Lee Vining California Map

About Lee Vining, California

Lee Vining is a locality in Mono County, California, United States. It is a small community with a population of 217. The population density is 16.1 people per km². Lee Vining is located at 37.9574°N, 119.1218°W. It observes the Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles) timezone. ZIP code: 93541.

Lee Vining anchors the edge of a high-desert basin, where the thinning air carries a crisp, mineral edge that speaks of the vast, arid expanse waiting just beyond the threshold. It lies 82.0 miles southeast of South Lake Tahoe, CA (from South Lake Tahoe, CA: bearing 145°T), and is situated 22.9 miles north-northwest of Mammoth Lakes. The earth here is defined by the steep, dramatic rise of Lee Vining Canyon, a corridor of stone that funnels the wind down toward the alkaline expanse of Mono Lake, which glimmers like a pale, unblinking eye under the relentless sun. In the distance, the rugged peaks of the Sierra Nevada silhouette against the sky, standing as silent sentinels over the scrub-covered slopes of Inyo National Forest. To the north, the austere beauty of Conness Glacier remains fixed in the high reaches, while the cold, rushing waters of Beartrack Creek carve a narrow, verdant vein through the dry, volcanic soil. The quality of light at dusk is particularly haunting, turning the landscape into shades of violet and bruised copper, casting long, sharp shadows that emphasize the solitude of this high-altitude terrain.

Lee Vining grew from the rugged necessities of mining and the relentless expansion of early infrastructure, finding its footing as a gateway for travelers and a waypoint for those drawn to the wilder reaches of the backcountry. The local economy persists through the steady pulse of seasonal tourism and the service of those who traverse the mountain passes, sustaining a quiet, utilitarian resilience that defines the daily rhythm of the streets. Beyond the main thoroughfare, the community serves as a portal to the Harvey Monroe Hall Research Natural Area and the rugged heights accessible via the Gaylor Lakes Trail, places where the silence is absolute and the geology is laid bare. Those who linger long enough might venture toward the mist of LeConte Falls, finding that the character of the place is not in its growth, but in its ability to remain indifferent to the passing of time. Life here is measured by the coming of winter snows and the slow, persistent shift of the climate, grounding every resident in the stark, magnificent reality of the high Sierra.

About This Lee Vining Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Lee Vining, California. Coordinates: 37.957425, -119.121816. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.

Detailed location data for Lee Vining includes the ZIP code (93541), telephone area code (760), county seat of Mono County (Bridgeport), and school district assignment (Eastern Sierra Unified School District).

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.