Set in a volcanic basin just east of the Sierra Nevada, Mono Lake is a favorite stop for migratory birds and for humans flocking to or from Yosemite National Park. After the lake was partly drained by the city of Los Angeles in the early 20^th century, it left behind highly-alkaline (and thus very buoyant) waters and dozens of famed tufa—wily, calcium-carbonate spires—that now line the shores. Most visitors merely check out the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center, an impressive building set on a shelf overlooking the lake. But those with more time and interest can find many interesting features around the salty basin, much of it contained in the 116,000-acre Mono Lake State Natural Reserve and Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area.

Yours truly had the chance to visit the South Tufa Area, where a short boardwalk offers up-close access to some of the exposed tufa, and Panum Crater, a hot and dusty rhyolitic cone situated just south of the lake. The latter requires driving on a relatively rough gravel road for which high clearance is recommended.