Mono Lake br nature's knobby hands cast br a bleakness over me br br Mono Lake br a stone cold edgy prelude br to a ghost town br br Mono Lake br old haunched cold women br look over at me br br Mono Lake br rows of towering bleakness br over the water br br Located 13 miles east of Yosemite National Park, immense Mono Lake is an ecologic and geologic wonder. Ringed by volcanoes, twice as salty as the ocean, and at least 760,000 years old, the lake also features hauntingly beautiful tufa towers—knobby limestone structures formed as the alkaline lake water mixes with fresh spring water—looming above the surface. Hike or bike the surrounding area; relax and grab soft-serve at Mono Cone in the nearby town of Lee Vining; or tour the deserted streets and businesses of Bodie, an eerily intact 19th-century mining ghost town.