Mono Lake

The lake has no outlet, so everything carried into it stays, making it more than twice as salty as the ocean and strongly alkaline. Tufa towers form underwater where calcium-rich springs meet the carbonate water; they were submerged until Los Angeles began diverting the feeder streams in 1941, after which the lake dropped about fourteen metres and the towers emerged. That drop nearly destroyed the ecosystem - brine shrimp and alkali flies feed around two million migratory birds - and a California Supreme Court case on the public trust doctrine, National Audubon Society v. Superior Court, followed by a 1994 state order, required the lake to be allowed to rise to a set level. It has risen partway towards that level.

What's there

• Tufa towers - formed underwater, exposed by the lake's fall.
• Water over twice as salty as the ocean - and strongly alkaline.
• Brine shrimp and alkali flies - feeding around two million birds.
• A landmark water rights case - which forced partial recovery.

When to go

May to October; sunrise at South Tufa is the light. Half a day.

Things to know

The towers exist above water because of environmental damage - the site interprets that honestly. Alkali flies swarm the shore in summer, harmlessly but densely. Swimming is possible and extremely buoyant but the water stings eyes and cuts. Winter access to South Tufa can close.

Nearby

Yosemite's Tioga Pass is west; Bodie is north-east.

Key facts