Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lake. This is a gorgeous spot, especially in spring when wildflowers carpet the canyon
along Mill Creek, or in fall when it is brightened by colorful foliage. Before reaching the
available, but it must be boiled or treated. At the end of the lake, there's a ramshackle re-
sort on the site of an 1880s mining town, plus a small store and boat rentals.
Past the resort, a dirt road leads into
Lundy Canyon
where, in 2 miles, it dead-ends at
the trailhead for the Hoover Wilderness Area. A fantastic 1.5-mile hike follows Mill Creek
scape along the trail, with gnawed aspens scattered on the ground and a number of huge
dams barricading the creek. Ambitious types can continue on via Lundy Pass to Saddlebag
Lake and the Twenty Lakes Basin, though the final climb out of the canyon uses a very
steep talus chute.
Lee Vining
Hwy 395 skirts the western bank of Mono Lake, rolling into the gateway town of Lee Vin-
ing where you can eat, sleep, gas up (for a pretty penny) and catch Hwy 120 to Yosemite
National Park when the road's open. A superb base for exploring Mono Lake, Lee Vining
is only 12 miles (about a 30-minute drive) from Yosemite's Tioga Pass entrance.
Lee Vin-
ing Canyon
is a popular location for
ice climbing
.
In town, take a quick look at the
Upside-Down House
, a kooky tourist attraction cre-
ated by silent film actress Nellie Bly O'Bryan. Originally situated along Tioga Rd, it now
GOOGLE MAP
;
www.monobasinhs.org
;
donation $2; 10am-4pm Thu-Tue & noon-4pm Sun mid-
May-early Oct)
. To find it, turn east on 1st St and go one block to Mattley Ave.
Sleeping
Lodging rates drop when Tioga Pass is closed. Psst, campers!
Mono Vista RV Park
(
760-647-6401;
www.monovistarvpark.net
; Hwy 395;
9am-6pm Apr-Oct)
has the closest pay
showers to Tuolumne Meadows.
El Mono Motel
MOTEL
