Mono Lake South Tufa National Reserve

Address: US-395 Lee Vining, Ca. 93541

Mono Lake Reserve was established to preserve the unique “tufa towers”, calcium-carbonate spires and knobs formed by the interaction of freshwater springs and alkaline lake water. It’s two and a half times as salty as the ocean and very alkaline. We took highway 395 and near the town of Lee Vining California. We drove through the paved road towards South Tufa and hit a rough road with gravel and sand for at least a 5-10 minutes drive. We even saw a deer jumped in front of us but was quick enough to run to the bushes before my wife could take a picture. The entrance fee is $3 per adult and you just self-pay using an envelope due to Covid. When we arrived at the gravel and sand parking lot we had to walk through a wooden path to the lake for at least 5 minutes.

The lake view is unique and amazing with all the different shapes and sizes of the tufa towers. There was a strong smell of salty ocean scent and lots of alkaline flies all over the water. My family and I drove there again at 6 am the next day to capture the mesmerizing sunrise which reflected the sun’s Rays over the tufa towers which created a great orange sunrise reflection in the water.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about The Mono Lake South Tufa after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.