Devils Postpile National Park lies in eastern California, 10 miles West of
Mammoth and 50 miles East of Yosemite's eastern boundary. The Park is home to
one of nature's most curious geological spectacles known as "Devils Postpile".
It is a dark cliff of columnar basalt formed with molten lava some 100,000 years
ago. The eruption and uniform cooling of basalt lava created an impressive wall
of columns. Later a glacial event exposed the columns and polished smooth the
top of this formation enhancing the pattern of hexagons that are a result of the
mineral composition of the lava. It opens in the summers for tourists.
Due to its great thickness most of the lava cooled slowly and gradually which
caused the columns to be so long and symmetrical. The columns average 2 feet in
diameter and up to 60 feet long. Similar structure is also in Wyoming and other
places around the world like Fingal's Cave (Scotland), Garni Gorge (Armenia),
Giant Causeway (Ireland), Basalt Prisms (Mexico) and a few others. Following are
a few pictures of the magnificent structure.
Park operates a Reds Meadow Shuttle Bus to reduce the number of vehicles and prevent pollution in the area. Buses run every 20 or 30 minutes and everyone must pay a nominal transportation fee. Two miles downstream you can also see the Rainbow Falls which drop to about 100 feet. A great way to enjoy this area is to do camping in the campground near the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin river and do hiking during the day. It experiences typical Sierra summer weather.
Visitors coming by plane can reach Reno airport in Nevada then drive south on U.S. Highway 395 for approximately 170 miles to State Route 203. Most visitors must park at the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and use the mandatory shuttle. Visit nps.gov for latest and most accurate information. Park's contact information - Phone number (760) 934-2289.
