherever you’ll find immoderate amenities similar motels, restaurants and cafes. 

The nearest airdrome is Los Angeles LAX, which is simply a 5 hr thrust away.

While determination aren’t immoderate campgrounds successful the Mono Lake State Natural Reserve, determination are immoderate adjacent successful Lundy Canyon, Lee Vining Canyon and June Lake Loop.

See much successful my Reel.

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Are you readying to sojourn Mono Lake? Let america cognize what you’re excited astir successful the comments.