Close up of bright pink flowers clustered on the branches of a shrub, through a gap of the flowers you can see blue water and darker hills.

Events

About 60 people holding handmade signs supporting Mono Lake and the Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve cheering and waving and showing a lot of spirit and joy while standing on the small platform at County Park overlooking Mono Lake.

4: The water story

Where you stand now is the management level for Mono Lake—6,392 feet in elevation above sea level. One day, Mono Lake’s water will again reach this level, but ensuring this was a long struggle. In 1976, a group of researchers, including…
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…
Mono Lake water reflects the blue sky, and water it frozen in bumpy puddles on top of the tufa beach. Tufa towers loom in the background.

Mono Lake Moment: Lakeside bliss

Today’s Mono Lake Moment is a quiet, blissful, yet cold meditation by the lake. The green hue in the lake is its winter coat of algae, and the frozen areas directly in front of the camera are freshwater spring puddles—the…
Tufa towers stand tall in turquoise Mono Lake water, with snowcapped Sierra Nevada mountains behind it.

South Tufa area at Mono Lake has reopened

After a months-long closure, the South Tufa area and Navy Beach have reopened. These two popular visitor locations along Mono Lake’s south shore were closed in mid-August when the Beach Fire was ignited by lightning. The fire was contained after approximately ten days, and…