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.

Mono Lake canoe tour season is right around the corner

This post was written by Gabrielle Renteria, 2015 Bookstore Assistant, 2016 Mono Lake Intern, 2016–2018 Project Specialist.

The weather is warming up in the Mono Basin, which means the Mono Lake Committee’s canoe tour season is right around the corner!

Canoe tours offer a chance to experience Mono Lake from a unique vantage point. Photo by Sandra Noll.

Canoeing on Mono Lake is truly a magical experience, offering a new perspective of this otherworldly high desert lake. Your one-hour tour will take you from Navy Beach to the tufa-filled waters along Mono Lake’s southern shore, all while an experienced guide explains the natural and political history of this precious resource.

Calm mornings on the lake offer beautiful reflections of the Sierra crest, towering 6,000 feet above Mono Lake’s west shore.

A beautiful calm morning on Mono Lake. Photo by Andrew Youssef.

Artemia monica are plentiful this time of year and you’ll have the chance to examine these endemic brine shrimp up close.

Mono Lake Interns will be your canoe guides on the trip, helping you find and learn about Artemia monica, Mono Lake’s endemic brine shrimp. Photo by Sandra Noll.

You’ll also have the chance to see some of Mono’s many birds. Eared Grebes, California Gulls, Wilson’s Phalaropes, and Violet-green Swallows are common. If you’re lucky, you may see an Osprey bringing a fish back to its nest.

An Eared Grebe parent keeps its chick warm and dry on its back. Photo by Sandra Noll.

Canoes tours are Saturdays and Sundays at 8:00am, 9:30am, and 11:00am, the season begins June 24 and continues through Labor Day weekend. The canoe tours are $25 dollars per person and we provide life jackets, canoes, and paddles. Children four years or older are welcome to join; no pets are allowed.

For more information or to make a reservation call us at (760) 647-6595 or click here. We look forward to sharing Mono Lake with you!

Our dedicated guides can’t wait to show you Mono Lake! Photo by Andrew Youssef.