I love that this place exists…read more Nature is so magical. As other reviewers have pointed out - it is a bit of a steep climb down - so I'd recommend bringing some good shoes with traction - in addition to a towel. It's also become quite popular - so be prepared to meet some new people, some of whom may be wearing more than others - as they soak. It's always nice to see people from all over - sharing in nature's healing water. Trust.

Beautiful but oh so very crowded. I think it's still possible to find a peaceful time to dip your…read moretoes in at buckeye but be prepared for large crowds and lots of people vying for a spot in one of the pools.

I can't believe nobody has reviewed this awesome hike yet! The hike begins at Mono Village…read moreCampground which can be found by turning onto Twin Lakes road in Bridgeport and taking said road all the way to end, which is the Campground. You can park in the day use area if you're just doing a day hike but if you plan on doing backcountry camping, you'll need to pay them the $10 bucks to leave your car overnight. That $10 will buy you up to 7 days of parking. Follow the road between the maze of tents and motor homes until you reach the sign that marks the official beginning of the trail to Barney Lake. Take that trail roughly 4 miles up and you'll find it. It's simply gorgeous and an amazing view up there. From here, you can turn around and head back or continue up the trail to Robinson Lakes, Crown Lake, Snow Lake, and eventually, Yosemite National Park. The trail is very easy to follow and is mostly on an even level. There's switchbacks towards the end as you near the lake, but they're not bad incline wise. From car to lake and back to the car, it's just a hair over 9 miles. This is one of my favorite hikes in the area and I do it at least once or twice every season. Just please be respectful and leave no trace. Also, this area is known to be popular with Bears. I've personally never seen one here, but a lot of others have. That being said, you have nothing to be fearful of. If you do come across one, give it plenty of room and respect and you'll be fine and for god's sake DON'T FEED THEM! Or any wildlife for that matter. You have no idea how many moronic tourist I yell at for feeding squirrels and deer. Lol.

We didn't see 20 lakes in the basin but enjoying nine peaceful mountain lakes during a single day…read morehike was darn fabulous. Located outside the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park, 2.5 miles of dirt road is crossed to reach the trailhead at the closed Saddlebag Lake Resort at 10087 Saddlebag Lake Road. As a former resort, the location has lots of parking but since the closed buildings meant no running water and an outhouse toilet. The often-closed Tioga Road (aka Hwy 120) must be open to get to Saddlebag. For a longer and harder hike, the basin loop can be reached by going up Lundy Canyon located north of Lee Vining and might be an alternative starting point if Tioga is closed. The loop can begin by heading left across the dam, but we went right around eastern side of Saddlebag Lake - the largest and only man-made lake of the hike. The western side is rocky talus while the eastern trail around Saddlebag Lake is longer but has a more comfortable walking surface that was preferred by people fishing in the lake. The remaining lakes appear at regular half-mile intervals with each having their own flavor. The first set of lakes were small and serene Hummingbird Lake, deep and eerie Odell Lake, and classically graceful Lake Helen. We then took a worthwhile and brief side trip down to Lundy Canyon to the cascading Lundy Canyon Falls. We resumed on the loop to see our favorite Shamrock Lake with multiple little peninsulas poking into the lake which was followed by narrow inlet-like Excelsior Lake, cliff-sided Steelhead Lake below the Sphinx-ish Shepherd Crest, unremarkable Wasco Lake, and meadowy Greenstone Lake before returning along the opposite side of Saddlebag Lake. Maps showed two trails between Steelhead and Wasco Lakes. The western trail is incomplete but also led to the best geology with bold green layered rocks. Our hike was 9.3 miles to circle around nine lakes and one waterfall. The elevation varied from 9,900' to 10,400'. Never steep, the terrain rolled up and down which felt like a 1000' elevation change hike. The paths were mostly exposed with few trees. Located in a true basin, the lakes were surrounded by peaks and ridges. Icy snow pockets that survived the summer ensured water flow through the creeks and lakes.

Hiked this as an overnight backpacking trip with 2 friends in late July, it was the most beautiful…read moreamazing hike I've done and seen in a very long time. Drove up from San Diego the night before and tried to get a camping spot at ~7K feet altitude to get adjusted but all the campsites were full, so ended up camping overnight at disbursed camping down the road (still up at altitude, just no facilities and no fires allowed). Woke up in the morning and made a quick stop at Whoa Nellie Deli to use the bathroom, fill up on water etc. And then drove the very rocky road up to the trailhead. I have a Subaru Impreza, all wheel drive but not a lot of lift, so it was doable, but would have definitely felt better in an SUV, although I also saw a Prius in the parking lot so any car can make it I guess. Parked in the parking lot, there are bear boxes there to leave everything from your car that you're not bringing with you on your backs (also bring a bear canister if you're doing overnight!). Then we headed out. We hiked around the north side of Saddlebag lake, which was beautiful, and a little more crowded as a lot of day hikers just hike that lake. We then took the turn off to the right to head up to the rest of the lakes. On day 1 we did about 6 1/2 miles. We kept passing beautiful lake after beautiful lake. There was a point where we were hiking down a pretty steep climb and it started hailing on us! I was relieved we were hiking down at that point and not up with our packs on. I'd recommend having alltrails map downloaded as there are literally no trail markers, there would have been really know what to know which way to go without it. So we kept hiking and climbing, up and down, around more and more lakes. And then we setup camp for the night around Greenstone Lake. Night 1 was Friday night and was very quiet, no other over-nighters around. Night 2 was a Saturday, and it got a bit more crowded. Nothing too crazy, but there were definitely others in sight and ear-shot. We setup for 2 nights, and then did a day hike the next morning up to Conness Lake which was actually possibly the most beautiful lake I've ever seen in my entire life. I even went swimming in the freezing water! On our last day we woke up in the morning, packed up, and hiked out the remaining 3ish miles back around the bottom of Saddlebag Lake.

MONO BASIN VISITOR CENTER, NATIONAL FOREST SCENIC AREA, Lee Vining, CA, July, 2026. We were in Lee…read moreVining, CA on July 4, 2026, and were very pleasantly surprised to find this Visitor Center open on Independence Day. We were in Lee Vining, on our way to the Tioga Pass entrance to Yosemite National Park and, to be honest, we didn't know a lot about the Mono Basin area. What a helpful find! There were indoor exhibits, and a ton of information available from rangers and from dozens of informational sheets. Interestingly, beginning in 1941, stream diversions by the Los Angeles Dept of Water and Power caused the lake level to drop 45 vertical feet, severely threatening the health of the Mono Lake ecosystem. Mono Lake is now on the rise, but not yet there, to 6,392' above sea level in order to balance the needs of both people and the environment. The Visitor Center also has a nice Gift Shop (where I added to my collection of refrigerator magnets and got a cancellation stamp in my NPS Passport), has a nice viewing area of the lake from the back deck or from a short path, and restrooms that are accessible from inside or outside (even when the Visitor Center is closed). Parking is free and plentiful. Next stop (at the recommendation of the rangers: Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve!

This visitor center, located north of Lee Vining to the east of Hwy 395, is a must stop no matter…read morewhat time of year you pass by. While the visitor center is opened seasonally, they have restrooms in front that remain open year-round and have been clean and well stocked every time I've visited. I believe they close overnight--so please check first. The visitor center has a beautiful gift shop, a ranger desk where you can get all your local exploring and curiosity questions answered, a kids coloring table, places to sit, a film, and natural history exhibits. There is also a vast and beautiful back patio space which provides ample viewing options of Mono Lake, the tufa, and the surrounding mountains and hills. There is a nature trail you can follow with better views of the lake. Cell service is spotty in this area, but there are a few spots in the parking lot where the service comes through. I have really enjoyed visiting here during different times of year. Every time I do, I learn something new from the volunteers and staff... They have always been able to help me identify a new animal I've spotted or give me "insider" information about a new adventure worthy of embarking on.

Mono Lake wasn't originally part of our trip, but we decided to stop, and I'm really glad we did :)…read moreI came here as a child but coming back with my own family and friends was awesome. We checked out the Discovery Center with the kids first, then headed down to the lake. It's such a cool place to see in person. The lake is super salty, so you can actually float, which my husband and the kids thought was so much fun! I wasn't brave enough to get in One thing to know before you go, there are tons of tiny brine shrimp in the water, so don't be surprised! They're harmless, just part of the lake's ecosystem but when they got out there were tons in their pockets The tufa towers are really unique and make the whole place feel unlike anywhere else. It's definitely worth walking around and taking in the views and beautiful for photos. If you're driving through the area or anywhere nearby, I'd definitely recommend making a stop. It's a really neat place to see, especially if you've never been before!

As part of our quest to visit all 63 U.S. national parks, we set off on a six week road trip. I…read morehave a personal rule: I only count a national park as "visited" if I actually spend time there, hike or walk through it, and truly experience it. While Mono Lake is not a national park, it became one of the most memorable stops of our journey. On our way from Lassen Volcanic National Park to Death Valley, we made a stop at Mono Lake, which happened to be right at the doorstep of Yosemite National Park. It was the perfect opportunity to explore this incredible area, and we were also able to spend a few hours visiting Yosemite along the way. Wow. Mono Lake was a place unlike anywhere else we had visited. The first impression is simple: it looks like another planet. Mono Lake is a very unique landscape, with its ancient waters and strange limestone formations called tufa towers rising from the shoreline. These formations look almost like sculptures created by nature, and walking among them feels like stepping into a different world. The combination of the lake, the white tufa towers, the mountains in the background, and the changing light creates an almost surreal experience. For me, this visit had an extra special meaning. My favorite album of all time is Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd, and Mono Lake appears on the inside cover of the album. Seeing this place in person was a wonderful and unexpected gift. It felt like visiting a landscape that had been part of my imagination for decades. We spent time walking around the lake, taking in the silence, the unusual scenery, and the incredible contrast between the desert-like surroundings and the dramatic Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance. Mono Lake may not be a national park, but it absolutely deserves a stop. It is strange, beautiful, peaceful, and unforgettable. Sometimes the places that stay with you the longest are not necessarily the biggest or the most famous, but the ones that make you stop and say, "Wow, I have never seen anything like this before."

This is no longer in operation. According to the folks in town, it hasn't been for a couple of…read moreyears. There is no other place to rent a kayak nearby.

The tour was fine. I am not ranking it higher because the male guide (Stuart?) insisted on…read moredemanding to know where I was born. As if he had a right to know. As if it mattered. I would never go back to this place after that unpleasant exchange. The female guide, Sue, was nice though. Ranking on her alone would have been 4 stars.

This is my one of favorite beach in the entire world! I was hesitant about sharing that this is my…read morefavorite beach because parking can already be such a pain. Plus, social media and content creators are trying to blow this spot up. But it is just always so dreamy here with the blue turquoise waters. I love that we can rent paddle boards and kayaks here, so no need to pack your own. The water temperature is medium cold so on a hot day it feels amazing to just chill and float.

The beach is beautiful and loved taking my family. What was terrible was the senior parking…read moreattendant, she was very rude. We had two car loads and only one car could get in. She said there was no more parking spots which was untrue when my daughter went in to find 6 spots available. When we turned around and went back she still did not allow us in. The beach was not even crowded. Felt some people were being selected and some weren't. Other than that it's such a place to visit with your family

The best mountain I have ever climbed was Mt.Whitney. However, I remember Mt.Dana more often. I…read moreclimbed Mt.Dana to acclimatize two days before I climbed Mt.Whitney. Because the purpose of our trip was Mt.Whitney, I was not very excited about climbing Mt.Dana. I know that responsible hikers should always prepare for the trails they plan to hike, but I had been too lazy to print out the trail map of Mt.Dana. Another reason I thought I didn't need to do such preparation was that our leader had done the same trip six years in a row with exactly the same itinerary. So I was planning to follow him and actually I did follow him. It was quite an interesting trail. During the first half, we were able to see a lot of plants and flowers that were specific for high altitudes. On the last half of the trail were only rocks because plants couldn't survive in the higher altitude. There were no obvious trails through the rocks although there were some cairns and flags to show hikers a good path to the summit. I really like this primitive kind of trail. It was stereotypic Eastern Sierra summer scenery; bone dry, brown, and quiet, with strong sunlight. The higher we climbed, the thinner the air became. That made it harder for us to breathe and we stopped talking. I knew that it was only six miles to the crest, but I couldn't see the top. I felt like it would take forever to reach the top. That made me psychologically exhausted. At the same time, I got more time to think by myself. It was hard but I really like this solitude for some reason. When I finally reached the summit, I forgot all the pain. Surprisingly, I was able to see the whole Mono Lake from the top. I had been to Mono Lake but never saw all the lake at one time. It was the most beautiful lake I had ever seen. Because I had not looked up any photos from the summit of Mt.Dana, I was able to be surprised by the scenery. Nature rewards me with great scenery and several kinds of emotion that I never have in daily life. This is the reason I can't stop climbing mountains. Some people believe that mountains have some spiritual power and some places such as Mt.Shasta are known as power spots. I still don't really understand or feel that kind of power, but I got a sense of mountain's strength a little.

You won't find the Mt. Dana Summit Trail on your National Park Service map and you're unlikely to…read morefind it in your hiking guidebook either. What you will find on this trail however, is a challenging trip up the second highest peak in Yosemite National Park which rewards with some of the best panoramic views you'll experience anywhere.