Mono Lake is one of the oldest lakes in North America — likely more than 760,000 years old and possibly over a million years old. For all that time, Eastern Sierra streams have been pouring in, carrying salts and minerals down from the mountains. With no outlet for roughly the past 80,000 years, water can only leave through evaporation, and the salts stay behind. A handful of species have evolved to thrive in exactly these conditions, and they do it in staggering numbers. I'll share how to best explore this special lake, plus all the details about its existence and the life it supports that make it so fascinating beyond its beauty.

The Parker Lake Trail in the Ansel Adams Wilderness might be the best effort-to-reward ratio of any mountain hike in the Eastern Sierra. The destination is a glacially carved lake with water so clear it carries a faint turquoise tint, framed by rugged Sierra peaks. But if you slow down and look closely, there's a whole other hike happening alongside the scenic one. Early summer is when wildflowers push through dry scrub, bees move between blooms, and streams run full with snowmelt. I hiked to Parker Lake at the start of July and paid attention to the details. Here is what I found.