Devils Postpile National Monument

Park Film

National Monument
1911
 
Park Size
798 Acres
 
Annual Visitors
86,000
 
Park Fee
None, though most visitors will access via $15 shuttle
 
Superintendent
Rebecca Carr Wong

Park Partner
Sierra Forever
 
Location
Madera County, CA

Devils Postpile National Monument features pristine mountain scenery, with the 101-foot Rainbow Falls and the Devils Postpile formation. The rare, world-renowned, 60-foot, strikingly symmetrical, columnar basalt is believed to have formed less than 100,000 years ago when a cooling lava flow cracked into multi-sided columns. Reds Meadow Valley also serves as a starting point for Sierra Nevada wilderness trips.

Devils Postpile does not have a classic park orientation film and public access to the park is limited due to its remote location and winter road closures. The Fund for People in Parks is supporting the production of a ten-minute film highlighting the natural, scenic, cultural, and recreational values of Devils Postpile National Monument.

The film will orient visitors and promote an understanding of the uniqueness of the volcanic and glacial processes that created the Postpile formation, the importance of the San Joaquin River for the livelihood of California's population, the traditional uses of this high-altitude corridor for Indigenous peoples, and an appreciation of the wildlife that rely on this habitat. The video will be shared on the park's website, at local film screenings, and through social media.

Project Cost: $36,000                                                              Project Begun: 2025
     Project co-funders: Yosemite Conservancy, Sierra Forever, National Park Service

The visitor center isn’t staffed until the road opens so we are limited in the amount of education and interpretation that we can provide. We would like to create a film so we can share the story and significance of Devils Postpile National Monument while the park is inaccessible for most of the year. Additionally, this video will inspire and inform prospective visitors, and allow us to reach audiences who may never be able to visit in-person due to their locations or disabilities."
​     -Alex Wild, Interpretation Park Ranger, Devils Postpile National Monument