Bodie & Mono County, california
Attractions Guide

There's a surprising amount of beauty within the seemingly desolate landscape located just east of the massive Sierra Nevada mountains, mostly within vast Mono County. In this area of California you'll find the Bodie Ghost Town, Mono Lake, the Devil's Postpile, Mammoth Lakes, and Yellowstone-like geothermal hot springs.

The following attractions are listed in order along a recommended route through the area heading southbound.

Begin your day by visiting the legendary Bodie State Historic Park, which is the largest and best preserved ghost town in the United States. Bodie is a former gold mining boomtown which was completely abandoned by the 1940s, although many former residents left much earlier.

Bodie is home to countless well-preserved structures that you can spend hours exploring, many of which contain original furnishings. The city of Bodie sits at a very high elevation of 8,400 feet (2,560 m) and is surrounded by beautiful scenery.

When you arrive in Bodie be sure to head to the former town hall building to sign up for a tour of the giant mine, which can not be accessed otherwise.

Next you can head down towards Mono Lake, stopping at the Mono Lake Vista Point along the highway, which provides incredible views overlooking the lake from high above.

The best walk to explore amongst this strange but scenic alkali lake is the 0.7 mile (1.1 km) round-trip South Tufa Loop Trail, which ventures along the lake's famous limestone tufa towers and the lakeshore.

After enjoying Mono Lake, you should head to the resort town of Mammoth Lakes. The town is among California's most popular skiing destinations in the winter, but also hosts many great outdoor summer activities including hiking trails, mountain biking trails, and much more.

Drive up to the Minaret Vista for amazing views of the towering jagged peaks that make up this portion of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Nearby the Minaret Vista you can park and take the shuttle bus to see the stunning geometric columnar cliff formations of Devils Postpone National Monument. The national monument also hosts the gorgeous Rainbow Falls waterfall, which you can see along with the columnar cliffs via an easy-going round-trip hike of about 4.8 miles (7.7 km).

You can add on an additional 1.2 miles (1.9 km) round-trip to your hike to see the small but beautiful Lower Rainbow Falls if you like.

Just outside of Mammoth Lakes be sure to visit the Hot Creek Geological Site, a stunning geothermal area located within a river canyon, consisting of beautiful steaming bright blue pools. The best views of the pools are from atop the cliffs at the parking lot, but you can also take a short walk down into the shallow canyon for a closer look.

Afterwards continue to your next destination, or consider visiting the nearby Tuolumne Meadows district of Yosemite National Park if you have plenty of time left, which looks especially gorgeous before sunset. Tuolumne Meadows is located just west of Mono Lake and hosts an array of wildlife, set amongst a serene meadowy landscape surrounded by mountain peaks.