Welcome to Mono Lake!
Welcome to Mono Lake! You can use this site to take a self-guided tour of Mono Lake, find directions to popular locations around the lake, and find out more about the Mono Lake Committee and our Information Center & Bookstore in Lee Vining. If you have any questions, please call our office at 760-647-6595.
You can also:
- find out what’s happening at Mono Lake today
- check out and share recent Instagram photos of Mono Lake with #monolake
- connect with Mono Lake on Facebook
- follow us on Twitter @Mono_Lake
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 basin, is special for many reasons, including its hemispherically-important ecology, complex water history and management, and also as a place where people are doing their best to right the wrongs of the past. Continue reading South Tufa Self-Guided Tour
Sign the digital guestbook
7 entries.
wrote on August 28, 2019 at 11:16 am:
So glad to be back. Usually come every year and explore the Mono and Yosemite park trails. Missed 2017 for the total solar eclipse and last year due to forest fires and smoke all around California and Oregon.
Keep up the educational, research, and legal efforts !
Keep up the educational, research, and legal efforts !
wrote on August 21, 2019 at 1:53 pm:
Just finished kayaking Mono Lake with Caldera Kayaks. Wonderful trip; cool though mid August, not a breath of wind, crystal air quality. Many Ospreys on nests. Was not visiting on a weekend so unable to canoe with MLC. Hope to do so next year. Mono Lake such a magical place. THANK YOU MLC and David Gaines for battling to save it. Environmentalists are the true warriors of this country. Fighting to protect our land which is our flag for all.
wrote on July 17, 2019 at 7:42 pm:
Mono Lake has had a significant role in my life for sixty years. I was stunned by the unexpected sight of it on my first day in California as I drove south on 395. It still gets me each time I visit .There is always a new aspect to it, something new to learn, and yet another way to look at the lake and its setting.
MLC, too, has played its part in my appreciation for the lake and its ecological significance. My local Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon formed in 1978, as did MLC, and I can remember inviting Dave Gaines to be one of our first speakers to talk about the lake and what it would take to preserve its natural values. We were an early MLC supporter, as were the other Audubon chapters in the Los Angeles area.
I’ve been to the lake many times since, of course, but the last few years have been extra special. The birding field seminars have been a great draw. Extra special though, have been the guided field trips led by Nora Livingston, the very first of which my friend Evi Meyer and I had the honor of booking. Each time we have a chance to go out with Nora, we jump at it. And each time, she is well on her way to mastering the intricacies of some new field of natural history. I’m looking forward to our visit in August. What surprises are in store?
MLC, too, has played its part in my appreciation for the lake and its ecological significance. My local Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon formed in 1978, as did MLC, and I can remember inviting Dave Gaines to be one of our first speakers to talk about the lake and what it would take to preserve its natural values. We were an early MLC supporter, as were the other Audubon chapters in the Los Angeles area.
I’ve been to the lake many times since, of course, but the last few years have been extra special. The birding field seminars have been a great draw. Extra special though, have been the guided field trips led by Nora Livingston, the very first of which my friend Evi Meyer and I had the honor of booking. Each time we have a chance to go out with Nora, we jump at it. And each time, she is well on her way to mastering the intricacies of some new field of natural history. I’m looking forward to our visit in August. What surprises are in store?
wrote on June 11, 2019 at 7:08 pm:
I live in the Los Angeles area and try to escape every summer to head up to the Eastern Sierra Mono Lake area. What attracts me is the rugged and beautiful landscape the area has to offer. But more importantly, I love the different field seminars the Mono Lake Committee puts on. In addition to that, private tours with Nora Livingston are an unmatched experience. A few years ago, when Nora had just started working for the MLC, my friend Jess Morton and I were her very first customers for a private tour. That was it. We were hooked and knew that we would be coming back every year. And so we did. This year’s field seminars are already booked and we can’t wait to travel up the 395. Thanks Nora, and thanks Mono Lake Committee.
wrote on May 23, 2019 at 9:29 am:
Swimming in the lake on a hot summer day, far from the crowds
wrote on May 6, 2019 at 1:52 am:
I love the peace and tranquillity of Mono Lake. I applaud the Mono Lake Committee with their hard work and dedication to restore the lake to former levels. I look forward to our visits to Mono Lake and wish that I could visit more frequently.
wrote on April 28, 2018 at 12:48 pm:
Use this guestbook to share what you love about Mono Lake.
Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore
We’re open 9:00 am–5:00 pm daily
Highway 395 & 3rd Street Lee Vining, CA
We are the headquarters of the non-profit group working to protect and restore Mono Lake. We are happy to answer questions, help plan outings, and provide Chamber of Commerce information. We also show a free 27-minute film called The Mono Lake Story. The bookstore offers a comprehensive selection of books in addition to t-shirts, maps, and gifts. Free wireless internet is also available.
Visiting Old Marina
Old Marina is both an easy way to access Mono Lake, and also the site of important historical events that shaped the protection of Mono Lake. There is a fee of $3.00 per car to park at Old Marina as it is part of the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve; the site also has public restrooms and a picnic table. For directions to Old Marina, click here. Continue reading Visiting Old Marina
Visiting Mono Lake County Park
Welcome to Mono Lake County Park! County Park features a boardwalk that leads through the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve to the lake, offering stunning views and birding in a variety of habitats! The county-operated portion of the park also has a shaded lawn, picnic tables, a playground and public restrooms. For directions to County Park, click here. Continue reading Visiting Mono Lake County Park
Directions to South Tufa
To get to South Tufa, start at the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore and: Continue reading Directions to South Tufa