Mono Lake Visitors Center

Mono Lake Visitors Center is open 9am to 4:30pm Thursday through Monday. The visitor center was open in 1992, as a way to introduce visitors to Mono Basin. The center offers interactive displays that discuss geology, human history and ecology. They have a film called Of Ice and Fire: A Portrait of Mono Basin. This film runs for 20 minutes discussing the geological history of Mono Lake and how it began.

The visitor center has two galleries, which offer At Mono Lake Photo Exhibit and changing art exhibits throughout the year. Rangers are at the center to answer questions and provide area information. A bookstore is on the premises, offering books about the area. There are interpretive Tours offered daily to discuss Mono Basin. To get to the visitor center one needs to go to the north end of Lee Vining. Also in the same area are Lee Vining Creek, Walker Creek, Parker Creek, Rush Creek, the road to Yosemite, US Forest Service Visitor Center, and Mono Craters.

The lake itself offers 6417 miles of shoreline and some exposed lakebed. In the middle of Mono Lake is Paoha Island. The center offers photos of how the area has changed over the decades.