Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Free guided tours at Mono Lake: Fall schedule

This post was written by Max Price, 2018 Mono Lake Intern.

The seasons are starting to shift and with that comes a shift in the Mono Basin interpretative tour schedule. Join a naturalist for a free guided South Tufa tour or a Stars Over Mono talk this fall—both are great ways to experience the Mono Basin from a new perspective and learn something new, no matter if you’re a new visitor or you return every year.

Join us at South Tufa on Monday nights this fall for the free Stars Over Mono program. Photo courtesy of Gowrishankar Lakshminarayanan.

This fall, South Tufa tours will be offered to visitors on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00pm and will begin at the South Tufa kiosk. These tours will be led by a naturalist from the Inyo National Forest or California State Parks and will cover information about the incredible life found around the lake, the dynamic geology of the Mono Basin, and the inspiring story of how Mono Lake earned its protections. Plan on spending about 1.5 hours at South Tufa for this guided walk. The tours are free of charge, but there is a $3 per person parking fee for the South Tufa area.

For visitors exploring the Mono Basin during the week, be sure to check out the Stars Over Mono program offered by a Tuolumne Meadows Interpretive Ranger on Monday nights at 7:30pm. This program features 1.5 hours of stargazing and storytelling about the Eastern Sierra night sky, and meets at the South Tufa kiosk. Make sure to bring warm clothing and a blanket or chair. Keep in mind that this program only takes place on clear nights with less than 50% cloud cover and will run through September 17. This is a free event, but there is a $3 per person parking fee for the South Tufa area.

For more information about the Mono Basin fall tour schedule, call the Mono Lake Committee at (760) 647-6595 or the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center at (760) 647-3004.