Category: Visit

Shoreline of Mono Lake looking west towards the Sierra Nevada with tufa towers reflecting on the glassy lake and the sky is pink, purple, and blue.

3: Tufa

Examine the tufa in front of you. What does it remind you of? What does it feel like? Tufa—from the Latin tōphus, meaning “porous rock”—forms underwater. Underneath the lake there are fractures which allow calcium-rich spring water to seep through the…

Tufa along the shore of Mono Lake with bright green marsh vegetation in the foreground.

2: Plants of the Mono Basin

Can you find these three common plants of the Mono Basin? Rubber Rabbitbrush: Known for its bright green color and vibrant yellow flowers in late summer, this shrub dominates the area. As you walk down the path, look to your left and notice the…

Tufa towers emerging from Mono Lake at sunset with blue skies and unusual clouds lit up in soft pink with beautiful soft light on the tufa towers reflected in the lake's surface, and you can even see some of the rocky shoreline under water.

1: Welcome to Mono Lake!

Mark Twain once called Mono Lake the “Dead Sea of California,” but that could not be further from the truth. Mono Lake is a fountain of life—important for over 300 bird species, trillions of endemic brine shrimp, and many other creatures.…

Mono Lake Committee staffer standing with their back to Mono Lake talking to a tour group, tufa and scattered clouds are in the background.

South Tufa Self-Guided Tour

 Tap play below to listen on headphones. Welcome to the Mono Basin—a gorgeous, otherworldly landscape with huge, sweeping views of the high desert all around and the magnificent Sierra Nevada above. Mono Lake, this expansive terminal lake which defines this…

A report from Tioga Pass

Like we did last year, yesterday my husband and I ventured up Highway 120 West on bikes and skis to check out the snow conditions at Tioga Pass. Caltrans has plowed the road clear of snow all the way up…

Four people paddle in an aluminum canoe with tufa formations and gray mountain peaks streaked with snow in the distance.

Reserve your spot on a Mono Lake canoe tour

Reservations are now available for this summer’s Mono Lake canoe tours. Tours happen every weekend from mid-June through August and include Labor Day this year, Monday, September 1. Canoe tours are a wonderful way to experience Mono Lake. Glide through…

A group of several birders stand in the shrubbery along mono shore. Some look through binoculars towards the water.

2025 Field Seminar registration opens February 7

The complete list of all the Mono Lake Committee’s 2025 Field Seminars is now available online. Registration opens at 9:00am on Friday, February 7 for Mono Lake Committee members. This year’s slate of 14 Field Seminars includes one-day and multi-day…

Fall colors starting in the Mono Basin

Fall color season is off to a good start in the Eastern Sierra with a cold snap last week that kicked things into gear! Here in the Mono Basin the aspens, cottonwoods, and willows are steadily turning more colorful every…

Be safe when paddling on Mono Lake

The past two weeks have been full of exciting thunderstorms, giving us Mono Basin residents a generous helping of precipitation, lightning, and rainbows. Unfortunately, the storms also bring with them greater risk to those recreating in the open spaces of the…

Get closer to Mono Lake on a canoe tour

Have you ever wanted to go out past the shore of Mono Lake? Ever wanted to glide like a gull through clouds of brine shrimp? To see tufa towers from the perspective of an osprey? Here is your chance! Let…