Since the first week in May, cold and windy weather has been replaced by warm and calmer weather. This sudden change caused trees to leaf out, flowers to bloom, bugs and birds to come out, and snowmelt to dramatically increase. Sonora Pass opened last week and Tioga Pass opened yesterday. The last two weeks have been a burst of springtime activity! (more…)

Today the Mono Cone and Monitor Pass both opened! Osprey are seen daily in Lee Vining and the very first flowers are blooming along the Lee Vining Creek Trail!

WEATHER
A snowstorm every few days has kept the air cool and the ground wet, and typically brings strong winds along with it. The weather is finally expected to warm up early next week with highs in the (more…)

The first days of April are bringing more California Gulls to Mono Lake and human visitors to the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore (open seven days a week). Today is the opening day for the Scenic Area Visitor Center operated by the US Forest Service (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays).

WEATHER
Typical spring weather in the Mono Basin is a warm sunny day followed by a snowy one … and this spring is no exception. The first day of spring—at 65 degrees, our warmest day since November—was followed by a weekend that brought a foot of snow to Lee Vining! It was our biggest storm (more…)

Today is the Vernal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. The days are now getting longer than the nights, the sun continues to move higher in the sky, and the snow line continues to move uphill. Our homepage has changed–winter photos are gone and spring (more…)