Mono Lake

Mono Lake is located in Mammoth Lakes, California at the edge of Great Basin in the Sierra Nevada. Mono Lake is one of the ancient lakes of North America that is actually a saline lake. It covers a total of 70 square miles and has a diverse ecosystem. The lake does not have any fish; however, it is filled with brine shrimp and alkali flies. Several freshwater streams feed Mono Lake, as well as support the forests of cottonwood and willow at the banks of Mono Lake.

The lakeshore has limestone formations called tufa towers that rise from the water's actual surface. Several birds spend time on the lake. Mono Lake was used for 50 years by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to divert water from Mono Basin streams. As a result, Mono Lake lost more than 45 vertical feet. It lost roughly half its volume and increased in salinity. In 1978 the Mono Lake Committee was founded in order to save the lake and its diverse ecosystem. Field seminars, naturalist walks and talks, sunset tours, and boating tours are all some of the things to do at the lake. Swimming is not possible at the lake.