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    Rainbow Falls

    4.9 (89 reviews)

    Rainbow Falls Photos

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    Reviews With Photos

    Sarah B.

    Came on a busy summer weekend when we were required to take a shuttle. This hike is about 3 1/2 miles round trip depending on where you start and end with significant elevation drops and gains but is SO worth it. Our 8 and 12 year old did it with only a little bribing. Highly recommend ending at Red Meadow so you can eat at the delicious cafe or have a cold drink from the market surrounded by the gorgeous-ness of the area!

    Rainbow Fire effects
    Fran V.

    I began at Devils Postpile and continued Pat for two miles to reach the falls. It is a beautiful large fall 100 feet high and a good width too. There are three official viewing spots, two up top and one at the base of the falls. To get to the base you do have to climb down some fairly steep steps and navigate the boulders and rocks at the bottom. Not too bad but not for everyone depending on their balance and physical abilities. I sat and at lunch at the base. It was cooler down there too which provided some relief after the hike which was mostly in the sun. Lots of places to grab photos as everyone around was doing. It was particularly pretty with small groves of golden aspen along parts of the trail.

    Falls with a fisheye.
    Tom G.

    The falls are beautiful and worth the hike. We had to buy tickets and take a mandatory bus from the Mammoth Activity area near the mammoth statue. The ride was nice and the driver pointed out several things along the way. You can get off and on the bus throughout the day at a variety of stops. To go to Rainbow Falls, you exit at stop 9 or 10 and the hike there is mostly downhill, so the way back is uphill. I would estimate that it is around 3 miles round trip and you should bring water (signs recommended 3 liters) and dress in cool clothing. Once at the falls, there are three viewing points with two being above and one is down some steep steps below the falls. We found the first gave the best view of the rainbow at around midday while the lower one allowed you to feel the cool mist of the water. If you aren't seeing the rainbow and the sun is above, take off your polarized sunglasses. Enjoy!

    Rainbow falls
    Jules B.

    "Somewhere over the Rainbow (Falls) ....and dreams that you dream of... dreams really do come true," remember this song? As it was a dream of mine to experience Rainbow Falls in person and I finally did! Not only that, but have the honor of writing the first Yelp review too ....YYYYEEEEAAAHHH!!! I'm feeling pretty badass and happy right now (YAY!!). If you park in Devils Postpile parking lot, it's a 2.5 mile hike to Rainbow Falls and the trek is so worth the views. This hike is an easy, clear straightforward -so please don't get intimidated by thought of possibly getting lost and/or reading 2.5 miles. I recommend a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and a small bottle of water for the trek to the falls. Anyhow, Rainbow Falls is the highest waterfall on the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River, in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Rainbow Falls is an absolutely gorgeous view of water cascading 101 feet ...and that sight will get definitely get one hooked on chasing waterfalls (I know that's how my boyfriend and I felt)...and if your lucky, with the right sunlight -you can catch a rainbow over the falls too!

    Spencer Q.

    A short hike from the postpiles and well worth the trip. Be sure to go down to the base since you are there.

    Rainbow Falls pool
    Mylesha D.

    I never realized how underrated Mammoth is. There's a bunch of campsites and hikes passed the resort and Rainbow Falls was one of the hidden gems. Getting there: You will pass Mammoth resort and ski lift, where you will come to the entrance of the park. The fee is $10 per day, and they only accept credit/debit cards. (If you have a National Park pass I believe they are accepting those as well, but I would double check). One mile past the Eureka Diggins Area the pavement ends. From there drive 2.5 miles to a point where the road forks; take the left fork, staying on Road #25. After 1 mile Road #25 veers to the left. Stay on Road #25 (do not take Road #25-29). After 1.5 miles more the road forks again. Take the left fork, still Road #25 (do not take Road #25-31). Continue for 1.7 miles to the next fork. This time take the right fork (do no take Road #25-32, which leads to the Morristown Diggings). Driving the last 0.7 miles, you will reach the trailhead where there is ample parking in the lot. Experience: Rainbow Falls via Devils Postpile Trail is a 5-6 mile hike round trip. There were a ton of people at the trailhead, so we made sure to keep a breathable mask on around people. After passing the Devil's postpile, the amount of traffic drops because there are a lot of up inclines and declines. Once you reach the waterfall, you'll see an aerial view from the top. In order to get in the water, you have to hike down either via the steep stairs that will take about 5-10 minutes or through the trail that takes about .5 miles. The views are totally worth it! Tips: - Bring proper hiking shoes. The terrain is a little rough, and if you do not have proper shoes you could hurt yourself. - Bring snacks and lots of water. Regardless of your endurance, you'll want to bring water and snacks. The hike isn't that long, but it did take us about 3-4 hours (including hanging out at the waterfall).

    Morning sunrise views
    Michael L.

    A great short hike! Come early, and be rewarded for it! Parking/location: HUGE HUGE importance to come early! Sunrise was about 6:20 and we made a big effort to come there by 5:45 or so to make it in time. Another vague information I found useful is that if you're planning to go to Rainbow Falls AND Devils Postpile, park at Devils Postpile. This way it's a straight hike to both. You'll hit Postpile and then in 2 miles, Rainbow Falls. Only park at Rainbow Falls parking if that's your only goal. It's a straight shot from parking to there. 0.5-1 mile distance and easy. Helpful tips: 1. No bathrooms, so baby wipes is a must. 2. Come by sunrise, you'll miss the parking fee and the long waits for pictures and parking headaches. 3. Once at Rainbow Falls, cross the slippery log to get right at the base for some amazing portrait photos. 4. Devils Postpile was meh. It's a see there been there kind of deal. We think the hike to Rainbow was enough personally. Overall, well kept, amazing time at Rainbow Falls!! Please don't litter your masks and keep this place as nature intended it to be!

    Gordon V.

    This is an amazing hike! We parked at the Devils Postpile National Monument parking lot. After you see the Devils Postpile you continue down the path and follow the signs to Rainbow falls. It is somewhat of a moderate hike. We did see kids and dogs on the hike, but many little children were crying and it was too much for them. Most people were respectful, wearing masks and stepping off the trail for each other. The trail has some narrow spots. There are a lot of beautiful tree trunks, scurrying little chipmunks, and birds. The trails are well marked and when you get to the fork you can either take Rainbow Falls or Lower Falls. We did Rainbow first. There are several spots that you can view from up top and then stairs depending to the bottom. Believe me the stairs are steep. Once you get to the bottom you can either wade through the water or climb over the rocks to get to the falls. The mist is heavy so be careful of your phones when taking pics. Many people were swimming and it was very cold water. Some brought masks to view under the water. There were dogs at the bottom, but not in the water. The sun came out and there was the most beautiful Rainbow over the falls, it was breathtaking. We headed back up the steps and headed to Lower Falls. Review coming soon. Highly recommend Rainbow Falls.

    The waterfall
    Susan L.

    2 options to begin the hike - either from 1) devil's postpile (which seems longer) or 2) rainbow falls trailhead. We went to devil's to start. We went on a Wednesday at 1pm and parking was available. Folks were on the trail but it not crowded at all. Most of the time we had the trail to ourselves. A lot of folks also have masks when we went. It is NOT for the faint of heart. While it is mostly flat, there are grooves and climbs along the way (both there and back). If you're doing devil's postpile route, I wouldn't recommend doing the devil's loop. It took an extra 20 minutes. The view up top was nice but I can't say it's worth the detour (especially cause it was SO uphill!) I'm not gonna lie I was ready to give up on mike 4 on the way back, especially with the sun beating so hard. Started at 1:45pm, and finished around 4:30pm with all the breaks and stops. The stairs take you to the lower falls but beware below - no folks with masks as they take swims!

    Made it
    Chris S.

    Easy trail. Go early to avoid the crowds. The mountain has a mandatory shuttle service 7am-7pm, I got there before 7am, just follow the directions on google, parking is simple, bring lunch to make it romantic, hang out, and continue down to the lower falls if you want a better workout. There is a restroom near parking#9, ladies bring your own wipes and work on your squats because my oh my, some bears or people like to piss on the toilet seat instead of inside the hole.

    Rainbow falls

    If you're looking for a short family friendly hike this is it! You will need to get on a shuttle, which is $15 per adult and $7 for children. It runs from 7am-7pm. To get to the falls you can hike from devils post pile and hike to rainbow falls or get off on stop#9. The last shuttle picks up from the village at 8:45am and throughout the day at the adventure center. We got the shuttle from the village, which worked out best because not everyone that was picked up at the adventure center was able to grab a seat. The ride is approximately 25 minutes. We went to rainbow falls from bus stop 9 and it was really easy. Our group had small children ages 2, 3, 5 and 6. They walked the entire time. Once you get to rainbow falls you can view the fall from upper level or go down the stairs, which are pretty steep. The scenery is very beautiful, I recommend this hike to everyone!

    Going to rainbow falls 2022 mammoth lakes
    Marcy P.

    Yes this place is breathtaking amazing relaxing water feels so nice me and my family love this place I will definitely come back again 07/2022

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    Amazing!!! Best hike I have ever been on. I'm happy I got to connect with nature. I will definitely be back soon.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Rainbow Falls

    Are the falls closed right now? I know the monument is closed but can I still hike up?

    Is there water right now?

    Yes, we went 7/25/22

    What's the closest place to camp or lodge?

    anywhere in Mammoth Lakes is fairly close. I believe campgrounds at Devils Postpile are closed this season

    View All 4 Questions

    Review Highlights - Rainbow Falls

    Exit the rainbow falls shuttle stop or get off one stop earlier and see Devil's Postpile for an additional .

    Mentioned in 19 reviews

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    Earthquake Fault

    Earthquake Fault

    (30 reviews)

    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.

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

    Ruby Lake

    (4 reviews)

    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.

    Rainbow Falls - hiking - Updated May 2026

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