Mono Lake – Lee Vining – Hiking California

It was my original intent to include Mono Lake as part of the Lee Vining post but I have changed my mind.  This unique lake has a story to tell and a very passionate group of people are fighting hard to get that story out.  I shall try to help.  There are hundreds of incredibly good pictures of Mono Lake.  None of them are mine.

Mono Lake is contained by The Great Basin (Mono Basin).  The Great Basin is surrounded by 18 inactive volcanoes.  The lake is fed by small rivers but has no outlet.  There are no fish in Mono Lake;  the water is more saline than the world’s oceans.  Brine shrimp thrive in Mono Lake and the lake harbours huge colonies of a wide range of birds.

My first view of Mono Lake after arrival at Lee Vining. Taken from behind the Shell gas station.

In 1941, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power started to divert from Mono Lake tributary streams to provide water and electricity to the rapidly growing metropolis of Los Angeles.  The impact of diverting water to colonize a desert with modern city conveniences was, possibly, not well thought out.  By 1962, the level of Mono Lake had dropped by 25 feet (7.6 m).  By 1995 the lake level was down by 40 ft (12.2 m).  The ecological impact is significant.  Some reversal has been negotiated but more needs to be done.

Mono Lake has existed for 760,000 years and has volcanic origins.  As lake water volume gradually decreased to half its original volume, features which were previously underwater, called tufa towers, rose through the surface.  These towers are very beautiful but stand as skeletal testament to the alteration of a unique and valuable ecosystem.  The old marina was left suspended nearly 50 ft (15.3 m) above Mono Lake’s ravaged water levels.

Hwy 395 travels south past the west Mono Lake and immediately into Lee Vining, California.  We drive this route several times including the occasion of our afternoon visit to Bodie State Park for a unique experience and tour of the gold rush ghost town of Bodie.  Several times we pass the unassuming facade of the Mono Inn Restaurant.  Additionally, there is a concrete pedestal with a brass plaque nearby.  Within my humble scope of existence, this is something that must be investigated.  There is no option.  Mel and I, within a busy hiking schedule decide to have dinner here one evening in our short stay at Lee Vining.  It is, hands down, the best culinary experience of the entire trip.  And, the brass plaque is significant.  It leads to fascinating historical discovery.  For dinner, we enjoy a perfect Lavender Chicken plate.  I have the house specialty, Mud Pie, for dessert while we sit in a large, glass-enclosed porch overlooking the Mono Lake as the sun sets outside our field of vision.  The monument documents the death of Adeline Carson Stilts in 1859.  She was purportedly the favourite daughter of the infamous Kit Carson, for whom Carson City, Nevada is named.

The Mono Basin Visitor Center is nearby at the west end of Mono Lake across from Black Point.  Although Mel and I never arrive there when it is open, we tour the surrounding terrain which offers excellent views over the lake.

I believe Mono Lake is a special resource worthy of reprieve from sins of the past.  It has happened before and it will happen again but this mistake needs correction for a host of reasons, in my opinion.  If I have the opportunity to return to Mono Lake, I will allocate more time to explore and learn from this fascinating eco-structure.