Devils Postpile National Monument Campground California
Devils Postpile National Monument Overview
Devils Postpile National Monument Campground has 21 first-come, first-serve sites and is next to the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River. Only a few of the campsites can accommodate campers and trailers over 30 feet in length. Anything larger is not advisable. Campsites are limited to 6 people and two vehicles. The campground usually fills up fast on weekends and holidays. Amenities include potable (drinking) water, flush toilets and trash collection. Each site also has a table, food locker, fire ring and grill. Cell service is not available in the area.
Devil’s Postpile National Park features a rare formation of columnar basalt towering 60 feet high. There are many trails to hike and explore. Just two miles downstream from the Postpile formation is the spectacular Rainbow Falls that drops 101 feet and offers great photo opportunities. Backpackers can also access trails from this area.
Outdoor recreation includes fishing, backpacking, hiking, picnicking, horseback riding, stargazing and wildlife viewing. The town of Mammoth Lakes is also about 12 miles away should you need an supplies. And you can take a shuttle if you don’t want to drive. There is a small store and restaurant close to Reds Meadow. Showers are also available at Reds Meadow
Other campgrounds in the area include Upper Soda Springs, Minaret Falls, Reds Meadow and Pumice Flat.
Reservations:
First Come, First Served
Amenities
- BBQ Grills
- Campsite Tables
- Cell Service - None
- Drinking Water
- Equestrian trail
- Fire Pit
- Fire Rings
- Firewood Available
- Food Storage Locker
- Golden Age & Access Passports accepted
- Grills
- Pets OK
- Picnic Tables
- Ranger Station
- Restrooms (Flush Toilets)
- Trash Collection
- Visitor Center
- Wood
Activities
- Backpacking
- Biking
- Bird Watching
- Creek
- Fishing
- Fly Fishing
- Hiking
- Historic Sites
- Horseback riding
- Nature Trails
- Photography
- Picnicking
- River
- Stargazing
- Walking Trails
- Wildlife Viewing
760 934-2289
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Campsite Types
- ADA
- RV
- Tent
- Trailer
# of Campsites:
21
Season:
June – Mid September
Elevation:
7,600
Devils Postpile National Monument Comments & Reviews
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What an amazing place this is! I’ve wanted to come here for years and finally got some time the last week of August 2015. We arrived on a Sunday morning, which is the best time to get your pick of the campsites. We lucked out and got the most beautiful spot, B4. Next to the gentle falls and right off the trail that will take you to the Devils Postpile. The critter lockers are spacious and you can store all your foodstuff and camp supplies there. Our fire pit needed some shoveling out but was quite adequate. The picnic table was comfortable but always bring a tablecloth to avoid those pits and cracks. This spot is the most private and the sound of the falls at night provides some white noise to fall asleep by. We didn’t see any bears the four nights we were there but heard from other campers that they saw tracks. We did see lots of birds, squirrels and mule deer that came right into the campsite at dusk. The facilities were remarkably clean considering that this was the week after the kids have all gone back to school.
The post pile is a wonder to behold. It’s an easy hike and we spent a lot of time taking photographs of it. The area is beautiful and we hiked around to a different spot every day. We hiked to the Rainbow Falls and along the way saw just how much devastation the Rainbow fire in 1992 had caused. Acres of charred trees and blackened stumps as far as the eye could see but also young trees growing in the shade of these survivors. The Rainbow Falls live up to their name. But you can definitely tell that there is much less water in this area overall. Minaret Falls was a trickle, I’m sure that is largely because it’s summer. We took showers at the Red’s Meadow Resort. $7 bux for 5 minutes. Afterwards we had a pretty decent breakfast at the Mule house Café.
We thought the shuttle bus was great. We didn’t even need the car except to drive into Lee Vining. We drove the scenic June Lake loop and visited the Mono Lake visitor center, which was very nice and had some good movies explaining the whole history of the Lake and the Kutzadika Indians. We had lunch in Lee Vining at Bodie Mike’s restaurant. Many tourists from other countries! On the drive back to camp we stopped at the South Tufa Reserve. We were awed by the other worldly sandstone formations. This is a must see spot, do not miss it. I would say that this was the best trip on the 395 that I have ever made. Next time, I’m going to make sure I get some trout!