Mono Lake C.A.

[evelyn_wilson]

I'm heading to Nevada in February and I'd like to head to Mono Lake in California to take some shots. Any

advice?

Any other places in that area I should see?

Thanks for your help.

[scot]

The ghost town of Bodie is very close, and definately not to be missed. I've gone there three years in a row, and never tire of the place. It's fascinating, and for a photographer, it's a VERy target-rich environment.

One problem: you're going to be there in winter. Bodie is at 8000 feet, and it may be snowed in. But maybe not. It's a state park, so you can just call to check if the road is passable. Just google it.

 

If you miss it, you'll still like Mono. Be sure to go to the tufa area. The best tufas (formations of mineral deposits )are a short walk from a parking area.

 

And, of course, Yosemite is nearby. Might even be something worth shooting there...

 

Best,

 

Scot Steele

[savagesax]

Get in before sunrise. It's about an 8 to 10 minute walk from the parking lot and a flashlight sure helps. Look for reflections off of the Tufa's, (the salt water rocks.) Watch for storms. Lighting is amazing if you can catch a storm. I have a few shots on my site. Nothing too great. If you get hungry theres a pretty good place to eat on the corner at the gas station. Thats about all there is this time of year. The west entrance to Yosemite is most likely closed by now. They keep it open until the first snow storm.

[savagesax]

Heard Bodie is closed at the moment, call first to see. It is a great place.

[m._howard_edwards]

Further south from there is Bishop,Calif., and Galen Rowell's Mountain Light Gallery. Great shots of the Eastern Sierras.

[bob_flood1]

The advice you've gotten on the lake is right on target. The main road thru that part of the state is US395, a north-south mulitlane road; south of the lake the road goes down into the Owens Valley. Getting from Vegas over to that part of CA can be done by several routes. In my experience, the fastest is to go northwest out of Vegas on US95 past Beatty and turn west on NV266. That changes to 168 in CA and connects to 395 in Big Pine, a 15-20 minutes drive south of Bishop. I recommend Galen Rowell's Mountain Light Gallery in Bishop - his son still operates it and the displays are amazing. Bishop also has a good selection of motels and restaurants; at about 3500 people it's the metropolis of the eastern Sierra. Going over thru Death Valley is an alternative, but the road from Death Valley over into Lone Pine is a slow one. From Vegas to Bishop by the faster route takes me about 4.25 hours; thru Death Valley it's an hoour slower.

 

Bodie would be a great trip, but please don't count on it - figure it'll be a bonus if the road is open (and take advantage if it is - it's great). The road from 395 to Bodie is a long one and goes thru some good hills - expensive to plow. If the snow isn't too bad (and it hasn't been so far), it may well be cleared. But if they get heavy snow, expect the road to be closed.

 

The east entrance to Yosemite is closed and will remain so until spring. If you want to wander up some of the side roads that go west off 395 into the Sierra foothills, be careful of road conditions. 4WD would be a good asset.

 

Farther south of Bishop, at Lone Pine, you'll find the Alabama Hills, a really good setting to hunt around. West of Bishop, along Bishop Creek, should also offer some good scenery. It's mostly photographed in the fall for the aspens, but there's residential development along both forks (north and south), so the roads will be open.

 

Between Mono and Bishop is Mammoth Lakes, which includes the ski area. If you'll be there on a weekend, expect the towns to be full at night. Seats in a restaurant will take time, but you'll have Mono and the other places I've mentioned pretty much to yourself.

 

Have a great time.

[craig_gillette]

Depending on where you are in Nevada, the Carson City and Virginia City areas are interesting, a lot of history, old goverment buildings, a mint now a museum, the capitol, lots of victorian homes and buildings, state railroad museum. Virginia City is interesting, saloons, old mines and toruist oriented businesses.

[aj_nadershahi]

Don't drink the lake water.

 

And watch your speed. Don't ask...

 

For the best fajitas you've ever enjoyed, stop at the gas station located off Tioga Pass Road and Vista Point Road just off of 395. It's about 2 miles south of the little town of Lee Vining.

[ecphora]

If you actually make it to Bodie, doubtful this time of year, there is a road that runs through to the far side of town and beyond. It's rated 4x4 only for good reason, but if you have the vehicle I highly suggest the trip. It'sabout an hour and a half to drive it but it takes you to the next town over called Aurora. It's another ghost town worth shooting and does not get as much traffic. Been a while since I've been there and unlike Bodie's "arrested decay" Aurora is left to the elements so I am not sure what may be left. There are several fine landscapes and rock formations on the way to make it worth the trouble if the town is a bust though.

[david_henderson]

Try and choose your day. Mono Lake in my view is dependent on interesting skies and flat water- if its pure blue or overcast its not anywhere near as good, nor if its windy. Its also best at dawn which you might like to think about when deciding how close to stay. Most of the accommodation open open in winter is in ski areas. You have to accept the possibility of poor access to the Lake itself too-its quite high and I don't imagine snow is unknown and certainly Delorme indicates that the 120 across to the main Tufa area is closed in winter.

 

I couldn't get into Bodie as late as April 21st this year. Its a dirt road and they don't really put effort into keeping it open in winter. Bodie's at 8000 feet or so- it'll be freakish if you get there in February.

 

I could at that point get to Convict Lake pretty easily- on the west of the 395 near Mammoth, and that can photograph nicely. I don't have enough local knowledge to guarantee February access though. You might equally be able to get to the near end of June Lake- as far as the village anyway. You might find it easier to access the roads on the east side of the 395 towards the Owens River where you can get increasingly interesting views of the Sierras as you move away from them a bit.

 

All told though, coming from Nevada at that time of year I'd much prefer Death Valley and maybe the Alabama Hills if they stay navigable.<div></div>

[alex_lofquist]

If you go to Bode, be sure to wear something very warm. The wind chill can be daunting!

[hugh_sakols]

Make sure to visit the Mono Lake Committee in Lee Vining. They can give you details of road conditions ect.. Also they usually have a photographic exhibit. I enjoy photographing at Blacks Point, South Tufa, and Navy Beach.

 

www.yosemitecollection.com

[sergey_oboguev]

If I were to go to Mono Lake in winter, I'd rather try to go when there is a snow on the tufa.

<br>City of Lee Vining has (or at least used to have) webcam, so you can check it or call Mono Lake visitor's center.

<br>What you can do there depends a lot on the sky. Story dramatic skies may help a lot.

<br>In the AM, shoot tufa against the mountains in the background.

<br>

<br>There is also a voulcanic crater next to Mono Lake, you can head there for late AM, when coming back from Mono Lake towards highway.

<br>

<br>Some other locations in the area:

<br>

<br>Minareths overlook (west of Mammoth) at sunrise.

<br>

<br>Alabama Hills, though that is about 3 hours drive.

<br>You can photograph the formations all day long, but for mountain backgrounds you need to be there at the dawn and pre-dawn.

<br>If you happen to drive at night, Chevron at the southern end of Lone Pine has convenience store that is open 24 hours and has microwave for hot breakfast.

<br>

<br>Mountains along 395. They are to the west of the highway, so morning shoot mostly, but some can be worked around the sunset as well.

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<br>You may want to bring 300mm for mountain top shots, sometimes even 400mm is helpful.

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<br>Bristlecone Pines -- however the last couple of miles of the road past the overlook point is likely to be closed and you'd need to ski or snowshoe beyond the closure.

<br>You need to check current road conditions before going there and be comfortable with driving mountainous and possibly icy roads.

<br>

<br>Among inexpensives places to stay in the area, I much prefer Motel 6 in Mammoth over those accomodations at Lee Vining that I saw.

[jim gtz]

Greetings from Bishop, I made a trip up to Reno 1-5 thru 1-7. The day after a storm and Hwy 395 was open, no chains, Caltrans. takes good care of the roads. You could spend weeks photographing the Eastern Sierras. One issue is that the sun sets early into the mountains (plus or minus?). Sunrise now is 7:08am and 18 degrees keep your batts warm.

Mono Lake south tufa fields, take Hwy 120 just south of town. The visitor center was closed when I went thru, I think it closes for the winter.

Bodie ghost town, paved for about a mile and gravel for 6? miles. It had snow 2-3 inches but tire tracks going in, 4x4 I'm sure.

Alabama Hills, if you've never been there it's a must stop. Left at the stop light in Lone Pine, 10-15 min. drive. Like no place on earth.

The Walker Canyon, north of Bridgeport, is another excellent area.

The whole drive is picturesque, April-May and Sept-October are best, but after one drive you'll be back.

have fun, Jim

[evelyn_wilson]

Thank you for all your input. If I can't get to Mono Lake due to weather, you've given me

alternatives. If I don't get there this time, I will be back. I'm printing all the responses off so I

don't miss anything. Thanks again.

[greg_campbell1]

Bodie is unlikely to be open.

 

Heading south from Mono Lake, I'd suggest:

 

Lee Vining Canyon. I'm not sure where they close it in the winter, but it's a pretty, photogenic, area.

 

Mammoth is, IMO, a bit of a zoo in the winter. If you stop there, consider taking tram to the mountain top and back. Unless you plan to ski back down, there's nothing to do at the top (no restaurant, etc.) but the view is awesome.

 

Convict Lake is a short drive from 395. Very nice.

 

Right across the road from Convict L. is Hot Creek, a geothermal creek with (free?) public access.

 

If you're into it, there is a nice railroad museum in NE Bishop.

 

I'm fond of the Big Pine Motel. (370 Main) The owners are very friendly, the rooms clean and reasonably priced, if slightly creaky. Also, Big Pine is a much more relaxed place than Bishop.

 

Barring freak weather, the Bristlecone trees will not be accessible in Feb.

 

Further south is the Eastern California Museum. http://www.countyofinyo.org/ecmuseum/ In Independence. Worth a visit, IMO. Lots of photogenic antique farming and industrial hardware.

 

Death Valley is perfect in Feb. Don't miss the Titus Canyon drive. (and the nearby Rhyolite ghost town). If you enjoy hiking, there are dozens of cool canyon hikes in the area. Golden Canyon and Mosaic feature drive-up access. Grotto, Fall, Red Wall, Marble, etc. canyons will require a few minutes' walking to get to. Zabriskie Point, Dante's View, Augerberry Point are good sunrise/set viewpoints. If the road is open, check out the Charcoal Kilns along Mahogany Flat road, with the old mining town of Skidoo nearby. A pre-sunrise hike into the Stovepipe Dunes is a unique experience. Needless to say, I like the place and, with agreeable weather (clouds, sky texture, good light), you could spend days shooting the area.

 

Whatever you do, slow down enough to enjoy the trip. Don't get caught in the "I have to see everything" mindset that traps you in the car, driving forever to 'see' the 'next' big thing.

 

-Greg

[jdrose]

In that area, pictures are where you find the light. I wouldn't worry about a particular destination. Just keep your eyes open...a great photograph could be anywhere.

 

I would recommend Bishop...for a California town it is really comfortable and laid back. Nice food and people there. You should also try Carson City and Virginia City if you get the time.

 

Don't forget the wonderful hot spring pools that are up and down 395.

 

Also, no matter how bad the snow, the roads to Lake Tahoe always seem to get cleared fast. I once drove up and there were 25 foot walls of snow on each side of the road. But the road was clear.<div></div>

[fourfa]

"Barring freak weather, the Bristlecone trees will not be accessible in Feb."

 

...by car. you can get there with a multiday XC ski trip. Galen Rowell has some good stories in his books about getting there in winter, and one about a ski traverse of the entire White Mountain range