The best place for swimming in Mono Lake is at Navy Beach. It’s also the best place to put in canoes or kayaks.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. South Tufa

1.82 MILES

Peculiar-shaped tufa spires ring the shimmering Mono Lake, but the biggest grove is on the southern rim, with a mile-long interpretive trail. The bizarre…

2. Panum Crater

2.97 MILES

Rising above the southern shore of Mono Lake, Panum Crater is the youngest (about 640 years old), smallest and most accessible of the craters that string…

3. Mono Lake

4.83 MILES

North America’s second-oldest lake is 70 sq miles, and a quiet and mysterious expanse of deep blue water. The glassy surface reflects jagged Sierra peaks,…

4. Upside-Down House

6.94 MILES

The Upside-Down House, a kooky tourist attraction created by silent-film actress Nellie Bly O’Bryan, is worth a quick look. Originally situated along…

5. Black Point Fissures

8.84 MILES

On the north shore of Mono Lake are the Black Point Fissures, narrow crags that opened when a lava mass cooled and contracted about 13,000 years ago…

6. Lyell Canyon

17.45 MILES

This lovely canyon, which includes a section that is part of the John Muir Trail, follows the Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne River.

7. Bodie State Historic Park

18.47 MILES

At Bodie State Historic Park, a gold-rush ghost town is preserved in a state of 'arrested decay.' Weathered buildings sit frozen in time on a dusty,…

8. Earthquake Fault

20.18 MILES

Mammoth Mountain is the product of millions of years of volcanic activity, so it should be no surprise that the region surrounding it is full of…