View source for Devils Postpile National Monument

{{short description|National monument in California, United States}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = The Devils Postpile National Monument
| iucn_category = III
| photo = Devils Postpile National Monument near Mammoth Lakes.jpg
| photo_caption = Basalt columns of Devils Postpile
| map = California#USA
| map_width = 232
| relief = 1
| map_caption = 
| location = [[Madera County, California]], United States
| nearest_city = [[Mammoth Lakes, California|Mammoth Lakes, CA]]
| coordinates = {{coord|37|37|28|N|119|5|4|W|region:US-CA|display=inline, title}}
| area_acre = 798
| area_ref = <ref name="area">{{NPS area |year=2013 |accessdate=2014-03-16}}</ref>
| created = {{Start date|1911|07|6}}
| visitation_num = 109,571
| visitation_year = 2017
| visitation_ref = <ref name="visits">{{NPS visitation |accessdate=2018-03-29}}</ref>
| governing_body = [[National Park Service]]
| website = [https://www.nps.gov/depo/index.htm Devils Postpile National Monument]
}}

'''Devils Postpile National Monument''' is a [[National monument (United States)|U.S. national monument]] located near [[Mammoth Mountain]] in [[Eastern California]].  The monument protects Devils Postpile, an unusual rock formation of [[Basalt#Columnar basalt|columnar basalt]], "all closely and perfectly fitted together like a vast mosaic."<ref name="stanford" /> The monument encompasses {{convert|798|acres}} and includes two main attractions: the Devils Postpile formation and [[Rainbow Falls (California)|Rainbow Falls]], a waterfall on the Middle Fork of the [[San Joaquin River]]. In addition, the [[John Muir Trail]] and [[Pacific Crest Trail]] merge into one trail as they pass through the monument.<ref name="guide2011">{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/depo/parknews/upload/ThePost2011LowRes.pdf |title=Visitor Guide to Devils Postpile and the Reds Meadow Valley, 2011-2012 |publisher=National Forest Service/National Park Service |page=10 |access-date=2012-03-23 |archive-date=2014-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314192001/http://www.nps.gov/depo/parknews/upload/ThePost2011LowRes.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Excluding a small developed area containing the monument headquarters, visitor center and a campground, the National Monument lies within the borders of the [[Ansel Adams Wilderness]].<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701014624/http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=acreage&WID=12|archive-date=2012-07-01|url=http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=acreage&WID=12|title=Ansel Adams Wilderness acreage breakdown|publisher=Wilderness.net}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Rainbow Falls Devils Postpile.jpg|thumb|upright|Rainbow Falls at Devils Postpile National Monument]]
The monument was established in 1911 as "Devil Postpile National Monument," (no possessive)<ref>{{cite web | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DjQPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA195 | title = A Proclamation | work = Statutes of the United States of America | year = 1911 | last1 = States | first1 = United | access-date = 2016-10-14 | archive-date = 2014-07-09 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140709030939/http://books.google.com/books?id=DjQPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA195 | url-status = live }}</ref> but is widely referred to as Devils Postpile National Monument,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=BooAAAAAYAAJ&pg=170 | title = Devil Postpile National Monument | work = Sierra Club Bulletin – Vol. 8 | year = 1912 | access-date = 2016-10-14 | archive-date = 2014-07-09 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140709024635/http://books.google.com/books?id=BooAAAAAYAAJ&pg=170 | url-status = live }}</ref> and has been officially styled as plural without the apostrophe since the 1930s.

An alternate historic name was Devil's Woodpile. According to ''Historic Spots in California'' (1966), "In every scenic freak the sheep-herder recognizes the work of his Satanic majesty. This formation is therefore known to local fame as the Devil's Woodpile."<ref name="stanford">{{Cite book |last1=Hoover |first1=Mildred Brooke |last2=Rensch
|first2=Hero Eugene
|last3=Rensch
|first3=Ethel Grace
|last4=Abeloe 
|first4=William N. (revision)
|title=Historic Spots in California |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=1966 |edition=3rd |pages=170}}</ref>

The monument was once part of [[Yosemite National Park]], but discovery of [[gold]] in 1905 near [[Mammoth Lakes, California|Mammoth Lakes]] prompted a boundary change that left the Postpile on adjacent [[public land]].<ref name="guild2009">{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/depo/photosmultimedia/upload/Final_2009_For%20Web.pdf |title=Visitor Guide to Devils Postpile and the Reds Meadow Valley, 2009-2010 |publisher=National Forest Service/National Park Service |page=1 |access-date=2012-03-23 |archive-date=2013-11-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114012857/http://www.nps.gov/depo/photosmultimedia/upload/Final_2009_For%20Web.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Later, a proposal to build a [[hydroelectric dam]] called for blasting the Postpile into the river. Influential Californians, including [[John Muir]], persuaded the federal government to stop the demolition and, in 1911, President [[William Howard Taft]] protected the area as a [[United States National Monument|National Monument]].<ref name="guild2009"/>

==Flora and fauna==
The elevation of the national monument is between {{convert|7200|and|8200|ft|m|abbr=on}}, and the flora and fauna are typical of the western Sierra Nevada at these elevations.<ref name="naturescience">{{cite web |url=https://home.nps.gov/depo/learn/nature/index.htm |work=Devils Postpile |title=Nature & Science |access-date=2012-03-23 |archive-date=2012-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413154740/http://www.nps.gov/depo/naturescience/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The monument area contains animals and plants such as [[American black bear|black bear]]s, [[American marten|pine marten]]s, [[mule deer]], [[coyote]]s,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://home.nps.gov/depo/learn/nature/animals.htm |work=Devils Postpile |title=Animals |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=2010-04-23 |archive-date=2010-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725081252/http://www.nps.gov/depo/naturescience/animals.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> [[quaking aspen]], [[black cottonwood]], [[alder]], and [[willow]]s,<ref name=plants>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/depo/learn/nature/plants.htm |work=Devils Postpile |title=Plants |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=2010-04-23 |archive-date=2010-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725081618/http://www.nps.gov/depo/naturescience/plants.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Dark-eyed junco]]s and [[white-crowned sparrow]]s are common in the summer.<ref name=sherpa>{{cite book |title=Longstreet Highroad Guide to the California Sierra Nevada |first=Mark |last=Grossi |publisher=Sherpa Guides |chapter=Devils Postpile National Monument |chapter-url=http://www.sherpaguides.com/california/mountains/eastern_sierra/devils_postpile_national_monument.html |access-date=2010-04-23 |archive-date=2010-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127210138/http://sherpaguides.com/california/mountains/eastern_sierra/devils_postpile_national_monument.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Native wildflowers include:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/depo/learn/nature/invasives.htm|title=Native Plants, Non-native Plants, and Invasive Species|work=Devils Postpile|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=2022-07-07|archive-date=2022-07-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707143547/https://www.nps.gov/depo/learn/nature/invasives.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=27em}}
*Crimson columbine (''[[Aquilegia formosa]]'')
*Giant red Indian paintbrush (''[[Castilleja miniata]]'')
*Pine forest larkspur (''[[Delphinium gracilentum]]'')
*Sierra shooting star (''[[Dodecatheon jeffreyi]]'')
*Wandering fleabane (''[[Erigeron peregrinus]]'')
*Shortleaf hulsea (''[[Hulsea brevifolia]]'')
*Sierra tiger lily (''[[Lilium parvum]]'')
*Large-leaved lupine (''[[Lupinus polyphyllus]]'')
*Common yellow monkeyflower (''[[Mimulus guttatus]]'')
*Parish's yampah (''[[Perideridia parishii]]'')
*Sticky cinquefoil (''[[Drymocallis glandulosa|Potentilla glandulosa]]'')
*Ranger's buttons (''[[Angelica capitellata]]'')
*California corn lily (''[[Veratrum californicum]]'')
{{div col end}}

==Access==

The most common method for accessing Devils Postpile is via the mandatory shuttle bus operated by Eastern Sierra Transit Authority in the summer months at the price of $15 for an adult,<ref name="dpesta">{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/depo/planyourvisit/reds-meadow-and-devils-postpile-shuttle-information.htm |title=Reds Meadow/Devils Postpile Shuttle Information |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=2017-07-06 |archive-date=2017-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707224553/https://www.nps.gov/depo/planyourvisit/reds-meadow-and-devils-postpile-shuttle-information.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> followed by a 1/4 mile walk. The shuttle route begins at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area's Adventure Center and makes several stops throughout the valley and begins operating when the Reds Meadow Road opens in the summer, and continues through Labor Day weekend.

Devils Postpile is also accessible on foot from Mammoth Lakes by hiking over Mammoth Pass and into the Reds Meadow Valley. During the winter months, there are no services available, but adventurers can visit the site via cross-country ski or snowshoe.<ref name="dpwinter">{{cite web |url=http://www.visitcalifornia.com/attraction/devils-postpile |title=Devils Postpile |date=29 September 2014 |publisher=Visit California |access-date=2017-07-06 |archive-date=2017-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705035507/http://www.visitcalifornia.com/attraction/devils-postpile |url-status=live }}</ref>

Due to the Reds Meadow Road reconstruction project for the 2024 season, entry is limited to Friday starting at 9 AM, all day Saturday, and Sunday until 11 PM, this schedule until September 15, 2024. From then until the winter closure, it’s only open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 AM to 7 PM, and there’s no shuttle. It’s closed on other days for reconstruction of the road to improve access and safety.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reds Meadow Road Reconstruction Project |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/inyo |access-date=July 3, 2024}}</ref>

==Devils Postpile==
[[File:California, Devils Postpile National Monument, columns top.jpg|thumb|The tops of the postpile columns are accessible to visitors. The shapes of the column cross sections are seen clearly here.]]

The name "Devils Postpile" refers to a dark cliff of [[columnar basalt]]. [[Radiometric dating]] indicates the formation was created by a lava flow at some time less than 100,000 years ago.<ref name=USGSNPS/> The source of the lava is thought to have been somewhere near Upper Soda Springs [[campground]] at the north end of Pumice Flat on the floor of the Middle Fork of the [[San Joaquin River]], from where it flowed to the site of the Postpile. Estimates of the formation's thickness range from {{convert|400|ft}} to {{convert|600|ft}}. The lava that now makes up the Postpile was near the bottom of this mass.<ref name=USGSNPS/>

Because of its great thickness, much of the mass of pooled lava cooled slowly and evenly, which is why the columns are so long and so symmetrical. Columnar jointing occurs when certain types of lava contract while cooling.

A [[glacier]] later removed much of this mass of rock and left a polished surface on top of the columns with very noticeable [[glacial striations]] and [[glacial polish]].<ref name=USGSNPS/>

The Postpile's columns average {{convert|2|ft|m}} in diameter ("The columns vary in size from ten to 30 inches in diameter."<ref name="stanford" />), the largest being {{convert|3.5|ft|m}}, and many are up to {{convert|60|ft|m}} long.

Together they look like tall posts stacked in a pile, hence the feature's name. If the lava had cooled perfectly evenly, all of the columns would be expected to be hexagonal, but some of the columns have different polygonal cross-sections due to variations in cooling. A survey of 400 of the Postpile's columns found that 44.5% were 6-sided, 37.5% 5-sided, 9.5% 4-sided, 8.0% 7-sided, and 0.5% 3-sided.<ref name="USGSNPS">{{cite web |url=http://www2.nature.nps.gov/geology/usgsnps/depo/dpgeol5.html |title=Devils Postpile National Park Geologic Story |publisher=[[USGS]]/National Park Service |date=January 2, 2000 |access-date=2010-04-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527174149/http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/usgsnps/depo/dpgeol5.html |archive-date=May 27, 2010 }}</ref> Compared with other examples of columnar jointing, the Postpile has more hexagonal columns. Another feature that places the Postpile in a special category is the lack of horizontal jointing.

===Similar structures===
[[File:Devils Postpile pentagon.jpg|thumb|right|Top of columnar basalt shows polygonal shapes]]
{{See also|List of places with columnar jointed volcanics}}

Although the basaltic columns are impressive, they are not unique. Basalt columns are a common volcanic feature, and they occur on many scales (faster cooling produces smaller columns). Other notable sites include [[Svartifoss]] in [[Vatnajökull National Park]] in [[Iceland]], [[Giant's Causeway]] in [[Northern Ireland]], [[Fingal's Cave]] in Scotland, Titan's Piazza of the [[Mount Holyoke Range]] in [[Massachusetts]], the [[Garni Gorge]] in [[Armenia]], the [[Cyclopean Isles]] near [[Sicily]], [[Sheepeater Cliff]] at [[Yellowstone National Park]] in [[Wyoming]], [[Basaltic Prisms of Santa María Regla]] in [[Huasca de Ocampo]], [[Mexico]], the Organ Pipes formation on [[Mount Cargill]] in [[New Zealand]], [[Gilbert Hill]] in [[Mumbai]], [[Organ Pipes National Park]] in [[Australia]] and the Column Cape (Russian: ''Mis Stolbchaty'') on [[Kunashir Island]], the southernmost of the [[Kuril Islands]], [[Cerro Colorado Formation|Cerro Colorado]] and [[Mar Brava (Ancud)]] in [[Chile]]. Columnar basalt can also be seen in a high desert dry river falls area just north of [[Lajitas, Texas]]. The much more massive [[Devils Tower National Monument]] in [[Wyoming]] is superficially similar but consists of a [[phonolite]] [[Porphyry (geology)|porphyry]], formed by the [[intrusion]] of [[igneous rock]].<ref name=Bassett>{{Cite journal |last=Bassett |first=WA |title=Potassium-Argon Age of Devils Tower, Wyoming |journal=Science |volume=134 |issue=3487 |pages=1373–3 |year=1961 |doi=10.1126/science.134.3487.1373|bibcode = 1961Sci...134.1373B |pmid=17807346|s2cid=3101604 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Ansel Adams Wilderness]]
* [[Devils Postpile National Monument Ranger Cabin]]
* [[Gilbert Hill]]
* [[List of national monuments of the United States]]
* [[Little Devils Postpile]]
* [[Protected areas of the Sierra Nevada]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{NPS}}

==Bibliography==
* ''Roadside Geology of Northern and Central California'', Alt, Hyndman (Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula; 2000) {{ISBN|0-87842-409-1}}

==External links==
* [https://www.nps.gov/depo/ NPS Devils Postpile National Monument website]
* [https://www.nps.gov/depo/learn/nature/geology.htm Geology field notes] 
* {{cite book |title=The Devil's Post Pile |publisher=[[Popular Science]] monthly |date=Feb 1916 |page=178 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iSYDAAAAMBAJ}}

{{Protected Areas of California|NPS}}
{{National Monuments of the United States}}
{{Sierra Nevada}}
{{subject bar|auto=1|Volcanoes|Earth sciences}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:National Park Service national monuments in California]]
[[Category:Parks in Madera County, California]]
[[Category:Protected areas of the Sierra Nevada (United States)]]
[[Category:Columnar basalts of the United States]]
[[Category:Rock formations of California]]
[[Category:Volcanic plugs of California]]
[[Category:Landforms of Madera County, California]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1911]]
[[Category:1911 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of California]]