NOV 10 2013 

BY JULIA

Kayaking to the Mono Lake Tufas was one of the best expeditions we coordinated this year. Blue skies with enough clouds to offer interest and no wind, making for glassy, reflective waters, and a day to remember!

Kayak Excursion on Mono Lake by Julia at XplorMor

Mono Lake, situated in a 700 square-mile valley off Highway 395 just south of Lee Vining town in Mono County, California, is one of the oldest lakes in the western hemisphere. It lies 13 miles east of Yosemite National Park, and boasts spectacular views of  the  high Sierra Nevada Mountain range along its eastern shore. Mono lake is a large, yet shallow saline lake about 70 square miles in size, and was formed around 700,000 years ago. The lack of any outlet or run-off forces the lake to maintain high levels of salts, creating a unique ecosystem and an amazing buoyancy for kayaks!

The XplorMor Team met Caldera Kayaks (highly recommend) at Navy Beach Boat Launch, near South Tufa Trail, off Highway 120 East. This is the main boat launch area for the lake. Space is limited so get there early, and pack a lunch or pick up sandwiches from Whoa Nellie Deli.

Kayak Excursion on Mono Lake by Julia at XplorMor

This was an incredible expedition with many bird species, including a nesting Great Horned Owl, numerous Tufa towers (unusual, stunning rock formations), and Artemia Monica, a species of brine shrimp found only in Mono Lake.

Read more and watch the XplorMor Mono Lake Kayak Expedition slide show. We also made our first XplorMor Expedition Video: Kayaking Mono Lake, Inyo National Forest, California.