Located in the east-central section of California, Mono County averages 108 miles in length, reaching from the Alpine County border to the north to the Inyo County border to the south. The average width of the county is 38 miles from the crest of the mighty Sierras to the Nevada state line on the east. It's land area is 3,030 square miles, 80% of which is Federally owned. Much of this land is contained in the Inyo and Toiyabe National Forests. The summer and fall visitors enjoy many varied activities such as fishing, hunting, camping, hiking and some of the most spectacular scenery found in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is a land rich in the history of the early days of the state and the west. Winter visitors engage in skiing, snowmobiling and various other winter sports at two of the finest winter sports and skiing areas to be found in the entire country. These areas are located at Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain.
The land is rough,
mountainous and spectacular. In a general way, Mono is a large plateau, 5,500
to 7,000 feet above sea level bordered on the west by the Sierra Nevada Mountains
and on the east by the Bodie Hills and the White Mountains. The Sweetwater mountains
lie along the northeastern border and the rugged White mountains are located
on the extreme southeastern corner of the county. Lying between these high mountain
boundaries are precipitous canyons, broad valleys, many crystal clear lakes
of glacial formation and a very interesting sage brush covered semi-desert land.
The Sierra Nevada boundary is dominated by three towering peaks which rise to
an elevation of over 13,000 feet; Mt, Dana, the loftiest, Mt, Lyell and Castle
Peak. Land drainage in the county is accomplished by the East and West Walker
rivers to the north and by the Owens river to the south; and also by innumerable
Sierra streams.
Mono Lake, "The Dead Sea of Mono" aptly called by poets and writers
alike, "Mono's Mountains of the Moon", is vividly described in the
famous book "Roughing It" by Mark Twain. The lake is a fascinating
and unusual body of water lying at the beginning of a chain of 21 extinct volcanic
cones. The lake nestles in a basin created by massive volcanic action. Extensive
thermal activity still exists in the area surrounding the lake itself. In the
center of this lake lie two islands, Negit and Paoha, that were formed by ancient
volcanic action. Mono Lake and the surrounding area is famous for its water
fowl population and thousands of seagulls use the locality for one of the largest
rookeries in the west.
The county is capable
of accommodating a much larger population than it now has and in its strategic
position as the center of a vast scenic area along U.S. Highway 395, between
the populous areas of Southern California and the equally interesting and beautiful
cities of Nevada. Mono County is attracting an increasingly large number of
permanent residents who recognize its healthful and pleasant advantages.
Mono is known as the eastern gateway to Yosemite National Park. Over the famed
Tioga Pass leading from the Mono Lake area to the floor of the famous valley
of Yosemite may be found some of the most spectacular scenery to be found in
the western United States.
The ghost town of Bodie is located seven miles south and thirteen miles east
of the town of Bridgeport, the County seat. Bodie is now a State Historical
Park, a National Historic Site and a California State Historical Landmark. Bodie
was known as the wildest, meanest and toughest of all the gold camps of yesterday's
west. The ghost of the "Bad Man From Bodie" still lives in legend
along the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. State Park Rangers are in constant
attendance to assist visitors.
A beautiful and interesting highway also crosses the southern portion of Mono County through the picturesque areas of old Benton and Chalfant Valley. This highway connects with U.S, Highway 395 at the town of Bishop thereby affording an excellent opportunity for persons travelling to California from the east to visit Mono County by turning north on U.S. Highway 395.