Black Point Fissures (Mono County, California)

After a delicious lunch at the entrance to Tioga Pass, I drove to the north side of Mono Lake and decided to try a very challenging hike.

A series of long, rough gravel roads lead to an abandoned trail head parking lot. To the south the north shore of the lake was visible, as well as Negit, the Black Island; to the north, the roughest terrain that I had ever tackled. I was about to head uphill to the visible summit through very hot, sun heated black volcanic ash and sagebrush as tall as myself in every direction. There is no trail here, only a destination – uphill!

This hike definitely reminds me of how out-of-shape I really am. Upon climbing to the first summit, a second and taller one becomes visible. Upon the second, a third. Upon the third, a forth, stony one appears. Willpower took hold as I was beginning to fatigue under the burning sun. I pushed forward.

Just below the stone summit was an area flat with stone flooring. Several large, black, ash-like rocks sat here. I decided to rest for a couple of minutes and then it was more uphill.

After about forty-five minutes, I finally reached the peak. I climbed to the very top to find a marker cemented down, which noted this as Black Point. From atop this small mountain, I could take in a full three-hundred sixty degree view of the lake and surrounding mountains. The line “I’m the king of the world” came to mind as the wind whipped in and out of this stony fortress with a vengeance.

Further to the north, I could see what must be the fissures. I climbed down from the stony peak and traveled through more sagebrush with jackrabbits leaping out at every tenth step or so. These were unlike the rabbits from my home. These were much larger and have more erect ears. A couple of hundred yards and I was at the first fissure. 

This one was about twenty feet deep and eight feet wide. It went on for about twenty yards. I found a path that could be navigated and down I went. Being down in this type of geologic feature is a bit intimidating. I could not see the surface, only the rolling, shear, rock walls on either side of me.

After climbing back out, I discovered that there is actually an entire network of fissures. Some are only a couple of feet deep, while the largest that I saw was approximately fifty feet deep and only two or three feet wide. Truly amazing!

I decided to head back. From here, I only had Negit Island as a marker to guide me. I fought my way through more dense sagebrush towards it. I suspected that I was a ways west of the parking lot and my arrival on the broad, black north shore of the lake confirmed it.

This shoreline was probably one hundred yards from ridge to water. It was nearly flat and covered in a black, sandy ash. Teams of gulls flew low to the ground against me, but dove left or right at the last moment to avoid me. Finally, my truck came into sight and I reached the end of my Mono Lake adventures for this day. This final hike really pushed my physical limits. I was tired and sun burnt, as I emptied the sand from my shoes. 

This one was a very strenuous, but rewarding three hour hike.