We invite you to join us and our 16,000 members in protecting the mono basin for future generations. It is alkaline, with a ph of 9.8, and almost three times as salty as the pacific ocean. Located at the edge of the arid great basin and the snowy sierra nevada mountains of california, mono lake is an ancient saline lake that covers more than 70 square miles and supports a unique and highly productive ecosystem.
Amy midget (@amymidget2) • Instagram photos and videos
Plan your visit to mono lake
Learn about upcoming activities and events, important points of interest, and current travel conditions.
An easy trail and boardwalk meander to the lake through the willows and marsh of the mono lake tufa state natural reserve (between the park and the lake), filled with waving grasses, colorful wildflowers, and delicate tufa towers. Research on california gulls at mono lake began five decades ago as excessive water diversions came dangerously close to eliminating the gull colony Public and scientific concern intensified around dwp’s damaging exports that had pushed the lake lower, to the brink of ecosystem collapse. As a result, over the next 40 years mono lake dropped by 45 vertical feet, lost half its volume, and doubled in salinity—threatening the survival of the nesting california gull population, air quality with toxic dust storms, and this unique and critical ecosystem.
Mono lake contains chlorides, carbonates, and sulfates
