Road Trip - Mono Lake, CA

If you're ever looking for a place that's other worldly, look no further than Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve (scroll down for 3D photos). Mono Lake is an ancient lake located just south of the town of Lee Vining, California on the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve

The lake is an oasis in the desert that supports a huge variety of wildlife. Nearly two million birds, including 100 different species, use Mono Lake as a feeding stop-over on their north-south migrations. In the spring and summer up to 60,000 gulls, 80 percent of the state's population, return to Mono Lake each year to nest and raise their young. Unfortunately, their populations have declined drastically with the loss of wetland habitat due to humans diverting water to Southern California.

Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve

The main attraction of the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve is the tufa formations formed over thousands of years by springs flowing up through the lake bottom and calcium in the water bonding with carbonates in the lake. Unfortunately, the tufa formations have also been drastically affected by the diversion of water from the lake to Southern California.

Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve

Currently, efforts are being made to restore Mono Lake. On September 28, 1994, a victory was achieved when the California State Water Resources Control Board issued an order to protect Mono Lake and its tributary streams. Hopefully these efforts will reverse the damage of the past and help preserve Mono Lake.

Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve