The second oldest lakes in North America – it actually is alkaline water (think really salty) with no outlet. The minerals creates amazing tufa towers which stick out from the water like mysterious sand castles and a unique ecosystem. Mark Twain described Mono Lake as California’s “dead sea” and the beautiful setting does indeed make you want to float, buoyed by the saline. It’s set in the high dessert with peaks of the Sierras in the background making it amazingly scenic.