Category: Visit

Mono Basin fall color update

The fall colors are just starting to appear in the Eastern Sierra! Here in the Mono Basin we still have mostly green leaves with a few hints of gold. Mono County Tourism has classified Mono Basin groves as either “0-10%…

Bird watching? Sometimes. Bird admiring? Always.

A summer Saturday morning in Lundy Canyon can take many forms. The sun can draw the line between protection and exposure on the surface of your skin, the clouds can centralize in the canyon and sprinkle down for an hour…

Book your Mono Lake canoe tour

Winter is in the rearview mirror, and it’s time to start planning your summer in the Eastern Sierra. Reservations are now available for this summer’s Mono Lake canoe tours! Tours happen every weekend from the last week in June to Labor Day weekend. The…

Five people standing in a grassy field adjacent to Mono Lake looking out toward the lake with binoculars at birds flying in the sky and the Sierra Nevada in the distance.

Field seminar registration opens February 15

The list of 2026 Mono Basin Field Seminars and their itineraries will be posted online on Sunday, February 1. In addition to some familiar favorites, keep an eye out for new itineraries—you might find yourself tracking wildlife, wading through waterways, or keying plants this summer! We will…

Fall colors are in full swing on the Eastside

Fall color season is underway in the Eastern Sierra! Here in the Mono Basin the aspens, cottonwoods, and willows are still mostly green with patches of gold and orange. Sagehen Summit is the star of the show so far, glowing…

Six kids swimming in Mono Lake, with one kid floating on their back with goggles on, while surrounded by tufa rocks and with tufa towers in the distance.

8: The future of Mono Lake

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” John Muir Everyone benefits when there is water in Mono Lake—from Los Angeles residents who rely on Mono Basin streams for some…

Hundreds of small shorbirds bathed in golden light, in flight, on the shore, and in the water at Mono Lake in front of tufa towers.

7: The birds of Mono Lake

The Mono Basin is an oasis for hundreds of species of birds, many of which rely exclusively on alkali flies and brine shrimp for sustenance. The lake is critical habitat for California Gulls, Eared Grebes, and phalaropes. Learn more about…

Hundreds or alkali flies take flight from pupa.

6: A buffet of flies and shrimp

Mono Lake is like an all-you-can-eat buffet of flies and shrimp for the millions of birds that come here. Alkali Flies As you walk along the shore, you may notice swarms of alkali flies buzzing about, but don’t worry, these…