The Ultimate Eastern Sierra Site for Nature Lovers: Again at the South Tufa of Mono Lake

 

Date: May 24, 2026

Place: Mono Lake, Lee Vining California

Coordinates: 37.938702, -119.026996

Length: 1 mile

Level: Easy

Mono Lake is a pilgrimage site for us. Ever since our first visit to Mono Lake about 25 years ago we never miss an opportunity to revisit this magical place every time we pass through the area, that is pretty much every year. Actually, we didn't plan to visit Mono Lake this time - our plan was to stay up the White Mountains. Our plan however, was changed due to the White Mountain Road being blocked by snow. We ended up hiking at the Schulman Grove of the Ancient Bristlecone Pines, and then exploring a bit around the Grandview Campground where we had spent the night. In the morning we did some more exploration in the lower area of the White Mountains, then we continued on northward to Mono Lake, where we hoped to see more birds.  

There were relatively few people in the parking area. I had expected seeing many more, considering it being a holiday weekend. I didn't complain though. I prefer having less human presence. Since we arrived at the South Tufa area on lunch time we sat by one of the picnic tables at the parking area and had a picnic lunch. Then we took our cameras and started down the boardwalk toward the lake.  

Almost right away Pappa Quail was treated to his first bird on the hike: a Brewer's Sparrow that was perched atop a large rabbitbrush bush. 

Brewer's Sparrow

Here too spring was well under way. Although the rabbitbrush wasn't blooming at the time, many other plants were. 

Two-colored Phacelia, Phacelia bicolor

Insects were busy with the flowers and I photographed one very pretty bee with an emerald-colored body. 

Small Mason Bee

Outside of the South Tufa area the desert was calm and dry, appearing empty and quiet. On the west, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, still capped with some snow, rose like an impenetrable wall. 

Below me near the trail bloomed little, white, popcornflowers. There are fairly common plants and often I ignore them but this time I gave these little beauties their due attention. 

Great Basin Popcornflower, Amsinckiopsis kingii

There are many small, white flowers of the fiddleneck fanily that are called popcornflowers. They have small, white flowers and often a yellow dot or spot in their center. Not all of them are of the same genus, however. On this hike I found two such popcornflower species. 

Cushion Cryptantha, Greeneocharis circumcissa

While I was busy looking at the wildflowers Pappa Quail had reached the shore of Mono Lake. When I caught up with him, he was taking photos of the Brewer's blackbirds that were feeding on the shore, picking off the alkali flies. 

Brewer's Blackbird

The lake's water looked almost emerald. Light wind moved shallow ripples that lapped ceaselessly at the shore, making it too hard for me to take any clear photo of the brine shrimp that I saw swimming in the shallows. 

The alkali flies were present in swarms, as they do every spring along the shores of Mono Lake. These flies don't bother humans. They feed on algae, and and feed countless of birds themselves. When people approach them they simply fly away a couple of feet further. 

Alkali Flies

I noticed yellow color on the water surface, near the shore. The yellow spot concentrated in some places but for the most, it spread along the lines of the little waves. 

I came closer to inspect that yellow color. This yellow is in fact, is surplus pollen from nearby wind-pollinated plants that the waves and the wind concentrated in this area of the lake. I cannot know for sure but it could be the pollen of the pines that grow on the buttes south of Mono Lake.

I turned my attention to the tufa structures. The tufa is a calcium carbonate sediment that forms under water. When the lake levels receded due to Los Angeles Department of Water and Power diverting the lake's water sources, much of the tufa that was once submerged is now exposed to the air. Not only are these structures no longer grow, they now erode, weathered by wind, rain, animal and human activity. 

I noticed that Pappa Quail wasn't with me. He was still behind on the shore not far from where I saw the pollen on the water. I didn't think it was the Sierra Nevada Mountains he was looking at so I went back to see what caught his attention. 

Pappa Quail was looking at a pair of ospreys. One of the ospreys was perched atop a tufa structure that protruded from the lake a bit off shore. There are no fish in Mono Lake so the bird wasn't looking for food. It was standing guard. 

Osprey

The sentinel osprey was standing guard because nearby, on a different tufa structure, was its nest. Inside the nest was another osprey. We couldn't tell whether it was its mate sitting on eggs, or a young near-fledging offspring.

Osprey in the nest

After being satisfied with looking at the ospreys we resumed our walk. The trail cut around the tufa through a thicket of rabbitbrush. Little lizards darted into the scrub as we approached, none of them staying put long enough to be photographed. 

Yellow Rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus

The day started with clear sky but little by little the clouds came in. As we walked by the lake the clouds slid under the sun and the lake shifted from bright emerald to gray. A bit later, the clouds separated, letting more sunshine through again.

It was past migration season and there were fewer birds than we'd hoped to see. Still, there were quite a few to look at. Among the more common birds there were the violet-green swallows. They too were nesting, finding refuge up and inside tufa cavities. 

Violet-Green Swallow

On one of our recent visits to Mono Lake we extended our hike to include Navy Beach, where we also got to see the local wild horses. This time we kept this South Tufa hike on the short loop trail, taking the turn toward the parking area. There were more wildflowers blooming along this part of the trail as well. 

Whitestem Blazingstar, Mentzelia albicaulis

Even the lizards were more cooperative on this part of the trail. One of them posed patiently until I took her photo, before eventually going under the cover of the bush. 

Common Sagebrush Lizard

Pappa Quail caught on camera another little bird in the scrub - a Savannah sparrow, which is also a pretty commonly seen bird.  

Savannah Sparrow

 

On our way back we discussed what to do next. I had always wanted to drive around Mono Lake and see what is on its eastern side. Pappa Quail wanted to go to Bodie. Our reservation for that night was in Mammoth Lakes so eventually I convinced Pappa Quail that we should drive around Mono Lake today, and visit Bodie tomorrow, on our way back home. 

In the car we rearranged our seating - it would be me now behind the wheel, allowing Pappa Quail more freedom to photograph during the drive. We drank some more water and started driving around Mono Lake. 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard to Say Goodbye: An Exploration Hike at the Lower White Mountains

 

Date: May 24, 2026

Place: White Mountains, Big Pine California

Coordinates: 37.320784, -118.183387

Length: 1 mile

Level: mildly moderate

The morning of the second day of our Eastern Sierra trip last May, Pappa Quail and I woke up to the sound of chirping birds, and Pappa Quail soon emerged from the tent and had his camera ready. We were at the Grandview Campground, at an altitude of 8,200 up the White Mountains. Yesterday we had hiked at the Schulman Grove of Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, and later scouted a bit the area near the campground. The night was cool but not remotely as cold as I was prepared for - our original plan was to camp by the White Mountain Peak Trailhead at about 12,000 ft. My deep cold sleeping bag felt way too warm and I had to fully unzip it in order to sleep more or less comfortably. 

Chipping Sparrow at Grandview Campground

 

We ate breakfast, broke camp, and started our descend down the White Mountain Road toward Hwy 168 and the town of Big Pine. Our plan for today was to go to Mono Lake where we hoped to see some of the unique birds and other wildlife of the Mon Basin. Still, I was a bit reluctant to leave the White Mountains so soon so I convinced Pappa Quail to stop at one of the Inyo National Forest dirt roads that jutted off the White Mountain Road every few miles or so, and do a little exploration walk out along one of them.  

Lone Pine Penstemon, Penstemon patens

My primary incentive were the many wildflowers that I saw blooming on the mountain's lower elevation areas when we drove up on the day before. 

Death Valley Phacelia, Phacelia vallis-mortae

It was Pappa Quail who was behind the wheel on the drive up the mountain the day before, and I did ask him to stop in some pullouts where the bloom was especially nice. The first few photos of this post were taken on those stops. 

Apricot Globemallow, Sphaeralcea ambigua

I would call for a stop whenever I spotted some of the larger, bright colored wildflowers. There were the penstemons, the apricot mallow, and the bush lupines. 

Silvery Lupine, Lupinus argenteus

Between the larger plants  bloomed much smaller wildflowers. Those I would not have been able to see from the window of the car while on the ride. 

Nevada Gilia, Gilia brecciarum

Naturally, each stop would take a bit longer as I was finding more and more little wildflowers between the larger ones that I saw from the car. 

Western Hawksbeard, Crepis occidentalis

Realizing how much bloom was going on on the lower slopes of the White Mountains was a central reason for me to want to spend some time exploring that area before we left for the tried and true (and never getting old on us) Mono Lake. We passed a few dirt road junctions that didn't look like trailheads and had no place to park. Then I spotted a slope entirely purple with monkeyflowers, and stopped and the nearest pullout. 

Parry's Monkeyflower, Diplacus parryi

Pappa Quail remained in the car while I walked back up the road a little bit to take a closer look at the pretty monkeyflowers. 

Parry's Monkeyflower, Diplacus parryi

We then continued a bit further downhill until we reached a sharp curve in the road. At the curve was another dirt road junction and this one had a visible large pullout where it was clear that people have stopped before, so we turned onto it and parked under a tree. 

The dirt road continued steeply uphill. The map shown by my navigator  indicated that it reconnected with the White Mountain Road about less than two miles uphill. I didn't recall seeing the higher junction though. 

Anyway, it wasn't the dirt road that interested me. There was a dry little wash between the dirt road and the White Mountain Road, and Pappa Quail suggested that we'd walk up the wash and then back down. We took our water and cameras and started walking up on the dry wash bed. It was about a third of a mile up the wash when I finally remembered to start the navigator recording, so the loop on the map below isn't complete. 

Our hike as captured by my GPS (save for the beginning)

Already at the lower part of the creek just as we started exploring, I saw a bunch of wildflowers. Some of them I have already seen on the previous day, up the mountain. 

Yellow-eyed Popcornflower, Oreocarya flavoculata

There were also some of the wildflowers that I saw on the previous day along the White Mountain Road. Among them were the pretty and furry little shortstem lupines. 

Shortstem Lupine, Lupinus brevicaulis

Then there were other wildflowers, of species that I haven't yet seen on this trip. They were quite a pleasure to see.

Matted Wild Buckwheat, Eriogonum caespitosum

I spotted another species of milkvetch, one that I cannot recall ever seeing in bloom before. It was very low to the ground and had lovely delicate pink flowers. 

Inyo Milkvetch, Astragalus inyoensis

Between the stems of the milkvetch bloomed a very different plant - the Inyo onion. This small geophyte had only flowers above ground. The leaves grow out on in the wet season, as wet as it might get in that arid place.

Inyo Onion, Allium atrorubens ssp. cristatum

We moved slowly up the dry wash. The wash was short enough to not have true pebbles at its bed but the rock ledges at its bottom did seemed quite polished by the flow, little as it was when it happened. 

In some places the wash seemed blocked by rock piles and by trees that grew into the the wash, creating a dark canopy arch over it. Whenever we approached it though, there was no problem passing through. 

The rocks were interesting too. I didn't pay too much attention to them but every now and then there was a stone or a rock that caught my attention.

At some point Pappa Quail suggested that we climb the south slope of the wash. He had heard some birds in the trees on the opposite slope and believed he'd have a better chance of seeing them if he was level with those trees. 

Not as sure footed, I followed him carefully up the side of the hill, taking care to not slip on the loose rocks that littered the entire slope. I paused every now and then to test my footing, but also to take photos of more wildflowers that I saw on my way up. 

Pinyon Beardtongue, Penstemon scapoides

The pricklypear cactus that I saw on that slope wasn't blooming. It was completely covered by nasty looking long thorns, and I made sure to give it a wide berth as I passed it by. 

Plains Pricklypear, Opuntia polyacantha

Pappa Quail reached a large rock where he could sit down in relative comfort and waited for me. He was scanning the trees n the opposite slope but wasn't able to see the birds that chirped in those canopies. I took my time in getting to where he was sitting - there were more wildflowers on my path. 

Parry's Monkeyflower, Diplacus parryi

We sat together up the southern slope of the wash and looked across. We could hear the birds still, but not see them, even from our new view point. Pappa Quail lowered his camera and we sat together for a few minutes and looked around at the forest.

The forest we were in was of pinyons and junipers, but also of other pine species that towered much taller over the relatively short pinyons, and had a different shape too. 

While was sat at the rock up the side slope we considered where to go next. Pappa Quail thought we would go back down the creek, backtracking the same path we came up on. After looking at the map shown by my navigator however, I suggested that we ascend the opposite slope where the map showed the dirt road that we chose to not go up on. We could go down that dirt road, I suggested, and this way see more things. 

Fremont's Phacelia, Phacelia fremontii

We made our way slowly and carefully down the gravelly slope. When we were back down in the wash we continued uphill slowly, looking for a good place to ascend the northern slope. 

Desert Paintbrush, Castilleja chromosa

There was no trail where we were walking of course. No trail up the wash bed, and certainly not up the slopes flanking the wash. It was easy enough to walk up along the wash bed, but the slopes were steep and gravelly and not easy to traverse.

Cold Desert Phlox, Phlox stansburyi

Eventually we found such a place, where the slope wasn't too steep and there seemed to be a fairly clear corridor between the trees. 

I went ahead, leading our ascending up the southern sloped, and Pappa Quail followed close behind. About two thirds of the way up the slope we got a nice view to the southeast, and the deep curves of the White Mountain Road.

The slope we were ascending became milder toward the crest. There was also more gravel, shifting and sliding underfoot. 

An overview look of the gravel at the hill's crest didn't show much plant life. A closer look however, showed quite a lot of little plants, most of which were in bloom. 

Compact Daisy, Erigeron compactus

Some of the blossoms were pretty hard to see - the inflorescences were small, low to the ground, and the flowers' color blended well with the gravel background. 

Indian Springparsley, Cymopterus aboriginum

Up on the crest there were many of the Torrey Milkvetch plants in bloom. They were very hard to see from even a relatively short distance because of their small size, grayish leaves and pale lilac-colored flowers.

Torrey's Milkvetch, Astragalus calycosus

Over the crest we had the broad view of the mid-region of the White Mountain Range. The faraway peaks nearly blended in the haze over the horizon.

We took a while to find the dirt road that we were looking for. We were in fact, in the right place, but the dirt road had eroded off, having been apparently of very little use. We did eventually find it, or what was left of it , and started going down hill. 

A single white cloud hovered peacefully in an otherwise completely cloud-free sky. That little fluffy cloud reminded me of my good friend whom I brought here to the White Mountains years ago. 

Pappa Quail called my attention to a large red spot he saw behind one of the junipers. It was a beautiful paintbrush plant in full bloom. 

Desert Paintbrush, Castilleja chromosa

Not far away I detected the khaki green of the green ephedra bush, its color really standing out among the more common grayish-greens of the other local vegetation. 

Green Ephesdra, Ephedra viridis

Another small wash was cutting its way down toward the dirt road where we were. I appreciated the sharp difference between the vegetation growing on the two sides of that wash. 

There were no signs of any recent use of that dirt road. Most of it was eroded and in some places it was easier to simply bypass it and descend down the hillside. We did try to stick to the main path of the road though. I noted some more wildflowers on the way. 

Desert Bitterbrush, Purshia glandulosa

I also noticed a pretty rook-like rock pillar sticking out of the opposite slope. It wasn't taller than the surrounding pinyon trees.

A large lizard moved between two small paintbrush plants. It froze and looked at us and Pappa Quail took that moment to take some photos before the lizard darted under the nearby shrub. 

Common Sagebrush Lizard

We reached our car and resumed our drive down the White Mountain Road. I didn't pack my camera though - I knew there was more bloom down along hay 168 and I wanted to make a couple more stops on the way. Pappa Quail was behind the wheel this time and when he pulled over I was ready to hop outside with my camera ready. 

Tufted Evening Primrose, Oenothera cespitosa ssp. marginata

The main wildflower I wanted to photograph in the lower elevations of the White Mountains was the prince's plume - a lovely tall stalk inflorescence of bright yellow flowers.  There were plenty of them blooming along side the road. 

 Panamint Prince's Plume, Stanleya elata

Down the hwy 168, just before leaving the area of the White Mountains into the valley toward Big Pine we saw a small oasis with a historic sign before it and a small parking area. Naturally, we pulled in to inspect. The oasis was of a small spring choked with invasive Ailanthus trees. 

Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima, Non-native, highly invasive.

Pappa Quail spotted activity in the trees and went back to the car to fetch his camera. He then entered the dense stand of the Ailanthus and returned with photos of lesser goldfinches. 

Lesser Goldfinch

Up the wash where the greenery indicated the main spring source was, I spotted tall, pink blossoms and asked Pappa Quail to take a photo with his high zoom camera. 

Panamint Beardtongue, Penstemon floridus ssp. floridus

We had one last stop on the way to Big Pine at the crossing of the Owens River. We looked for birds but there weren't any so we continued driving to town. In Big Pine we fueled and started our drive north to Mono Lake, following the White Mountains on the west, far down below.  

On the way I talked about possibly coming back to the White Mountains later in summer, after all the snow was truly gone. It didn't happen though. Our next visit to the White Mountains won't be this year. The rosy finches will wait.