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    Mono Lake Park

    4.7 (13 reviews)

    Mono Lake Park Photos

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    amazing tufa in the water at Mono Lake
    Steven B.

    Mono Lake is located at the northern end of the Eastern Sierras, California. The unique formations in the water are called "tufa" and are primarily limestone structures made from deposits of calcium carried by lava flow. This really is a sci-fi type of place to visit.. Very surreal and interesting for photography. You can walk along the sand and the rocks, but not into the water. This place is located just near Lee Vining and is worth checking out on any trip you plan to take up to Mammoth, June Lake, Bishop, or up around the Tioga Pass areas.

    Afshin A.

    Beautiful, just beautiful! Driving on Route 395 south just before hitting Lee Vining I noticed the sign for the Park. I turned left and headed to towards the park. It was late in the afternoon so there were not many people there. The park has a very nice and green picnic area with big trees, but the best feature of it is the boardwalk that takes you to the shore of Mono Lake from where you have a great view of almost the entire lake. It is a very good place if you are into photography. It was getting dark, so I went back again during the day and was again awed by the beauty of the place.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    9 years ago

    If you are driving by there are a few short hiking trails and great view of the lake. Good place to take a break from a long drive.

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    12 years ago

    several short hiking trails in a great view of the lake definitely worth a stop if you are driving by.

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    Review Highlights - Mono Lake Park

    The unique formations in the water are called "tufa" and are primarily limestone structures made from deposits of calcium carried by lava flow.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

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    Lundy Canyon

    Lundy Canyon

    4.7(15 reviews)
    11.4 km

    A 5 star worthy hike! To get to the trailhead, drive all the way to end of Lundy Lake. There,…read moreyou'll see a small dirt road. Take that all the way to the parking lot at the end. The actual beginning of the trailhead begins just up from the outhouse. After a short distance, you'll come to a fork. You can go straight (which I recommend) and after a 30 second walk you'll reach what I dubbed as, "Lundy Pond". You'll get a commanding 360 view from the beach. Hard to beat. When you're finished taking in the view, head back to the fork and take the main trail that leads to Lundy Canyon. This isn't a difficult hike as some would have you believe. As long as you're in decent shape and have just a bit of hiking experience, you'll do fine. I've seen everyone from small children to elderly folks on this trail. Be sure to take this trail all the way to the Cascades. It was simply gorgeous and worth the extra effort. All told, I did about 6 miles round trip. Highly recommended.

    Visited 10/10/21 and WOW! If you want a nice, peaceful hike this is a great spot. It's not as well…read moreknown as Mammoth, Rock Creek, Little Lakes valley, etc, so you won't have to deal with crowds, but it's still a beautiful hike that's just 5 miles off the 395. The road starts off paved and becomes dirt. Some parts look intimidating but it's very do-able in a 2WD sedan as long as it hasn't had heavy rains or snow. I have a 2WD SUV and made it just fine....just drive slow as there are rocks and dips. The fall colors are amazing here!

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    Lundy Canyon
    Lundy Canyon
    Lundy Canyon

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    20 Lakes Basin Loop

    20 Lakes Basin Loop

    5.0(3 reviews)
    7.0 km

    We didn't see 20 lakes in the basin but enjoying nine peaceful mountain lakes during a single day…read morehike was darn fabulous. Located outside the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park, 2.5 miles of dirt road is crossed to reach the trailhead at the closed Saddlebag Lake Resort at 10087 Saddlebag Lake Road. As a former resort, the location has lots of parking but since the closed buildings meant no running water and an outhouse toilet. The often-closed Tioga Road (aka Hwy 120) must be open to get to Saddlebag. For a longer and harder hike, the basin loop can be reached by going up Lundy Canyon located north of Lee Vining and might be an alternative starting point if Tioga is closed. The loop can begin by heading left across the dam, but we went right around eastern side of Saddlebag Lake - the largest and only man-made lake of the hike. The western side is rocky talus while the eastern trail around Saddlebag Lake is longer but has a more comfortable walking surface that was preferred by people fishing in the lake. The remaining lakes appear at regular half-mile intervals with each having their own flavor. The first set of lakes were small and serene Hummingbird Lake, deep and eerie Odell Lake, and classically graceful Lake Helen. We then took a worthwhile and brief side trip down to Lundy Canyon to the cascading Lundy Canyon Falls. We resumed on the loop to see our favorite Shamrock Lake with multiple little peninsulas poking into the lake which was followed by narrow inlet-like Excelsior Lake, cliff-sided Steelhead Lake below the Sphinx-ish Shepherd Crest, unremarkable Wasco Lake, and meadowy Greenstone Lake before returning along the opposite side of Saddlebag Lake. Maps showed two trails between Steelhead and Wasco Lakes. The western trail is incomplete but also led to the best geology with bold green layered rocks. Our hike was 9.3 miles to circle around nine lakes and one waterfall. The elevation varied from 9,900' to 10,400'. Never steep, the terrain rolled up and down which felt like a 1000' elevation change hike. The paths were mostly exposed with few trees. Located in a true basin, the lakes were surrounded by peaks and ridges. Icy snow pockets that survived the summer ensured water flow through the creeks and lakes.

    Hiked this as an overnight backpacking trip with 2 friends in late July, it was the most beautiful…read moreamazing hike I've done and seen in a very long time. Drove up from San Diego the night before and tried to get a camping spot at ~7K feet altitude to get adjusted but all the campsites were full, so ended up camping overnight at disbursed camping down the road (still up at altitude, just no facilities and no fires allowed). Woke up in the morning and made a quick stop at Whoa Nellie Deli to use the bathroom, fill up on water etc. And then drove the very rocky road up to the trailhead. I have a Subaru Impreza, all wheel drive but not a lot of lift, so it was doable, but would have definitely felt better in an SUV, although I also saw a Prius in the parking lot so any car can make it I guess. Parked in the parking lot, there are bear boxes there to leave everything from your car that you're not bringing with you on your backs (also bring a bear canister if you're doing overnight!). Then we headed out. We hiked around the north side of Saddlebag lake, which was beautiful, and a little more crowded as a lot of day hikers just hike that lake. We then took the turn off to the right to head up to the rest of the lakes. On day 1 we did about 6 1/2 miles. We kept passing beautiful lake after beautiful lake. There was a point where we were hiking down a pretty steep climb and it started hailing on us! I was relieved we were hiking down at that point and not up with our packs on. I'd recommend having alltrails map downloaded as there are literally no trail markers, there would have been really know what to know which way to go without it. So we kept hiking and climbing, up and down, around more and more lakes. And then we setup camp for the night around Greenstone Lake. Night 1 was Friday night and was very quiet, no other over-nighters around. Night 2 was a Saturday, and it got a bit more crowded. Nothing too crazy, but there were definitely others in sight and ear-shot. We setup for 2 nights, and then did a day hike the next morning up to Conness Lake which was actually possibly the most beautiful lake I've ever seen in my entire life. I even went swimming in the freezing water! On our last day we woke up in the morning, packed up, and hiked out the remaining 3ish miles back around the bottom of Saddlebag Lake.

    Photos
    20 Lakes Basin Loop
    20 Lakes Basin Loop
    20 Lakes Basin Loop

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    Mono Basin Visitor Center - View

    Mono Basin Visitor Center

    4.4(8 reviews)
    1.0 km

    This visitor center, located north of Lee Vining to the east of Hwy 395, is a must stop no matter…read morewhat time of year you pass by. While the visitor center is opened seasonally, they have restrooms in front that remain open year-round and have been clean and well stocked every time I've visited. I believe they close overnight--so please check first. The visitor center has a beautiful gift shop, a ranger desk where you can get all your local exploring and curiosity questions answered, a kids coloring table, places to sit, a film, and natural history exhibits. There is also a vast and beautiful back patio space which provides ample viewing options of Mono Lake, the tufa, and the surrounding mountains and hills. There is a nature trail you can follow with better views of the lake. Cell service is spotty in this area, but there are a few spots in the parking lot where the service comes through. I have really enjoyed visiting here during different times of year. Every time I do, I learn something new from the volunteers and staff... They have always been able to help me identify a new animal I've spotted or give me "insider" information about a new adventure worthy of embarking on.

    Mono Basin is such a beautiful and unique area to explore. There's an easy walking path that takes…read moreyou right to the lake, making it accessible and enjoyable. Along the way, you'll see fascinating volcanic rock formations and helpful signs that describe the surrounding vegetation, which really adds to the experience. Peaceful, scenic, and educational--a great stop for anyone visiting the area!

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    Mono Basin Visitor Center
    Mono Basin Visitor Center
    Mono Basin Visitor Center

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    Mono Lake South Tufa Area - Tufas under the stars

    Mono Lake South Tufa Area

    4.6(28 reviews)
    8.3 km

    This is one of a kind lake . It was formed by underground fresh water . The lime stone formations…read moreare unique. When I first visited this lake many years ago, the lake was a lot bigger than now . We came around 5:30'pm amd the sun was setting . We saw the orange cloud in different shade and golden sun beam was reflected on the lake and he cloud at the same time . It was magical ! I am sad today to find out most of the lake water was re directed to Los Angeles area for other uses . The lake has shrink and the water becomes super salty . That affects the tiny shrimps that live inside the lake , the algae and the seabirds that eats the creatures that live in the water . I hope the situation would improve soon . We create a new problem to solve the existing problem.

    It is off the main road to access this area, but only by a few miles and it's worth it. An easy…read moredrive, plenty of parking. An easy hike to the lake, flat with a slight descent. At the waters edge you can see several of the tufa's. You get a nice view across the lake. At the parking lot are some kiosks with information pertaining to the lake. Along the trail are some placards with additional history and information. The waters edge was covered with thousands of the alkali flies. Kind of gross but memorable! Also on the trail down are markers showing dates and what water levels were at that time. That really is impressive to see how low the lake was from its original level. At the parking lot is a payment station. It's 3$ per adult. Also some pit toilets at the end of the parking lot.

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    Mono Lake South Tufa Area
    Mono Lake South Tufa Area - South Tufa

    South Tufa

    Mono Lake South Tufa Area - Sunrise

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    Sunrise

    Yosemite Family Adventures

    Yosemite Family Adventures

    4.6(11 reviews)
    58.1 km

    Dave is AMAZING! We had the best day with him on our private tour of Yosemite. He is so fun,…read moreknowledgeable, a great conversationalist and made the day fabulous. I had the best time and felt like we got to really see Yosemite and get to know the park. I would 100% recommend booking with him and his company. Hands down the BEST!!

    I cannot say enough about David and the two days he spent with us in the park. It was our first…read moretrip to Yosemite and David planned two great days that really gave us a feel for the incredible natural beauty that surrounds you in the Valley. While you can only see so much in two days, his skillful guiding made the most of that time covering the multiple waterfalls in the valley, the Sequoia Grove, Hatch Hatchy and many others. He is a self taught naturalist and gave us just the right mix of park history and insights into the floral and fauna. He also balanced our hiking so it was challenging enough to keep me interested but not to difficult that Thelma could not enjoy it as well. He was also terrific about assisting her through some of the more difficult and rocky sections so she was never uncomfortable. His planning was simply impeccable and more than worth every penny as we could never have enjoyed as much as we did on our own. There is just no substitute for having a professional guide a Dave was as professional as it gets. Simply cannot thank him enough and more highly recommend him to anyone who wants an extraordinary experience.

    Photos
    Yosemite Family Adventures - Cathedral Lake in the High country of Yosemite

    Cathedral Lake in the High country of Yosemite

    Yosemite Family Adventures - Jumping for excitement in Yosemite.

    Jumping for excitement in Yosemite.

    Yosemite Family Adventures - Remarkable landscape and beautiful visitas

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    Remarkable landscape and beautiful visitas

    Mono Lake Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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