Photo: Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sightseeing

Devils Postpile National Monument

A national monument in the Sierra Nevada known for a striking cluster of basalt columns and a 101-foot waterfall.

PO Box 3999, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546 (mailing address) · Mammoth Lakes, CA

About Devils Postpile National Monument

Devils Postpile National Monument, set near Mammoth Mountain in eastern California, was created in 1911 to protect a rare volcanic rock formation. Its tall basalt columns show a notably even pattern and are regarded as among the finest examples of their kind. Rainbow Falls, a waterfall on the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River, is the other main draw. The John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail share a path through the monument, and most of the area sits inside the Ansel Adams Wilderness. Most visitors reach the valley by a mandatory shuttle bus.

#basalt columns
#waterfall
#hiking
#national monument
#Sierra Nevada

What's around here?

The closest stops to Devils Postpile National Monument, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sports & Outdoors
Outdoor Adventure
Mono County
No admission fee
California's Eastern Sierra region of alpine lakes, national forest and mountain towns from Mono Lake to Mammoth Lakes.
2.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Sports & Outdoors
Iconic
Mammoth Mountain
$50+
Major Sierra Nevada ski resort near Mammoth Lakes with 3,500 acres of terrain, a bike park and summer activities.
Transit: reachable by public transit
4.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Shopping
Quirky Fun
The Psychic Gallery
$25–$50
A Mammoth Lakes storefront offering tarot, palmistry and psychic readings.
Transit: reachable by public transit
6.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping
Stay
Outdoor Adventure
Empeiria High Sierra Hotel
$50+
Mammoth Lakes hotel serving as a basecamp for High Sierra skiing, hiking and mountain adventures.
Transit: reachable by public transit
6.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay
Sightseeing
Wassama Round House State Historic Park
Check prices
A state historic park preserving a traditional Southern Sierra Miwok gathering place still used for ceremonies.
39 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
Outdoor Adventure
Bishop
No admission fee
Eastern Sierra gateway town near Mammoth Lakes with access to hiking, fishing and Bishop Creek Canyon.
Transit: reachable by public transit
42 mi awayMore like this