Experiencing History and Mystery in Mono County

The town of Bridgeport is not just the Mono County seat, but it has been the closest base for travelers coming to or leaving from the town of Bodie, both back in the boomtown days and also today. There are about two dozen historically significant buildings within five square blocks on both sides of Main Street, which is also Route 395. Among them are the Superior Court building from 1880, the second-oldest continually used courthouse in California; the Old Bridgeport Jail, built in 1883; and the Bridgeport Inn, originally a home built in 1877 that became the Bridgeport Hotel, supposedly a stopover for writer Mark Twain (locals say it's haunted by the “White Lady”).

The ghost town of Bodie was a gold- and silver-mining boomtown with a population of 8,500 people in the late 19th century. The mines petered out, and a fire in 1932 devastated what was left. Today, it is the largest unrestored mining town in the West and is a state park and National Historic Monument. The interiors of many buildings are exactly as they were when people left, including a home with decaying furniture, pool cues in the pool hall, and unused coffins in the morgue storage office.

It would be difficult to find a gas station with better scenery — with the Eastern Sierra as a backdrop and a site overlooking Mono Lake — or one that has better food. The deli inside the Tioga Gas Mart in Lee Vining is well known for high-quality eats and a varied menu that ranges from Wild Buffalo Meatloaf to ahi sashimi to the "World Famous" Fish Tacos. Portions are hearty, and prices are reasonable. Seating is at outdoor picnic tables.

Looking more like something out of science fiction, this stark alkali lake is one of the oldest in the country, having formed about 760,000 years ago following a massive volcanic eruption. The island in the middle is a protected bird sanctuary, partly ringed by seemingly impossible tooth-like rocks that jut upward from the shore. The lake's size is deceiving: Mono is 20 square miles, bigger than the City of San Francisco. Mono Lake County Park is the easiest (and cheapest) access to the lake and includes a boardwalk that passes a few tufa towers.

The tufa towers, calcium carbonate jags that formed when fresh water mixed with the heavily alkaline lake water, give the lake an otherworldly vibe. The South Tufa site offers the highest concentration of tufa and is popular with photographers, day and night. The site is about 6 miles off of Route 395 on Highway 120 East.

The Mono Inn is a remarkable restaurant, thanks to both its food, which emphasizes local sourcing, and its front-row view of prehistoric-looking Mono Lake. The sophisticated menu ranges from Gnocchi Bolognese to Lamb Wontons to Korean Fried Chicken. The menu and the elegant dining room are a pleasant counterpoint to a day of soaking up the great outdoors.

Check in at the Double Eagle Resort & Spa, an alpine-style resort framed by rushing streams, towering pines, and nearby alpine lakes, all at the base of majestic, 11,000-foot Carson Peak. Accommodations range from luxury resort rooms in the main buildings to isolated two-bedroom cabins and a 2,300-square-foot guest house, all with easy access to the Creekside Spa and Fitness Center. The spa features more than 40 spa treatments and packages and includes a fully-equipped fitness center.
There are plenty of hiking trails nearby, including to a variety of forests and alpine lakes, as well as the onsite Eagle's Landing Restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.