Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore

Passionate store clerk, well informed and friendly. Wish more places had staff like this. Minutes away from iconic mono lake, this is the information Center. You can also schedule for a canoe ride (highly recommended). The guy also talked to us about a nearby volcanic formation that is the youngest on earth. We toured that area too. That place though, was very smelly… maybe a city dumpster next to it?

GREAAAAAT place. They have a very solid bookstore and I highly recommend it. They are a very very good environmental non-​profit so the money you spend goes to a good cause. I am a proud member and visit every time I hit that part of the Eastern Sierra.

What a secret gem! $ 25 for a guided canoe tour of Mono Lake.
This is not just get out of the car to take a picture and check off the list.
This is spend half a day to get your feet wet and really experience Mono Lake. Seeing the learning about the lake in a canoe is what I call hands on.
We met our friends in a Mammoth Lake bakery at 6am. Got fresh-​out-​of-​oven goodies and drove half hour to Mono Lake. Hiked half hour from parking lot to Navy Beach for orientation and life jackets. Then we took off our shoes, roll up our pants and wade into the canoe. We were able to fit 4 people into our boat which we paddled ourselves. With the guide’s help, we saw empty Osprey nest, many tufas, even newly forming ones, lots of birds, micro size shrimps, and alkali flies. The Native Americans used to dry the flies and eat them for protein. Our guide offer the flies for us to eat; one boy actually ate it, I was only brave enough to tasted the extremely salty water.
I would recommend to watch the movie at the visitor center one day prior to the canoe trip, it will help prepare your understanding before your time with the boat guide who will talk more about the history, ecology and geology of Mono Lake.
If you are interested in scheduling a special tour or if you have questions about the canoe tours, please contact Canoe Coordinator at (760) 647‑6595.

Tons of information and helpful people at this lovely little visitor’s center!
There is information about the lake on the wall that illustrates what happened and what’s being done now to save Mono Lake.
There are also nice clean bathrooms, which is very helpful if you’re just driving through.

This is a pretty good information center. We had come to Mono Lake to take pictures, but found that exploring the lake was just as fascinating. We came across this center by accident as we were driving the dirt road trails around the lake. The center was very nice and new with ample parking and a nice view of the lake. There were some nice souvenirs in the shop and the cashier was very friendly. The information and showroom was interesting with diagrams and replicas of the cohabitants at Mono Lake. If you are driving through Lee Vining or visiting the lake, this center is a good place to stop, eat, shop, and learn something new.

20+ years ago I stopped by Mono Lake, the flies & the briny odor shooed me away — ignorance isn’t always bliss. Years later, I caught an episode of good ol’ Huell Howser (RIP Huell) visiting the lake and was intrigued. Well, after a couple of decades, we finally canoed Mono Lake and I highly recommend that everyone add this amazing excursion to their «bucket list.» It is $ 25/​person well spent!
Let me start by saying the booking process was simple, Julia the canoe program coordinator personally emailed me w/​a friendly reminder & a few tips the day before our trip, and our guide Bryce was totally knowledgeable (thanks to the 3 week intensive training course, OJT, and genuine love for the Sierras) & personable — great staff! Clap, clap, clap.
We launched from Navy Beach and I got to play «engine,» while my family sat on cushions in the middle of the canoe and enjoyed the ride. Bryce was our rudder and auxiliary engine. Being in an informative narrated canoe changes your entire perspective of the lake and truly gives you an appreciation of what Mono Lake has to offer. We saw nesting Osprey, Phalaropes (they swim in rapid circles to bring the shrimp to the surface for easier consumption — ingenious!) fattening up before their 3K nonstop flight to the Andes, a Harrier hawk low flying on a hunt, and a bubbling tufa just starting to form. Highlight, catching a few brine shrimp and inspecting them up close — fun!
I now know the purpose of the swarming flies (largely a food source for the birds), why the lake has a briny/​fishy odor (we learned this AFTER Bryce got us to taste the water), and how valuable Mono lake is to the wildlife that is dependent on it’s existence. I am ignorant no more!
A few tips: you will need to get your feet wet to enter the canoe, so wear something that you are willing to get soaked and do arrive the recommended 45 minutes prior to your tour time because the sandy path walk is about 15 minutes & once at the meetsite, you need to sign a waiver and get fitted for a life vest.
Long Live Mono Lake!!!
Don’t forget to treat yourself to Mono Cone (a few minutes North in Lee Vining) — you’ve earned the calories!

A few friends and I planned a weekend trip to Mono Lake. The highlight of our trip was a canoe tour by the Mono Lake Committee.
When walking into the store, the staff was friendly and helpful in answering our questions and helping us sign up for a tour the next day. When we took a 8am tour the next day, we arrived 15 minutes late. Despite our tardiness, the tour guides were still very accomodating and friendly.
Our group consisted of 5 people, so we split up with a group of 2 and a group of 3. Angie, the tour guide of our canoe, was very friendly and knowledgeable of the lake and ecosystems pertinent to the area. She helped make the trip very enjoyable, especially since we are not «morning people».
The tour was inexpensive and fun. Great times.

We stopped in here, admittedly mostly for the bathroom, before heading into Yosemite.
The store has a great selection, from the kitschy and cute to the locally-​produced and unique, to the intellectual and socially conscious. I got some feather earrings and wore them all day in Yosemite! They had a great selection of books too, some relevant to the area (John Muir writings, Edward Abbey), and some crucial fiction (Jack Kerouac, Kurt Vonnegut).
The museum gallery in the store is well-​done– very elaborate and conservation-​aware. And you get a membership to their committee when you spend $ 25 in the store! Friendly people, great souvenirs, and environmentalism… Didn’t expect to find that when in search of a flush toilet!

The Mono Lake Committee is a nonprofit citizen’s group dedicated to protecting and restoring the Mono Basin Ecosystem, educating the public about Mono Lake and the impacts on the environment of excessive water use, and promoting cooperative solutions that protect Mono Lake and meet real water needs without transferring environmental problems to other areas.
Since 1978, the Committee has fought to protect Mono Lake from excessive water diversions to Los Angeles and based on their newsletter, they’ve done a good job of it. I first become acquainted with these guys while passing through Lee Vining on the way to Mono Lake. Seeing this ancient and alkaline «triple water» lake for the first time left a deep impression that lingers on my fingers as I write this post. Hence, it’s only natural to support the Mono Lake Committee in their efforts.
Between work, Earthwatch Trips, and the distance to get out to the Eastern Sierra, a occasional trip is about all that’s possible. Beside the Lake itself, what will bring me back is the Mono Lake Committee’s field seminars including photography, the bighorn sheep seminar/​hike, and the Los Angeles Aqueduct tour. And of course, I’ll stop in the Lee Vining Store and say Hi.

I love this organization. Even if you are not a member, a visit to the Mono Lake Committee store is a must when you’re in Lee Vining. A large selection of books relevant to Mono Lake, the Sierra, geology of the region, history of the region/​the Sierra, and plenty of guidebooks on subjects from birds to trees to wild flowers.
Also have nice (but somewhat pricey) selection of gift items, pottery, jewelry, etc.
Folks there are friendly and readily dispense helpful info about the region.

The Mono Lake Committee has canoe tours on Mono Lake, you just need to make reservations. I called a few months before my trip & booked my reservation. It’s $ 22 pp for a One-​hr tour.
It starts at Navy Beach though they want you to park at the South Tufa parking lot & walk which is about 10 – 15 min away. If you get there early or even after the tour stay for the Sand Tufas just on the bluff to the Right. Very cool looking castles made of sand.
For the tour they charge your credit card when you make reservation so you don’t need to bring any money on the day. They will lock up stuff you don’t need in their vehicle if you want. I left my car keys with them. I brought my digital camera and nobody got wet or fell in which was great.
Tour is pretty good. You’ll learn about the history of Mono Lake, brine shrimp, alkali flies, see bubbling springs, Osprey nests, etc. You get close to the tufa towers.
We were in a 4-​person canoe. We had to share a guide since there were more people than guides and a Bay Area guy was our captain since he knew how to canoe and 1-​person (his friend) in front was a paddler. Hubby helped paddle too. I just sat & took pictures. The middle people sit on cushions, front & back people sit on wood.
Two pit toilets in the parking lot of Navy Beach.
Recommended tour.
Website here:

If you have a charitable organization with a store I will find you and shop in your store. I will support your organization as much as I can with my commerce. This is my personal creed.
The store is open and light and stuffed with really amazing books, Indian crafts, t-​shirts, great handmade local items and jewelry. They also have free Internet use if you are lost or want to look up something about the area.
The staff are also really kind and will stay open late if you lose track of time and need a b-​day present for your dad the next morning. There are lots of educational materials in the store and you can join the Mono Lake Committee for a donation of 25 $, or if you spend that much you join for free. They are trying to preserve the unique lake for years to come.

The Mono Lake Committee is a great little combination bookstore /​tourism office /​gift shop. It pays to get some advice on what to see and do while you’re in Lee Vining (see my list), as well as the best spots to see the Tufa (South Tufa). Even without the tourism advice, this book shop has a lot to offer. Ansel Adams did some famous photos of Mono Lake, and the MLC has many of his photo books on display. There are also many books covering the ecological problems that have faced the lake over the years. You’ll also find lots of small gifts and souvenirs. We stopped in and took advantage of their internet access for a few minutes in the morning before heading over to the Latte Da Café for some coffee. The staff is friendly and more than willing to help you have a good time during your visit.
About Lee Vining and Mono Lake: We spent the night in Lee Vining in July after a few days in Yosemite. Mono Lake isn’t quite as picturesque as it could be as you drive down from Tioga Pass from Yosemite. I guess I was expecting something closer to Lake Tahoe, so this is partially my fault. You’re greeted by a large Mobile gas station (with restaurant…), what looks like a small gravel quarry, and not much else. The lake itself is best viewed from just about everywhere other than where the road from Yosemite hits 395, so don’t be too discouraged. We had a great time once we got away from the highway a bit.