Near Mammoth Lakes in Madera County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Preserving Special Places

Devils Postpile National Monument

Photographed by Don Morfe, July 10, 2009

1. Preserving Special Places Marker

Inscription. Devils Postpile stands not only as an unusual geologic wonder but as a monument to the visionary efforts of a dedicated conservationist. In 1910, under U.S. Forest Service management, engineer Walter L. Huber received an application from mining interests to blast the formation and dam the river. Huber sparked a campaign that succeeded in blocking the application and led to the designation of Devils Postpile National Monument in 1911. Since then, other citizens have worked with the National Park Service in its ongoing effort to protect the special scientific and recreational values of this area.

It is a remarkable example of basaltic columns, the finest, I believe, in America....
Professor Joseph LeConte, 1909.

photo captions:
The efforts of Walter L. Huber (above), University of California Professor Joseph LeConte, and Sierra Club President William Colby led to the designation of the national monument.

In 1925, Superintendent W. B. Lewis of Yosemite visited Devils Postpile with the hopes of returning the area to the park. 1n 1933, management was returned to the National Park Service.

James M.

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Hutchings took this photo of Devils Postpile in 1875 when he led an expedition from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney. Appreciation of this geological wonder led to its inclusion in Yosemite National Park in 1890.

Erected by National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Natural Features • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.

Location. 37° 37.464′ N, 119° 5.064′ W. Marker is near Mammoth Lakes, California, in Madera County. It can be reached from Minaret Road (California Route 203). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mammoth Lakes CA 93546, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Joaquin Valley,

specifically in the Central Valley,

and in the Sierra Nevada.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At

Devils Postpile image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, July 10, 2009

2. Devils Postpile

least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Devils Postpile National Monument Ranger Station (approx. 0.4 miles away); Dave McCoy (approx. 3.2 miles away); Mammoth City (approx. 4.7 miles away); The White Fence at Old Mammoth (approx. 5.1 miles away); The Mammoth Consolidated Gold Mine (approx. 5.7 miles away); Historic Knight Wheel (approx. 6.1 miles away); Old French Trail (approx. 6½ miles away); The Tavern (approx. 6.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mammoth Lakes.

Also see . . . The National Monument That Almost Disappeared - Devils Postpile (YT video). (Submitted on July 22, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Additional commentary.
1. History of the name of "Devils Postpile".
Local sheepherders in the area originally called the basalt columns the "Devil's Woodpile" because the perfectly stacked hexagonal rocks resembled fences.

When President William Howard Taft officially established the area as a federal park in 1911, the legal proclamation named it "Devil Postpile National Monument" — singular and without a possessive "s". Despite

Photographed by Don Morfe, July 10, 2009

3. Devils Postpile

this legal title, the general public and early visitors almost universally referred to it colloquially as "Devil's Postpile".

During the 1930s, the official spelling was updated to "𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐞". This dropped the apostrophe entirely and changed "Devil" to the plural "Devils" to match the naming guidelines of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

Devils Postpile is not located within any city's corporate limits; however, its official postal address and closest primary town is Mammoth Lakes. Geographically, the monument sits within the unincorporated backcountry of Madera County, though it is primarily accessed through Mono County via the town of Mammoth Lakes.

Devils Postpile National Monument is about 14 miles (or a 40-minute drive) from Mammoth Lakes.

— Submitted July 22, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

Ranger Station image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, July 10, 2009

4. Ranger Station

Credits. This page was last revised on July 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 3, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 704 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 3, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide view photo of the marker and its surroundings showing its location. • Can you help?