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Devil's Postpile National Monument
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12 reviews for Devil's Postpile National Monument
Talk about natural wonders... this is a pretty impressive, geological site. Towering columns and massive "piles" of basalt rock rise above the floor and offers an awesome, jaw-dropping "How'd that happen" site.
From Devil's Postpile, hike another 2.5 spacious miles for another one of nature's creations, Rainbow Falls, which, hence the name, DOES showcase a real rainbow. And, be sure to trek down to the bottom for yet another breathtaking viewpoint.
With all the different trails and areas within Inyo National Forest, you can spend forever hiking, mountain biking, exploring and experiencing the many joys that the outdoors brings.
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Went here for a vacation this past weekend. Really a beautiful and awesome sight to see. I've seen this place on TV on the Travel Channel and it's nice to actually go out and see it in person! The process of getting there is a little complicated. You have to park at the ski resort, buy a shuttle ticket, and then take a 20-25 minute bus ride down the mountain into the valley and then take a short hike to the place. But all that effort is worth it.
My family just happened to time our vacation to coincide with the opening of the summer season (for most everything in the Mammoth Lakes area apparently) but most everything ran smoothly. I give it 4.75 stars b/c I don't think $7 is really a reasonable price, but that's fine. The postpiles were awesome
Devils Postpile National Monument is part of the National Parks and runs along the San Joaquin River on the Sierra Neveda's western side. It was quite a hike considering its 7,560 feet elevation. However, if you want to hike it, the trails are pretty smooth and well maintained. My Dad, my sister, my girlfriend, and one of my dogs all made the hike without much huffing and puffing. Devils Postpile was established as a monument back in 1911 for its amazing columnar basalt formations as you can see in my pictures http://theunemployedte... . The National Monument also has a 101 foot Rainbow Falls as you can see from my photos too. Enjoy.
While camping at Pinecrest we took a day trip to Devil's Postpile. It is an amazing sight to see if your in the area. The hike from the rangers station to the postpile is very short and the trail is well managed. We didnt have enough to to hike to rainbow falls, which I hear is beautiful. The only downside to Devil's postpile is the fact you must pay for a bus ride down to the rangers station unless you are camping in the campground... which is very pricey.
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We got off the shuttle and hiked to Rainbow Falls and then to the Lower Falls. The falls are just beautiful. Not many people make it to the Lower Falls and we had it all to ourselves to sit and enjoy a light picnic.
From the falls, we hiked to the Postpile, which, in my opinion, is an interesting phenomena but a little over blown with the shuttle and all though I understand the need for the shuttle. Sheesh, for $20 you can take a car load of people into Yosemite and see many waterfalls and amazing rock formations. I am not sorry that I have finally made it to the Postpile but I doubt that I would ever go back. Now the Devil's Tower in Wyoming is another story. That is definitely worth the entrance fee. I also enjoyed Columns of the Giants off of Highway 108 at least as much.
While the area itself has a lot to offer, the actual "devil's postpile" is a quite unexciting geological feature which does not make the "national monument" cut, in my view. Add to it the requirement to buy shuttle bus tickets and it loses another point. It's not that I don't understand the need for the shuttle bus to reduce crowds and pollution, it's just that it adds an inconvenience that will reduce your experience. Have not done rainbow falls, so no comment on that. If you're spending time in Mammoth you can go see this, but I would not go out of my way for it the way you might for other national monuments.
There are so many beautiful places to see of fthe US 395, from Reno, to Mammoth Lakes to Red Rock Canyon, the hot springs, and then this intriguing stop. A haven for geologist's, my old friend who enjoyed looking at rocks would had a chub if he saw this place. So many places to see in the world, but many of those are here in California. This is one of those gems.
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When I was a kid, I used to put gobs of Play-Doh into the plastic Fun Factory machine to make variously-shaped Play-Doh bars. I was like a junior steelworker.
I had driven by the Devils Postpile exit many times, but I never knew anything about the place. When I finally visited and approached the site, Play-Doh was the first thing that came to mind. This is Nature showing off like an adolescent. Look mommy, I can make 60-foot tall hexagonal basalt columns. How else to really explain all of this? Oh sure, geology says that the postpile is actually the result of an ideal stew of lava ingredients cooling very slowly and cracking into hexagonal columns.
Uh-huh. You stick with your theory and I'll stick with mine. Kids can do amazing things and this kid's antics are worth the trip.
I finally made it to Devil's Postpile NM in Mammoth Lakes, CA. It was a nice hike.
They make you pay for a mandatory access fee of $7pp which then lets you ride a bus into the area. If you are staying in the Devil's Postpile NM campsite/area then you can drive in yourself before 7am or after 7pm but still have to pay the $7 per person.
We bought the access pass at the Mammoth Mtn Ski Area Gondola Bldg next to the Mammoth Mtn Inn @ the top of Hwy 203. They say buses run every 20-30 min.
The bus was right so we rush to get on. Buses are Huge and comfortable. You get your own light & fan above you. We got dropped off at the Devil's Postpile Ranger Station, they have bathrooms next to the Ranger Station.
There's maps & info there. Hike to Devil's Postpile to see those weird crayon-like rocks. You can also hike to the top to see the hexagon-shaped rocks & make a loop back down. From the website " The formation is a rare sight in the geologic world and ranks as one of the world's finest examples of columnar basalt. Its columns tower 60 feet high and display an unusual symmetry."
We then continued to Rainbow Falls. It's great! It's a 101-ft high waterfall that runs I think all yr round. If you go in the afternoon, you might see a Rainbow at the falls which is great. You can also hike to the bottom, we didn't have time.
Then we rushed to the Lower Falls - another short hike to see another waterfall. That was nice, great place to swim at.
We then hiked to the Rainbow Falls Trailhead to wait for the bus. Stupid bus didn't stop at the Parking lot, so we had to wait 45 min for the next one which we waited on the Main Road to catch & made sure to stop the bus. It was the last bus at 7:45pm. That was evil, but still the trip was worth it.
Recommended.
When I was a little kid, my family would go to Mammoth every summer. Over the years, we developed a pretty regular pattern. In the early '80s, Devil's Postpile figured prominently into this pattern, but eventually we stopped going.
Most of my memories of this place involve being terrified. First, there was the scary ride to the actual site. Imagine riding a really old school bus on a cliffside that doesn't seem to be paved very well and that doesn't have enough room on it for more than one vehicle. Well, that's the ride there. Then there's the river my brother fell into while walking on the rocks. And the posts themselves, which aren't really scary as much as weird and mossy and strange. And then there's the earthquake fault you can walk down into. That's cool, but what if the Big One hits while you're down there?
Scary as all hell, which guarantees it at least four stars.
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Went here. Love it. The post pile is the main attraction, but it is not the only. There is of course Rainbow falls. Also if you hike up to the top of the main post pile and continue up to the John Muir trail, you wont be disappointed. The trail leads to to the San Joaquin river and beyond . Pretty much where the river begins.This is the second largest river in California behind the Sacramento. We went swimming in the river. The water was so clear and refreshing. It was amazing. The bus ride is also pretty neat. It takes you to the back woods. My only complaint is that it is a National Monument, however they did not accept my inter agency parks pass. They gave some lame reason as to why not. I think that if I pay $80 for a pass, that it should work at all the National Parks and Monuments . That is the only reason this is not getting 5 stars
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Color me crazy, but there is something disconcerting about having two bear proof canisters at your campsite. One for trash and one for storing food items. Looking at two metal boxes makes your tent seem not all that safe. That was the case here. We camped at Devil's Postpile and fortunately (or unfortunately) didn't see any bear. We did however make the trek from the campsites to visit the main attraction. That being Devil's Postpile which is a sixty foot wall of basalt rising out of the ground from age old lava activity. It really is an impressive display, but compared to other National Parks,it is somewhat lacking. You can hike to the top of the Postpile and see the geometric shapes formed by the basalt which is cool if you are into that sort of thing. I am, otherwise I wouldn't have visited... The Monument is the main draw here which is why it is classified as such and not a Park. This means, there isn't a whole lot to do besides hang out in wilderness. We enjoyed our time here, but not sure if we would ever make the trek back.
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