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    Devil's Postpile National Monument

    4.3 (129 reviews)

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    Minaret Falls
    Justin M.

    It's a pretty neat geological formation to see, but parking is scarce and it was too crowded when we went, with tons of people on the trail to and from Devil's Postpile to the parking lot. It's about a 0.7 mile hike to Devil's Postpile from the parking lot. After we got there and took pictures, we were running out of daylight so we made the not so good decision to hike to Minaret Falls instead of the farther Rainbow Falls. On the hike to Minaret Falls you eventually come to a fork in the trail. The little trail sign says to take a right to Minaret Falls but Google Maps says left, so we made the mistake of going left. This way takes you up a steep winding trail, and Google Maps eventually says you're off the trail and routes you on a trail that doesn't exist. After realizing our mistake, we backtracked to the fork in the trail and decided to try to rush to Minaret Falls and back before dark as we'd already invested so much time and energy. We finally got to Minaret Falls around dusk but were getting swarmed by mosquitoes. We took some quick pictures while getting eaten alive by mosquitos and rushed out of there, swatting mosquitos off us the whole time. My girlfriend was freaking out because there were no bathroom facilities on the trail so she inevitably had to just pop a squat off the trail, crying. We finally managed to get out of there covered in sweat and mosquito guts from the hoards of mosquitos we killed, as people casually, nonchalantly were walking to Devil's Postpile from the parking lot, oblivious to the hell we just went through. The travesty/irony was comical.

    Shuttle bus price
    Scarlett N.

    Updated !!!! July 9th 2025 I leave 3 stars to get your attention only. This place not opened for private car and closed from Monday- Wednesday. Also from Thursday to Sunday, you can visit this place by taking the public paid shuttle bus. Gps to the Mammoth Main Lodge. On the right hand side, where you see the big Mammoth Statue. Where you can purchase the shuttle bus ticket. There are 2 free parking spots - one on the far left , one right in front of the ticket kiosk, further than that will be paid parking. Worth a visit if you are at Mammoth town during weekend Downside: shuttle bus required. Google hours 's wrong. Waste of time to travel here and cannot drive inside.

    Sandee L.

    An easy, short, flat walk from the shuttle stop. The columnar basalt is super cool! There's an uphill hike (mostly stairs) to the top to see the hexagonal floor of the postpile. The national monument is not closed, despite what Google maps says. But it is under construction, so you do need to take the shuttle to get to Devil's postpile ($18 per adult). Also just a heads up the shuttle line is really long and the shuttles are packed to the hilt!

    Ray D.

    A little bus ride, some hiking.Get there early and it is well worth it. The Postpile have been here since the ice age. When you get there- I was in awe.

    Rosabell M.

    The hike to this place was very easy to get to. If you continue on the trail, you can get to rainbow falls, I think it's about a 5 mile hike but totally worth it. Make sure to take plenty of water and snacks. The postpiles were stunning! It's a must see if you're visiting Mammoth!

    Devils postpile
    Steve A.

    Devils postpile is a must see when you are in Mammoth Lakes just up from the main lodge. You can turn into the kiosk at Minaret Vista. Take your time going down the road. In some places it is single lane and the road is under construction. There are two parking lots . The walk to the Post Pule is only .4 miles and easy. From the post pile you can walk 2.5 miles to Rainbow Falls this is worth the walk. Make sure you take food and water. I would suggest early morning to avoid heat and direct sun. The falls show the rainbows closer to noon. If you are there when transit is running you can take the bus down. If you check your stops you can walk up to reds meadows and get on a different stop I on the other hand did not follow some of my own advise I walked in with a single bottle of water was going to eat back at the car so for me a single protein bar was not enough. I made it to Rainbow falls and part of the way back. I need 911 to get out there was full cell service in the area so the call was easy and this was more due to my overall health not the difficulty of the trail. I was very fortunate that the park ranger Alex arrived and was able to get out. The call was to 911 To get out it was the Ranger who help Alex made a difference The last .2 miles of met with Mono Search and Rescue another park ranger and the fire department who carried me out on a litter. To the parking lot all were concerned with my health and well fare . They even drove us back to our vehicle. Lesson learned 1.It is just under 9000 feet take it slow. 2. Bring Food and water. If you do not normally hike 5 miles before going work up to this. You also should see Reds meadows and the Ansel Adam's Wilderness along the way. Why Five stars the views the location can not be beat. I would give 10 stars for the help provided by the Rangers The fire Department and search and rescue. May I be smarter next time.

    Sarah B.

    Came during a busy June weekend and were required to take a shuttle from Mammoth mountain. This walk is so easy and had a perfect picnic area for lunch. A must see while in Mammoth!

    Cecile A.

    Absolutely stunning place. Fascinating to walk above the piles (small trail sign) and see what they look like from above. Loved to be taken to the walk by bus with a friendly driver, super informative. We walked to Rainbow Waterfall from there and loved our 4 mile walk.

    The pile of the Devils posts
    Fran V.

    Cool monument, short hike. Hexagon shaped columns formed by lava and ice make for a nice geology lesson and a unique photo op. You do take a somewhat narrow and winding mountain ride to get down to the parking lot but they do have shuttles that drop you off at other starting points as well. The parking lot was about halfway full when we arrived at 10am on a Sunday and filing up pretty quickly.

    the pile of posts belonging to the devil himself
    Ben H.

    America the Beautiful (National Parks Pass) works here!! During the off season you can drive down there and then just walk like 15 minutes and you're here--it's great. Parking can get a quite full if that happens tho. It's a really neat natural phenomenon and super cool to learn how it happens.

    Rainbow Falls (early October)
    Chance K.

    This small national monument packs a big punch with its two star attractions. The Devil's Postpile itself is a perplexingly incredible displace of geometry in nature, and is a short walk from the parking lot area. If you have the time and energy, continuing on the trail another ~2 miles to Rainbow Falls is well worth it. I recommend coming in the off-season: late September or early October is ideal, when you can actually drive instead of taking the shuttle, (hopefully) avoid the big crowds, and still enjoy nice weather. If you are doing the full hike (there's really only one trail here) then a half day should be sufficient.

    Lindsay D.

    Very cool National monument to check out. The drive in is a little like driving the road to Hana in Maui. There is a small section very narrow. Make sure you fallow the last turn road all the way down to the main parking lot. I went on Friday the shuttles were no longer running. So the parking lot was full by the time I left around 12pm. Started hike around 8:30am it was shaded and saw two deer, lots of chipmunks, squirrels, birds. I hiked to rainbow falls and back it was 6 miles. Make sure you bring water and snacks.

    Gordon V.

    This is a nice easy hike that you can take your kids on. Easy parking and not far from the start of the trail you will see the Devils Postpile National Monument. It is much larger than I expected and quite grand to see in person. There were quite a few people on the trail, but most everyone was wearing a mask and respectful of keeping the 6 foot distance. Here is information that gives you the history on how they were formed, which I loved reading about. If you want to continue on the trail you can head to Rainbow Falls and also Lower Falls, but that hike is a bit more strenuous and long.

    Devil's Postpile

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    Ask the Community - Devil's Postpile National Monument

    Can I take my dog?

    There are no dogs allowed.

    I heard if you have handicap placard, you can drive your car up there and not take the shuttle? Is this true? We will be visiting next week.

    Yes you can park at the trailhead. I currently have a handicap placard on our trip 8/2/19. I even confirmed this prior by calling and they had said you can. So you can skip the bus shuttle. You still have to pay $10 for vehicle access though.

    Can you still drive your car in if you go early?

    Yes, before 7 am, do not need to use shuttle bus, can drive up to parking lot. best way to bring a dog (shuttle requires you muzzle your dog)

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Devil's Postpile National Monument

    Past Devils Postpile, you can actually hike to see Rainbow Falls, which is pretty spectacular sight.

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    Earthquake Fault

    Earthquake Fault

    4.5(30 reviews)
    5.0 mi

    Really easy to get to, no mosquitos, and not crowded at all. An older gentleman there who I think…read morewas an off duty park Ranger or something told us all about the fault, cases of people falling in, and what to look out for, etc. He said it's more impressive looking from the other side of the main road (going from Mammoth Lakes to Mammoth Mountain), though we couldn't find any signs or trailheads for this part afterwards. Nonetheless this is a pretty neat, quick stop with no hike required to get to it.

    I recently stopped by this earthquake fault to check it out while in the Mammoth area. It was easy…read moreto find, and parking was easy. Based on the photos, I was expecting this to be more like a cliff with a tall crack in it. In reality, it's more like a very long ditch. If you're into geology, or if you're super impressed by thinking about the earth splitting open, then maybe you should check this out. Personally, I wasn't very moved by this experience. If you didn't know that this was an earthquake fault, then there would be nothing impressive about it. It's just a very long gorge that is kind of deep in some places. I'm not sure if rappelling into the fault is allowed, but I thought it would be interesting to get a closer up view of some of the rocks and pools on the bottom. Honestly not really worth driving out of your way to see this unless you happen to be a geology fanatic, or are just dead set on seeing every possible sight near Mammoth.

    Photos
    Earthquake Fault
    Earthquake Fault
    Earthquake Fault

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    Horseshoe Lake - Lake is drying up and this warning sign says it all

    Horseshoe Lake

    4.3(34 reviews)
    3.7 mi

    The first time I visited HorseShoe Lake, the lot was packed, and the hike was no joke! I was out of…read moreshape, and there was still a lot of snow on the trail in July! It was tough. My cousin even had a close call when he accidentally slid off the trail, ran down 100 feet, and narrowly missed hitting trees. (Slipper snow) Despite the challenges, the reward at the top was well worth it. It was a beautiful, secluded lake. Some of us tried a little fishing, while the girls jumped into the freezing cold water for a swim. The water was so "pristine" that my hair felt conditioned afterward. It was magnificent, the water felt untouched and almost holy! This past summer, we hiked it again for the 4th of July, and it was so much easier because I had lost 20 pounds, haha! I'd say the hike is about 13 minutes up, around 2 miles round trip, and great for all ages. Just make sure you're in decent shape and don't have any serious health concerns. When I was 20 pounds heavier, the hike felt like a 10/10 in difficulty. Now, it's more like a 3/10, a total breeze!

    When you arrive, you see a bunch of dead tree and the waterline really low. Your first impression…read moreis "huh. But as you walk around the lake, you're surrounded by beautiful lush green pines. Small quaint bridges over stream beds. The wind in the trees with a beautiful view of the lake and its surroundings. It's a very easy straight walk. Highly recommend

    Photos
    Horseshoe Lake
    Horseshoe Lake - Lots of history here

    Lots of history here

    Horseshoe Lake

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    Ruby Lake - Backpacked to Ruby Lake, 3 days and 2 nights of peace and quiet

    Ruby Lake

    5.0(4 reviews)
    6.4 mi

    Breathtaking I…read morewent on a 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip to Ruby Lake located in the John Muir Wilderness. No permit required for day-hiking but you do need a permit to camp. The Forest Service reserves 60 percent of permits for advanced reservations and the other 40 percent are available to walk-ins 24 hours before the day of adventure. Trip Details: 3 days, 2 nights Distance from Venice, CA to Mosquito Flats Trailhead: 302 miles Money spent on gas: $128.62 Time of Year: August Weather: 80's during the day, and 30's at night Permit: no permit for day hiking but a permit is required to camp Elevation gain : 908 feet Distance to Ruby Lake from Trailhead: 2.1 miles Dogs: Dogs are allowed Water Temperature: 39 degrees Day 1: We parked in the parking lot at the beginning of the Mosquito Flats Trailhead at the end of Rock Creek Road. We started our hike around 1:00pm and arrived at Ruby lake at 3:30p. When we got to camp, we setup our tents, jumped in the water and then prepared dinner. The weather during the day was in the 80's with clear skies and a nice breeze. The temperature at night was in the high 30's low 40's with very little wind. The night was bright because of the full moon, very minimal wind noise. Day 2: Hiked to Mono Pass and hungout at summit lake before heading back to camp. Weather was also in the 80's during the day and high 30's/ low 40's at night, very little wind. Day 3: The morning before hiking out was very windy and cold in the morning, we hiked out at 9:30 am.

    As the other guys wrote: amazing. A great hike with minimal people contact. I hiked up on Sept 3…read moreand there was still lots of snow leftover from last year. I kept going past Ruby Lake to a second, smaller lake. From there one has easy access to the back country. The parking was a little ugly at the trail head: the masses tend to hike to a larger lake on the valley floor. After this hike and on your way back to Mammoth stop off at one of the hot springs near the airport for a soak. This is what I did and my muscles were very grateful.

    Photos
    Ruby Lake - View of Ruby Lake on our way up Mono Pass

    View of Ruby Lake on our way up Mono Pass

    Ruby Lake - Looking down at Ruby lake from the second, higher lake.

    Looking down at Ruby lake from the second, higher lake.

    Ruby Lake - View of little lakes valley on our way to Ruby lake

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    View of little lakes valley on our way to Ruby lake

    Devil's Postpile National Monument - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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