Hiking Devils Postpile

• Print
• E-mail
• Add to My Trips

Back to Devils Postpile National MonumentHiking Devils Postpile National Monument

Devils Postpile is more than a bunch of rocks, no matter how impressive those rocks might be. On the banks of the San Joaquin River, amid granite peaks and crystalline mountain lakes, the 800-acre park is a gateway to a hiker's paradise. Short paths lead from here to the top of the postpile and to Soda Springs, a spring of cold carbonated water.

A longer hike (about 1.3 miles) from the separate Rainbow Falls Trail head will take you to spectacular Rainbow Falls, where the middle fork of the San Joaquin plunges 101 feet from a lava cliff. From the trail, a stairway and short trail lead to the base of the falls and swimming holes below.

The Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail (which connects Yosemite National Park with Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks) run through here. Named after the conservationist and author who is largely credited with saving Yosemite and popularizing the Sierra Nevada as a place worth preserving, the 211-mile John Muir Trail traverses some of the most difficult, remote parts of the Sierra. You can access it from two points in Devils Postpile, either near the ranger station, or from the Rainbow Falls Trail head. From here, you can hike as far as your feet will take you north or south. Note: Mountain bikes are not permitted on trails.