Mono Lake & South Tufa

Mono Lake

An ancient salt lake just outside the park's east exit at the end of Tioga Road, with strange tufa towers along the shore that are best photographed at sunrise and sunset.

Mono Lake lies beside the town of Lee Vining, just outside the park's east gate, and is about 760,000 years old. Its water is highly saline and has no fish, but it supports vast numbers of brine shrimp and is an important stopover for migratory birds. The South Tufa area has a roughly 1.6 km trail where you can see tufa towers formed where freshwater springs on the lake bottom meet the lake water. The parking lot charges a fee. It is about 45 minutes' drive from Tuolumne Meadows, so it can be paired with a Tioga Road drive on the same day.

Opening hours

All day

Salt lake · Travertine · Photography

Nearby sights

• Tuolumne Meadows
• Tenaya Lake
• Olmsted Point
• Half Dome
• Yosemite National Park
• Mirror Lake
• Mist Trail: Vernal & Nevada Falls
• The Ahwahnee

Places to eat nearby

• The Ahwahnee Dining Room
• Curry Village Pizza Deck
• The Mountain Room
• Jackalopes Bar and Grill
• Evergreen Lodge Restaurant

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