If you’re visiting Mammoth Lakes, CA, and you have not seen Devil’s Post Pile or Rainbow Falls, I truly recommend it. Devil’s Post Pile is a National Monument after all, and lies only 0.4 miles from the trailhead. 2.5 miles from the trailhead and past Devil’s Post Pile, you find Rainbow Falls–another very popular tourist spot and a lovely scenic trail through the Sierra.
I visited both for the first time in July 2021, and I learned quite a bit about hiking and visiting a tourist-popular hike. The number of people truly surprised me and I realized this trail may require a method to the madness.
So if you’re thinking of visiting or revisiting Devil’s Post Pile or Rainbow Falls again, here are some of my tips for having an enjoyable time.
- First, go on a week day: We arrived during the week, and the scarcity of humans in Mammoth alone surprised me compared to the weekends.
- Get there early: I recommend arriving at the trailhead before 7am if you’re driving yourself. Parking is rumored to be a nightmare. However, we found less cars, people, and buses at this time, and plentiful parking. In addition, just like any other hike, less people populated the trail at this time. We also didn’t get charged for entry upon entering or exiting the site…but that may have been a one-time fluke.
- Research the shuttle system and where to buy tickets in advance: The bus functions on a schedule, and tickets are found in specific areas, so plan ahead in order to not waste time when you’re en route.
- Take a bandana: The amount of people dragging their feet in the dirt tore my nasal passages to shred. On the way back to the car, people surrounded us and kicked up dirt all around us. I definitely recommend some facial covering.
- Take lunch, snacks, water shoes, and bathing suit if it’s a hot day. The trail lacks sun cover so significant parts of the trail. So, prepare accordingly. In addition, visitors cool down at the waterfall, so bring a suit or just get in if you forget!
- Layers. Because of the limit sun cover, and the high elevation, layers will help with the chilly mornings and can peeled off as the day goes by.
- Sunscreen. Your skin burns much quicker at higher elevation even if it’s a cooler day! So alway apply SPF!
If you’re having trouble figuring out what sort of things you may need in your day-hiking list, this would be a great place to start. Happy Trails!