Mono Lake is up Highway 395 on the Eastern side of the Sierras on the way to Lake Tahoe. It is stunningly peaceful and is worth a stop on your way north.
Mono Lake is a saline soda lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago. The lack of an outlet causes high levels of salts to accumulate in the lake and make its water alkaline.
The desert lake has an unusually productive ecosystem based on brine shrimp, which thrive in its waters, and provides critical habitat for two million annual migratory birds that feed on the shrimp and alkali flies. When the city of Los Angeles diverted water from the freshwater streams flowing into the lake, it lowered the lake level, which imperiled the migratory birds. The Mono Lake Committee formed in response and won a legal battle that forced Los Angeles to partially replenish the lake level.
