Mono Lake
VISITING MONO LAKE (SOUTH TUFA)
Mono Lake is famous for its tufa tower formations and is one of the oldest lakes in the US. There is no outlet for the lake and the salt has accumulated over time to provide the unique makeup of the lake, taste it if you dare (no surprise it’s super salty).
When Route 120 is open in the summer, Mono Lake is approximately 15 miles East of Yosemite Valley. It’s a peaceful destination to catch the sunrise, especially in the winter, where you’ll likely have the whole place to yourself.
GETTING TO MONO LAKE
WINTER VS. SUMMER
Be sure to check for the closure of Rt120 near the winter months. You can check MonoLake.org for updates on road closure. When Rt120 is open you can just drive east on 120 to reach Mono Lake within a ~ half hour. Otherwise, the only other option during the winter would be to loop around Tioga pass to reach the other side, ~2hours drive.
PARKING
Parking is ample with the usual CA Stat parks honor system where you put the fee in an envelope and put a ticket on your car.
TO THE LAKE!
From the parking lot, there is a .3mi walk from the parking lot to the edge of the lake. It’s paved and well maintained. all the way to the lake. There is a trail that follows the perimeter of the lake for a short distance, that is unpaved.
We were rushing to get to the lake before sunrise, thankfully it’s not that long of a walk from the parking lot.
Further along the trail to the lake, the sun started to rise and cast an amazing orange glow on the mountains.
Arriving at the lake, you can walk all the way to the edge of the water. It was quite serene with no one around, just me and the mountains.
TRAIL PROFILE
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