General information about the National Monument
Devils Postpile is a small National Monument in the Sierra Nevada. It protects a more than 20m high basalt cliff consisting of regular hexagonal columns. The National Monument was established in 1911.
Number of visitors
Best time to visit: All summer months.
Our visits:
So far 1 visit: May 2013
Entrance fees and opening hours
- 8$/person
- Covered by the Anual Pass*
- The park closes in the fall after the first heavier snowfalls and usually reopens in late May, early June.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
Devils Postpile
Description: Because of its altitude, the National Monument is only accessible between the end of June and the end of October. As a rule, everyone has to use shuttle busses. The few exceptions can be read on the homepage of the park.
The shuttle starts at the top station of the ski lifts on Mammoth Mountain at an altitude of 8891ft. From here, you descend a good 1312ft in switchbacks to the bed of the San Joaquin River. Here is the small visitor center and several trailheads. From there you hike a few hundred feet along the San Joaquin River. Here you have the possibility to climb the 66ft high cliff on a short and steep trail. But you can also look at the granite columns from below and save yourself the climb.
Trail length: 0.7mi roundtrip
Altitude difference: approx. 66ft
Time needed: 1-2 hours
Difficulty level: easy - The trail is very well developed and easy to walk.
Our rating: The basalt columns are unusual you won't find this kind of columns on every corner. We can definitely recommend a visit here.
Minaret Falls
Description: There is much more to discover at Devils Postpile NM besides the basalt cliff. For example, there are several trails to waterfalls. One of them is the one to Minaret Falls. The trail is easy to hike, it climbs and descends a bit every now and then.
A special feature of this trail is the fact that it is a section of the Pacific Crest Trail. This long distance trail leads 2669mi from Campo in California to Manning Park in British Columbia once from south to north through the USA.
Trail length: 2.8mi roundtrip
Altitude difference: –
Time needed: 2-3 hours
Difficulty level: easy
Our rating: Quite nice hiking trail through the forest and past small streams. Not spectacular but beautiful. The same applies to the waterfalls.
