MONO VISTA RV PARK, LEE VINING, CALIFORNIA

Our Opinion: This is a return visit to Mono Vista RV Park. It appears to be the only game in town if you want hookups in Lee Vining, and it is a pleasant stop due to grass, trees, and location. Pricey, well maintained; we recommend it if you want to spend time in the area.

Date of Stay: May 5th and 6th, 2008

Weather During Stay: Partly cloudy when we arrived, with temperatures in the lower 60’s - perfect for hiking in this arid, high altitude area. Low’s in the mid-30’s.

Sites: 23 FHU, pull-throughs (30 and 50 amp) and back-ins (30 amp only) with cable TV. 24 sites with W and E (30 amp) only (no cable TV in these sites). Lots of variety in site size and grade. All the pull-throughs are suitable for big rigs. Roads are paved, sites are gravel and/or grassy. Site width is typical for a commercial park. Trees are trimmed, but may interfere with roof-mounted satellites Picnic tables at sites. Some shade from the trees. Good water pressure. Electric voltage at our site was so high we switched from 50 amps to 30 amps, which had voltage in the “green” range. For the price we paid, this should not happen.

Rate: With taxes, we paid $35/night, which seems high for this park - but there aren‘t any other choices. No credit cards, cash or check only.

Phone/radio/TV: Strong Verizon phones signal; aircard on Broadband, 3 to 5 bars. About a dozen TV stations on cable TV. No local NPR. They advertise WiFi, but we didn’t try it.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: This is a slightly sloping park on the northern end of Lee Vining at 6,770 feet. Views from the pull-throughs are of the other rigs, trees, grass, neighboring businesses (gas station) and, in the distance to the east, Mono Lake. Some sites have prettier views than the pull-throughs do.

Lighting/Noise: Nice low lighting. No appreciable road noise at night, until traffic starts up on Hwy 395 at daybreak.

Favorite Sites: No favorites here. The pull-throughs are 50 amp FHU with cable and grass (nice features), but the views are lousy compared to some of the W/E only sites (site 18). On this visit, we are in site 8 - see our view in this photo.

Hiking/Walking: A trail from the northern edge of the park goes towards the road to the great visitor center, an easy walk. From the visitor center, a 1.6 mile trail heads into Lee Vining. Loop back to the RV park on the town sidewalks for 6,000 steps total.

Comments: Lots to do here! Two visitor centers, one near Mono Lake, the other in town (also has a nice selection of books, including current fiction). Hiking and interesting geology all around Mono Lake. Toomey’s Whoa Nellie Deli in the Mobil gas station on Hwy 120 just west of the junction with Hwy. 395 has great food. Hwy 120 is the Tioga Pass road into Yosemite, when it is open. Mono Vista RV park closes for the winter; re-opens on April 1. Mono Market is amazingly well stocked with standards and some exotics (tofu, black rice, Thai sauces, good meats and cheeses, organic broth, and a small amount of fresh vegetables - oh, and wine and hard liquor).