Mono Lake's South Tufa Loop

Mono Lake - South Tufa Area, CA
4.4
9 Reviews
Mono Lake's South Tufa Loop
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Details

Distance
0.91 miles
Elevation Gain
39 ft
Route Type
Loop

Features

Family Friendly
Lake
Bathrooms
Easy Parking
Wildlife
Beach
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About this place

Added by Justin Ritucci

Explore one of the oldest lakes in North America. Photograph the unique shoreline. Duration: 1-2 hours.

Mono Lake is was formed at least 760,000 years ago, making it one of North America's oldest lake. Explore the coastline of this unique lake filled with unusual rock formations called tufas. Photograph the tufa towers with the majestic mountains in the background. The towers can make for some very dramatic photos, especially at sunset.

The water has a very high salt levels which makes a swim in the lake a very memorable experience. Boats are also allowed on the lake. Mono lake is also a very popular spot for bird photography.

The South Tufa Loop is a short (less than a mile) loop, which offers great views of Mono Lake and your chance to capture a shot of the tufas. 

Consider a stop at Mono Cone for a delicious treat before/after your visit. 

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Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and be sure to follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly.
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Christopher James
1/20/2025
Bathrooms
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marissa reyes
7/14/2020
Amazing views
We had a great time; it is beautiful & also interesting to see the tufas & wildlife around Mono Lake. We brought our 2 ...
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Alex E
9/2/2016
Unique Photo Opportunities
Mono Lake is extremely easy to access. It is literally a couple hundred yards off of Hwy 395. The Lake is very strange, but ...
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Kristen May
6/21/2016
Very different
This place is completely different than any other lake in the area, and well worth a trip to see.
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Gaby Colletta
10/7/2015
Otherworldly
The mineral spires or "Tufas" definitely make for an intriguing and abnormal sight. I checked out the NW lake access off Cemetery road as ...
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Kyle Frost
8/3/2015
Interesting spot. Not a whole lot going on at the Tufa's, get there at sunset or at night for more interesting photo opportunities. Overall, ...
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IdleTheoryBus
3/1/2015
What an Odd and Interesting Place.
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Gregg Boydston
2/7/2015
Many different locations to visit around the lake. Can be very windy but offered some great bird watching and photography opportunities. They do ask ...
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Rebecca Thomas
1/23/2015
Such a fascinating place and definitely offers many photographic opportunities, especially for starry night skies. Beautiful place to visit!
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