Devil’s Postpile National Monument

If I were to rate Devil’s Postpile National Monument, I would put it on the “C-List” of national parks and monuments. The formation is a curiosity but not a destination in the same sense as the parks on the western side of the Sierras, Yosemite and Sequoia. In other words, if you happen to be driving by you might consider stopping.

The ideal way to see Devil’s Postpile is to arrive late in the day and camp in the monument overnight. This is the only way you will be permitted to drive your own vehicle into the monument on the narrow, one lane road. It is also the only way to gain access to the basalt formation at first and last light. Daytrippers have to buy a ticket and use a shuttle service that, from a photographer’s perspective, gets started late and ends early.

We arrived at the monument too late to catch last light but we did make it out to the formation, a quarter-mile walk from the campground, before the first bus of visitors arrived the next morning.

Top of the Postpile

A short loop trail leads to the top of the postpile where the hexagonal basalt columns fit together like a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle.

Previous stop: Bodie, CA: Ghost Town
Next stop: Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest