Imagine alien limestone towers emerging from a creepy (but beautiful) lake. Now, add toxic water and dangerous dust storms, and you got this spot in California.

Visitors see birds, scoop up brine shrimp, get close to the tufa and learn the lake’s history too. Trips are held at 8, 9:30 and 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, reservations required.

Famous for its dramatic and bizarre rock formations, known as the tufa towers, Mono Lake is a stunning nature reserve in California.

Tufa rock is formed when calcium-filled springs gurgle up through salty, carbonate water. The chemical bonding of the two results in the creation of a limestone-like substance. Formations, such as ...

A chemical bonding occurs, which results in the creation of a limestone-like substance known as tufa. Formations such as those found around Pyramid Lake are the result of a build-up of tufa material, ...

From Nature to Wearable Art: The Tufa Sand Casting Process April 18, 2023 2:52 PM 1 Blocks of tufa stone, ready for carving. Photo courtesy Thunderbird Supply Company, Gallup, N.M.

It’s as if they’re floating across the horizon, these tufa formations that were created underwater between 10,000 and 100,000 years ago. History right there in the making.

The tufa molds have to be preheated and the silver gets so hot, he said, it feels like it’s “ready to burn off your eyebrows.” “I always think of lava when I’m pouring,” Mr. Willie said.