Devils Postpile Ranger Station
Address: Devils Postpile Access Road, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
Devils Postpile is one of the world's finest displays of columnar basalt: 60-foot hexagonal columns formed when a lava flow cooled and cracked evenly about 100,000 years ago, then was polished by glaciers. A short trail also reaches Rainbow Falls, a 101-foot waterfall on the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River.
Climb to the column tops to see the glacial polish and hike to Rainbow Falls; young kids can earn a Junior Ranger badge. For a challenge, continue past the falls on the John Muir and Pacific Crest trails into the Ansel Adams Wilderness.
Coordinates: 37.62995, -119.08485