Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center

Great visitor center movie, clean bathrooms, nice gift shop, informative exhibits about the tufas, and a nice view from the back observation deck.

Rather than the unremarkable trail here to the Mono Lake shore, definitely go to the Navy Beach Viewpoint instead..!

The center has good exhibits to help understand the local region's geography and natural history. The staff were very helpful. Bonus - beautiful views of Mono Lake!

Enjoyed this place as I was taking a break from driving home. They offer tours in the morning bird watching. They very friendly helpful to campers and people looking for places to camp . They are Knowledgeable of the forest service land and Mono Lake. This is a must-see on your your trip through the area Lee Vining in Mono County. I enjoyed the short film about the log cabin mine and its history around Mono Lake .Very beautiful views.

This visitor centre has a great location and has a very beautiful lookout to Mono lake. It also has two trials. A very good educational centre with a film talking about the formation of Tufa in Mono lake that makes this lake very special.

One of the better visitor centers with indoor displays and lots of outdoor signage, all of it easily accessible. The panoramic view of Mono Lake isn’t bad either. Several family and pet friendly nature trails go down to the waters edge. A great pit stop or interesting leg stretch before moving on. Plenty of parking.

If you ever have a chance to go out east of Yosemite you will enjoy a truly spectacular treat that is mono basin. We arrived just at sunset and we're treated to an amazing Sky show. The landscape is really unique and the stalactites in a lake are breathtaking. There's a great Visitor Center that explains the wildlife habitat and vegetation.1600s

Great views of the lake and a nice short film in the theater. We visited the visitor center and the south Tufa area. The whole area can be easily covered in ~3 hours visiting these two.

Spectacular views! When you walk down to the water, the smell is a bit much. However if you wear your mask (we went during COVID-19) it will help some with the smell. The visitor center was closed for the season. Therefore we were unable to go in and look around.

I was quite disappointed that the visitors center is closed again in 2021. I went last year and it was closed during covid shutdown.
The trail down was easy. I slowed down going uphill. Discovered the Thousand + years old tufa shelter. The total round trip hike to the tufa cave is 1.6 miles according to my walking app. Mono lake is beautiful. This trail has no lake access, but you can hike more towards the State parking with beach access with boardwalk. If you can't hike, enjoy the view or drive to the state parking.

This is the new visitors center. It has a beautiful view of the lake. Make sure to leave some time for the hiking trails with interpretive guides.

This place tops all views!! Mono lake hugged by mountains on all sides. Bluest blues and white snow peaks touching the sky. Breathtaking views and quirky place to place your sticker on the guardrail.

Super beautiful view. It looks like not famous lake. But once you see this views you would love it. Huge ground with one side hill and the other one is huge Mono lake. I felt like I were on another planet. Very calm area few tourists. You can relax as you want.

The visitor center was closed when we visited. Nevertheless nice views of Mono Lake including the famous Tufa’s which are limestone deposits that forms in the lake due to its acidic level. There are trails around the visitor center so you can get a close up views of the Tufa. If your along Highway 395 heading to Lake Tahoe this is a must stop. There’s Pumice, Obsidian, Granite and Rhyolite stones near the entrance. Also a museum and the Upside Down House if you turn right from the entrance.

Great visitor's center. Lots of great information about the lake and surrounding area. Good size parking lot with a separate one for RVs.

So glad we stopped! Unusual formations in Mono Lake are called Tufas. Anchient lake. A must see.

This is a great stop to learn more about the lake and tufas. There's no cost, but a donation is suggested. There are bathrooms and a great viewing area of the lake and a few trails.

Mono Basin is a beautiful place to visit. The Visitor Center and the trail walks are interesting and educational. The Mono Lake Boardwalk Trail was peaceful. At the time of our visit we were the only people there.

Absolutely a hidden gem that can be overlooked so easily! Stop here specially if you have kids who are science and nature inclined

Amazing! Been going here for years! You guys have to stop and see some views before you leave!

This place was surprised to me when I was travelling from Yosemite to Lake Tahoe. Absolutely beautiful place, very few people know about this. Visitor centre is also very good and they have gate for back area where you can take good pictures.