c/o Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Three Rivers, CA 93271 Telephone: 619-934-2289 Summer and Fall 209-565-3341 Winter and Spring
DIRECTIONS
The Monument is in the central-eastern part of the state and southeast of Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. From Highway 395 drive ten miles to Minaret Summit, then seven miles of mountain road. Travel by shuttle bus from the Visitor Center to the Monument is required.
WHEN TO VISIT
Monument is open Mid-June through October. Peak visitor month is August. Climate: January, 8 to 40 degrees F; July, 52 to 88 degrees F. Average annual precipitation, 16 - 32 inches. Afternoon thundershowers occur frequently during Summer.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Hot lava cooled and cracked some 900,000 years ago to form basalt columns 40 to 60 feet high that resemble a giant pipe organ. The John Muir Trail between Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Park crosses the Monument.
Proper food storage is required by Federal law because bears inhabit the area. Footing can be hazardous, so stay on designated trails and away from edge of cliffs. Hiking trails go north and south along the Johm Muir Trail and west on the King Creek Trail. Overnight accomodations, food, and supplies are available in Mammoth Lakes (fourteen miles) and Red Meadow (one-and-one-half miles). Emergency hospital services are available at Centinela Mammoth Hospital.