An adventure to Mono Lake, CA will give you a chance to experience a unique landscape and one of the oldest lakes in North America. Added bonus, you can see where nature finally prevailed against LA Water.
Mono Lake is located in a closed basin (means the lake doesn’t have an outlet) and upon arrival it is abundantly clear that this lake is alive!
The primary lake life is composed of algae, brine shrimp, and alkali flies, and is one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. Also, California Gulls call this lake home and actually host the second largest colony in the world after the Great Salt Lake.
The lake is estimated to be as young as 700,000 years old and it has seen its list of defenders, inhabitants and wildlife – native Kutzadika’a people actually derived nutrition from the pupae of the alkali flies that live in the lake. Yum!
Dating back to the Long Valley eruption. Sediments located below an ancient ash layer hint that Mono Lake could be a remnant of a larger and much older lake that once covered a large part of Nevada and Utah. Some estimate this lake is over 1 million years old making it one of the oldest lakes in North America.
Not only is the water itself unique (ancient, salty and full of life), there are also underwater springs! The spring water, rich in calcium (bone stuff), mixes with lake water rich in carbonates (aka- baking soda). As the ‘bone stuff’ comes in contact with the ‘baking soda’, a reaction occurs creating calcium carbonate (aka- Limestone). Over the course of decades or even centuries, a tufa tower will grow from the limestone deposits. FYI – These towers grow exclusively underwater! So if you see one above your head, then at one time you would have been underwater.
Mono lake is twice as big as the city of San Francisco and at its height during the most recent ice age, the lake would have been about 900 feet deep (that’s about 3 football fields). If you look closely, you can actually see shore lines (aka- strandlines) on the hills west of the salty pond. In 1941, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power began diverting Mono Lake’s tributary streams ( 4 tributaries of 5) to meet the growing water demands of Los Angeles and in January 1982, the lake reached its lowest level and the salinity had nearly doubled.
Thanks to the Mono Lake Committee, the lake and its tributaries became protected using some fancy legal wrangling! And now you can visit this ancient alpine paradise via car; on foot, via kayak or canoe. I recommend visiting in winter so you can experience the solitude of the lake (as I did) or try to visit during migration season for the best chance to see millions of birds!
Happy adventuring!
