top of the sierra interpretive center

Awesome view but do to weather (high winds) could not make second trip. Went to McCoy on second trip and took some outstanding pictures there.

Wow has this place changed. They have some really neat stuff up here now. There are displays about the history of Mammoth, geology, hiking and skiing trails and some hands on activities for kids. Oh and the view is on of the best in the area. Highly recommend this!

I always love going to the Sierra Interpretive Center whenever we visit either during winter or summer. I may be biased as we got married up there during the winter. In both winter and summer the views are absolutely stunning. If you walk out the building to the left (towards the town of Mammoth vs the Minarets), you can take a short hike to a viewpoint and see some of the lakes (we identified Twin, Mary, George, Horseshoe, and a few others). I think that is one of my favorite views in Mammoth. Well worth the $ spent. They do have food options, although we have never gotten food up there. The gondola ride is an adventure all in itself. If you get nervous easily, just close your eyes for the ride past McCoy Station!

For a summer time visit, we enjoyed the ride up, the deli lunch, and short hikes around the top of the mountain. The small interpretive center was very educational, just take your time at the video kiosks.

We finally made it up to the top after two gondola shut downs due to weather. It was fantastic to see everything at the top even in the rain. The food is pretty good too.

Oh man!! It was sooooo scary traveling up to the summit but it was surely worth it! The chairlift operators had such great personalities. Once arriving it was very relaxing since we were not skiing. Kind of wished the eatery was open all year though.

What an amazing opportunity! My family and I rode the gondola to the top for fun. Since we went tubing at Woolly's Tube Park earlier that day, the gondola was free for our kids. We just had to pay for the adults. It was so much fun to go up the mountain and see all the skiers and boarders. Especially fun to see the jump off the ramps. Once at the top, the interpretive center was pretty basic. Viewing tubes pointed out surrounding peaks. None of the video screens were on. 11,000 ft made us light-headed, so we had a snack from the snack bar and then went outside to take some pictures. The center was disappointing, but the ride and view made it worth the trip.

Panorama gondola to the top of Mammoth Mountain and take a few minutes to check out the interpretive center. Poster displays and viewing tubes are set up to orient you to the many high peaks along the crest of the Sierra Nevada. Views to Yosemite, Devil's Postpile and south to the high country around Sequoia. They have a cafe up here also.

Nothing to wow you here, but you will learn some interesting facts about the surrounding area which is beautiful. Spend a few minutes learning about the Sierras and enjoy the amazing views.

We were there on a Saturday, and the volunteer docent who was there with info on the location was an absolute encyclopedia of knowledge! No matter what the question was, he had tons of info, and usually slides and pics to go with it! Really nice place to just walk around, but you must talk to the docent!! (I think his name was Phil...but I'm not sure...)

Combine these two to make a perfect day enjoying some of the best of the Eastern Sierra Nevadas. If you don't mind getting an early start, I recommend doing the Reds Meadown/Devil's Postpile/Rainbow Falls in the morning and the Top of the Sierra Interpretive Center in the afternoon. If you combine the two, you will get to see a beautiful alpine meadow, a hexagonal columnar lava flow, a 100 foot waterfall, ride a gondola and a 400 mile view of the Eastern Sierra Nevadas and still have time to go fishing or play a round of golf.Tips:The hike to the falls traverses a burned out area of the forest and is exposed to the elements, so remember to bring water and apply sunscreen.Driving down to the Postpile during the shuttle season (summer) is restricted to disabled, visitors to red's meadow resort and campers. Park at the Adventure Center (where you can take the Panorama Gondola to the Top of the Sierra)

I went back inside to get ready for the wind and blowing snow. The center has a lot of information on the area and the view of the Sierra from 11,000 feet is breathtaking. I chose to brave the wind and ski down. However, you can take the gondola back down if you're not up for skiing. I took the intermediate run down. 2 miles of fun.

With touch-screen interpretative computers, videos rolling, sometimes volunteer or staff docents, maps and about a dozen little viewing tubes spotting specific mountain peaks, visiting the Top Center is always a great time. You can even jump on a spot on the floor and see the mini-earthquake you've created on the graph. This IS a very earthquake-prone area so it is interesting to learn about them.Midweek or at very low attendance ties the place is not staffed and the cafe is closed. But on weekends or during peak weeks, we've gotten great info from docents, including hiking and backpacking tips for the summer.You can take your skis/board up with you or just leave it at McCoy Station at mid-mountain, riding back down to get your gear when you are ready.If it is snowing hard or is very windy, there's not much to see. No need to go outside, unless it is beautiful with calm winds, as the Gondola let's you off inside the building. But when it is nice out (or you are ready to ski/board back down to the bottom, going outside for a real view is fantastic. This really is high country!It is a nice rest from boarding/skiing too, and included with your life ticket.

The views weren't great as the weather wasn't so good up there, though it had looked clear from the ground. A few displays, but not much else.

You pay $25 a pop to see a view. This is also through a window. The museum isn't much. There were no staff there when we went up. The cafe was not open either. None of this was really told to us until we went up there.The value on this isn't there. To me it is really expensive to get up to the top just to look and snap pictures. Not much views like this though which is why I wanted to go really. There is so much that could be done with this that is boggles my mind on why there is so little. I would love to see an open deck where you can look in a 360 degree view and a good spot to eat along with a better museum and history of the area. Add in somebody to give a history of the area which is rather interesting and unique due to water rights and mining. Everybody who buys a lift ticket has access to this also so it just isn't relegated to scenic gondola riders only but also mountain bikers, skiers and snowboarders.