Devil's Post Pile National Monument

It has been a few years, so we decided to visit again. The entire area looks a bit different after they suffered a horrendous wind storm the end of last November. The unusually strong winds in Mammoth were funneled down into the canyon are reached 150-180 mph. Snapped a lot of trees in half and uprooted many more, so there are a lot of cut trees around. But as always, it is still a beautiful area and worth seeing the great formations.

No shuttle now, but still many people on this cool cloudless day.

The main front part of the display





This part looks manmade.



And some fall color on the side of the rocks.



And then on the way to the top of the display, there are the horizontal posts.





And the top of the posts.





And a strange creature crawling up a log; or at least it looked like a creature to me!



It was amazing listening to different tourists. Some were really impressed and want to return, some were impressed and also loved the surrounding area and want to return, and some thought it was not really worth it and have no desire to return.

[Edited on 9-29-2013 by DianaT]

Devil's Post Pile is such a unique place. People could go a lifetime and never see columnar joints! They don't know what they are missing. Thanks for the pics. Growing up my family spent a lot of leisure time in the Mammoth area. The geology is varied and to some of us fascinating. My mother bought me a book on the geology of the eastern sierra when I was 9 or 10 and it was my job to educate everyone (who would listen) on what we were seeing from the car (captive audience) driving up and down 395. In the summer my dad would make a point of stopping to explore one area or the other along the way. I was going to be a geologist then I hit puberty and decided to switch to ski instructor.

Quote:

Originally posted by elgatoloco Devil's Post Pile is such a unique place. People could go a lifetime and never see columnar joints! They don't know what they are missing. Thanks for the pics. Growing up my family spent a lot of leisure time in the Mammoth area. The geology is varied and to some of us fascinating. My mother bought me a book on the geology of the eastern sierra when I was 9 or 10 and it was my job to educate everyone (who would listen) on what we were seeing from the car (captive audience) driving up and down 395. In the summer my dad would make a point of stopping to explore one area or the other along the way. I was going to be a geologist then I hit puberty and decided to switch to ski instructor.

I agree that it is all fascinating and it is still an active geological area. I would have enjoyed listening to your geology lessons. I remember when I first learned about the Long Valley Caldera ---- had to be one heck of an explosion.

Now, I keep looking at the young cinder cone just south of us.

Ski instructor --- good for you. One of my sons liked the area so much that he became a ski bum in mammoth for a few years.

Thanks. I have not been to the Inyo Craters for quite a few years --- time to go again and hope there is not another explosion.

Thanks for the story. And thanks for the link.

Igor,
I am glad they are growing on you. :-)

There are still several seasonally operated pack stations. It seems there is one up every major Canyon --- Kennedy Meadows, Onion Valley, Big Pine, Bishop Creek (one at South Lake and one at North Lake) Rock Creek, McGee Creek, Red's Meadows, Agnew Meadows, and I am sure I have forgotten some. How much business each of them does, I do not know, but they open every season and one does need to watch where one steps while on the trail.

The livestock winter down in the valley. Just down the street from us are a few very large fields where many mules and horses spend their winter. It is a bit strange at the beginning of the season when all of sudden, the fields are empty.

I know what you mean about scrambling up off the trail to get out of the way.