Pets allowed
Not Allowed
Elevation Gain
450.00 ft (137.16 m)
Trail type
There-and-back
Distance
3.60 mi (5.79 km)
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Rainbow Falls is a very popular hike in Devils Postpile National Monument, and with good reason. It is a moderate downhill grade to the falls, the upper falls are surprisingly impressive, and the lower falls are small but beautiful with a great swimming hole beneath the falls.

From the parking area just before the Red’s Meadow Lodge (stop #9 on the shuttle), the trail heads mostly downhill through some nice pine/fir forest and some areas that were badly burned in a fire in 1992. The trail crosses the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail shortly after the trailhead. It is just over a mile to the overlook at the top of the upper falls. The falls are on the middle fork of the San Joaquin River. The falls cascade about 100 feet, and when they are at full flow in summer they display a nice rainbow at midday.

The trail that once wound down to the base of the falls has been closed for a few years, but the main trail continues down for another half mile to the much smaller lower falls. This little cascade flows through granite boulders and falls into a large pool with a beach that is very popular for swimming in hot weather.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Spring
Summer
Fall

Congestion

High

Parking Pass

National Park Pass

Pros

Impressive waterfall. Swimming hole. Easy grade.

Cons

Busy trail. Access only by shuttle in summer.

Trailhead Elevation

7,170.00 ft (2,185.42 m)

Features

Waterfalls
Wildflowers
Fishing

Suitable for

Horseback

Location

Nearby Adventures

Red's Meadow to Piute Pass Trail Junction (48 miles)
Eastern Sierra + White Mountains Area, California

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