#45 Devils Postpile Trip

In mid August we decided that we needed to escape the local heat and visit a bucket list place, the Devils Postpile National Monument named because of the unusual rock formations of columnar basalt. It is the same type of formations on a small scale as the Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming which we saw several years ago. Does Close Encounters Of The Third Kind ring a bell?

Our first stop on this trip was in Shingle Springs to visit our friends, Margaret & Anita. It’s always great fun to be with them. The next day we headed to Grover Hot Springs State Park which is on the eastern side of the Sierras where a swimming pool complex is fed by hot springs. Because of Covid-19 a reservation is required to use the pool which we did not have. We did, however, have reservations at the campground which was full. The 553 acre park was established in 1959 and was a sweet place to stay. We only stayed one night then took off for some first come first served campgrounds near Mammoth Lakes.

In order to get to Mammoth Lakes we had to travel on Monitor Pass. Many people we know said that it was the scariest highway they had ever been on. I thought there was just a fair  bit of hyperbole there and sort of laughed it off. But I’m here to say THEY WERE RIGHT. It was Kae’s turn to drive and she was a real trooper. I was white knuckled on a few occasions but she did a great job.

En route to Mammoth Lakes we noticed many roads that entered the Inyo National Forest which provides dispersed camping for free so we picked a road and checked it out. It was the perfect spot just 3.5 miles from Mammoth Lakes & also close to the road to Devils Postpile. We found a really nice spot to camp and there were no other people near us, just forest and quiet.

It was about an hour’s drive to the Postpile reaching elevations of 9,000 ft. The mileage was not very far but the road was really winding and narrow in spots. People were friendly & cautious & that helped a lot. There is usually a shuttle that hauls you around the area but due to the Corona Virus it was not running so we saw the Postpile and not the surrounding meadows and falls. Another day perhaps.There was a .4 mile scenic walk from the parking lot to the monument. Unfortunately we arrived at a time of day not the best for photography but Adobe Lightroom helps make a bad picture better. So now we can check this off on our bucket list and search for another dream.