Mono Lake, an Unusual Lake Along Route 395

Mono Lakes tufas are something that I think need to be seen up close to be truly appreciated. From the main road they look small and unimpressive but once you get up close to them they will definitely change your mind. This lake is absolutely huge covering an area of over 45,000 acres. But for today's very short hike we are heading to an area called the South Tufa Area. If you'd like to come visit the tufas for yourself there is a very small parking fee. At the time of the making of this video it costs three dollars. After you take care of the parking fee you are off to see the tufas. This trail is super easy. It comes in at right around eight tenths of a mile with only 31 feet of elevation gain. So this trail is accessible to hikers of pretty much any skill level. As tempted as you may be please refrain from climbing on the tufas. As solid as they may look they are actually very fragile and we need to help preserve them for the enjoyment of generations to come. After crossing the wooden boardwalk you will be standing on the shore of one of the oldest lakes in North America with an estimated age of over 750,000 years old. This is such a mysterious body of water because not only is it huge but it's actually three times saltier than the ocean. We and I went kayaking here and our boats actually floated higher in the water. This salinity is one of the key components that went into the making of the tufas. Mono Lake is actually home to a bunch of tiny springs. When the super salty lake water meets with the water from the springs, dissolved calcium ions cause a huge buildup of calcite around the opening that the spring pours out of. The lake levels used to be way higher here and all of these tufas actually formed underwater. But as lake levels dropped they rose above the surface and are now on display for all of us to see. When you're looking at the tufas it's pretty cool to know that you're looking at something that is really quite old. These definitely don't form overnight. They can take decades or in the case of the bigger ones even centuries to form. As much as this may seem like a dead lake it is actually home to the brine shrimp which you may know as the sea monkey. And the shoreline may be blanketed by the somewhat creepy alkaline fly. I don't believe that they bite it's just kind of eerie when you walk by and they start flying all over the place. As far as bigger animals are concerned this lake is also home to over 81 species of water birds and this is a very popular nesting spot for the osprey. Overall this is a very fun place to explore. If you enjoy taking landscape photos I highly recommend stopping by here at sunset. And if you can stop by on a day with no wind you'll get even more epic shots because you can get the reflection of the tufas in the water. For more information about how the tufas were formed you can also stop by the Mono Basin Visitor Center which is about seven and a half miles from the trail. If you enjoy our adventures be sure to subscribe and hit that bell icon so you get notified when we make new videos. Check us out on instagram at thatadventurelife underscore official and for all the information about this hike as well as other awesome things to do off of the 395 head on over to thatadventurelife.com