Mono Lake - South Tufa State Reserve

"Very unique formations"

If you're a geology buff, you'll be in heaven when you visit the South Tufa State Reserve located on the south end of Mono Lake.  There is a loop trail from the parking lot that takes you through some of the most spectacular tufa towers that have formed in Mono Lake due to calcium deposits that have accumulated over time around underground springs at the bottom of Mono Lake.  We learned from our informative trip the Mono Basin Visitor's Center that Tufa Towers are petrified springs that form under water due to a chemical reaction that occurs when underground spring water encounter the salt water of Mono Lake.  The tufa towers form under the water until they get so large and strong that they can exist above water.  As you meander through the oddly shaped tufa towers, you'll feel like you're walking on some strange Star Wars planet

At some points along the trail, you're able to get to the shores of Mono Lake and see the strange greenish turquoise colored water.  The waters of Mono Lake are more salty than ocean water and has been dubbed the Dead Sea of California.  Similar to the dead sea in the Mediterranean, Mono Lake is fed by streams, but has not outlet.  During some seasons in the year, the surface of the water is covered in a special fly larvae that migrating birds love to feast on. So be forewarned if you have a bug or bird phobia.

The trail is easy for kids to walk on, but do prepare them ahead of time that they are to stay on the trail at all times and not clamber on the enticing Tufa Towers.  On the day we visited, the entire basin was hit by gusty winds that made the short trek a little uncomfortable.  If not for our ski jackets we just happened to have that day, we would all have been miserable.