Create your own custom trip
The Mono Lake Committee offers custom trips for those looking for a personalized experience. Let us do the planning—we will tailor a trip to your specific interests, group, and schedule.
Want to find a few new bird species for your life list? Hoping to take your family on a private canoe tour? Want to find the more secluded fall color spots for photography? If you’ve got a trip you’d like to take, we can make it happen!
Get started
Schedule your trip by filling out our custom trip form (below) or contacting our guide.
Trips cost $75 per hour for a group of up to 4 people, plus $50 for each additional person. For groups of more than 10 people, please inquire for cost. Trips include a complementary one-year membership.
If you would like to include a canoe tour as a part of your custom trip, add $150 per boat (1-3 people to a boat, not including guide). If you are looking to exclusively do a canoe tour, please contact the Canoe Program Coordinator for scheduling and rates.
A non-refundable deposit of $50 will be due upon reserving your custom trip. This deposit will be applied towards the total trip cost, and the remaining balance will be charged on the day of your trip.
Custom trip inquiry form
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Sample itineraries
Four-hour birding trip for two participants
Meet in Lee Vining at 7:30am and drive to Mono Lake County Park for two hours of birding willow habitat and lakeshore. At 9:30am, drive to DeChambeau Ranch and Ponds to bird sagebrush habitat and tall cottonwoods, as well as open water ponds and marsh for two hours. Return to Lee Vining at 11:30am. Cost: $300
Two-hour Mono Lake ecology and natural history trip for four participants
Meet in Lee Vining at 9:00am and drive to South Tufa. Walk the South Tufa and Navy Beach loops with a naturalist to learn the in-depth natural history of the lake, plants, animals, and water history. Return to Lee Vining at 11:00am. Cost: $150
Other ideas or topics: Explore different ecosystems, an easy to moderate day hike, wildflower walk, sunrise or sunset photography, winter ecology, butterfly focus, local history—we do it all!
Meet your guides
Hannah Ashby joined the Mono Lake Committee staff as Education Coordinator in February 2025 after several years of working in experiential education and outdoor guiding. Hannah is excited for her second season of connecting people with the Mono Basin through the Chautauqua bird festival, field seminars, and custom environmental education programs. In her free time, she can be found climbing rocks, hiking with her dog, or relaxing by a creek.
Ryan Garrett is the Education Director for the Mono Lake Committee. He first came to the Mono Basin in high school when he participated in the Committee’s Outdoor Education Center program. After college, he returned to Mono Lake to work for the Committee where he became entranced by birds, finding nearly 290 species just in Mono County. He continues to broaden his knowledge of Mono Basin natural history, with interests ranging from wildlife tracking to saline lake ecosystems. When not in the field, he oversees the Committee’s slew of education offerings.
Brendan Peralez is in his second season as the Canoe Program Coordinator for the Mono Lake Committee. After several years in outdoor education in San Diego County and a summer spent guiding sea kayaks in Alaska, Brendan is thrilled to use his experience to create unforgettable canoe tours on Mono Lake. Ask him about his favorite tufa formations and why he insists on calling binoculars “bins”.
