Devils Postpile to Rainbow Falls

The hike starts in Devils Postpile National Monument. You can take a shuttle from Mammoth to get there. I would recommend to stop at Red's Meadow along the way if wildflowers are blooming, as it is spectacular. From the trailhead, you follow the San Joaquin river in a beautiful pine forest. The Devils Postpile is the first landmark you'll see, where columnar basalt formations jut up about 75 feet from the ground where you're standing. If you want to make a side trip, there is a short loop to the top of the postpile, where glaciers have smoothed it out. The trail goes into a old burn zone that has recovered magnificently with wildflowers and grasses dominating and with young trees growing back in. Soon you arrive at Rainbow falls, a 101 foot waterfall on the San Joaquin slowly eroding away the top layer of basalt. It is a wide free-falling waterfall. There are plenty of namesake rainbows here. Continuing along the trail the grasses and wildflowers are dominant on one side while the other is wooded. There is a great swimming hole at the lower falls. The lower falls is more of a rocky cascade, wide and diagonal, but the amount of water makes it a special place to swim. Retrace your steps to return.