This post was written by Julia Frankenbach, 2013 Canoe Coordinator.
In the last few days, the Mono Lake Committee has been receiving more than a few concerned phone calls about smoke that has obscured the webcam views of the lake. The Aspen Fire was discovered a week ago, on late on Monday, July 22, burning in the Sierra National Forest on the western side of the Sierra.
The fire is about 25 miles southwest of Mammoth Lakes and has burned about 14,000 acres of forestland. Much of the smoke from the fire has drifted northeast into the Mono Basin. As a result, visibility in the basin has been much less clear than usual. In the early morning, the mist and smoke combine to make the South Tufa landscape even eerier than usual, the outline of Paoha Island just barely visible on the water horizon to the north.
Despite the smoke, canoeing, kayaking, and hiking around Mono Lake are still enjoyable, especially later in the day, as the smoke tends to clear up in the evening with the afternoon winds. Whether you’re a new visitor to Mono Lake or a seasoned resident, we recommend visiting South Tufa and County Park, both excellent places to view the Mono Lake tufa towers and to admire the vibrant colors of our spectacular red sunrises.
For a beautiful sunset, take the short drive to June Lake beach by heading south on Highway 395, turning right on the second turn-off for the June Lake Loop, and then turning right at Oh Ridge. These bright red sun-downs are one of the unexpected perks of the smoke. As I continue to explore the Mono Basin and its surrounding areas, I find, more than anything, that the smoke simply reveals yet another facet of the dynamic, ever-changing aesthetic landscape of the Mono Basin. Come check it out!