DEVILS POSTPILE NATIONAL MONUMENT
Along the picturesque Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River at 2,300 meters (7,600 feet) on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada lies Devils Postpile National Monument. The 324-hectare (800-acre) monument near the resort community of Mammoth Lakes includes one dominant feature: a formation of columnar basalt known as Devils Postpile. Another important feature in the area is Rainbow Falls. Pumice is the dominant rock-type encountered, but basalt, andesite, rhyodacite, and granite lie just under the surface and crop out in many places. Plants and animals are typical of lodgepole pine and red fir forests. To see the features of the monument one must walk.