Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area

About Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area

Lake Mono, CA 395, is located in the Mono Basin National Forest, south of San Bernardino County, California. Lake Mono, which is covered by several rivers, has a drain and is one of the oldest lakes in the world, which was created about 700,000 years ago. It is the second largest freshwater lake in California and the third largest in North America after the Great Lakes.

Although the water has a higher salinity than most lakes, there are single-celled algae that feed on saltwater flies and salt shrimp, which are eaten by the 70 migratory birds that live in the mono lake in spring and summer. These birds, mainly phalaropes, waders, grebes and California gulls, flock to the lake in the summer months.

It is estimated that up to 1,000 seagulls and gulls migrate to the Mono Lake every year. In the summer months, California seabirds hatch in the lake like the California seagull.