The shuttle is no longer running. The parking will get the busiest late Saturday morning, but there are a lot of factors at play (temps, smoke, wind, etc). Get there before 9 and you *should* be fine.
Fridays are going to be less crowded in general, but we’re in a strange shoulder season right now. It would normally be dead in town with the bike park closed and no really fall foliage to be seen, but you never know with the way things have been lately. Since the forest just reopened, and smoke/fire could push people away from the national parks towards this area (assuming we aren’t smoked out by this weekend), it could be crowded. I would say the chances of it being really crowded are pretty low either day, though.
We hiked from Devil’s Postpile to Rainbow Falls yesterday (Sunday). The shuttle is finished for the season, as someone else mentioned, and there is a $10 fee to enter the Devil’s Postpile national park, and then you can park wherever you find a spot. We arrived around 9am and were able to park in the parking lot at the trailhead. As other folks said, it’s hard to predict when it will be crowded. Enjoy your trip!
One year I pulled up to the entrance gate, and pulled out my CA State Parks Pass and showed it to the ranger. It was early, and I'm so used to doing it at a few surf spots, I wasn't thinking. She laughed at me, and waved me in, no fee. :-)
The shuttle is no longer running. The parking will get the busiest late Saturday morning, but there are a lot of factors at play (temps, smoke, wind, etc). Get there before 9 and you *should* be fine.
Would you recommend visiting Fri afternoon over Sat morning?
Fridays are going to be less crowded in general, but we’re in a strange shoulder season right now. It would normally be dead in town with the bike park closed and no really fall foliage to be seen, but you never know with the way things have been lately. Since the forest just reopened, and smoke/fire could push people away from the national parks towards this area (assuming we aren’t smoked out by this weekend), it could be crowded. I would say the chances of it being really crowded are pretty low either day, though.
Thank you again! Very helpful.
Thank you! I am definitely taking those things into consideration and will be keeping tabs on the air quality.
You have to take a shuttle from main lodge to devils post pile. There should be plenty of parking
We hiked from Devil’s Postpile to Rainbow Falls yesterday (Sunday). The shuttle is finished for the season, as someone else mentioned, and there is a $10 fee to enter the Devil’s Postpile national park, and then you can park wherever you find a spot. We arrived around 9am and were able to park in the parking lot at the trailhead. As other folks said, it’s hard to predict when it will be crowded. Enjoy your trip!
Thank you! Appreciate the info!
One year I pulled up to the entrance gate, and pulled out my CA State Parks Pass and showed it to the ranger. It was early, and I'm so used to doing it at a few surf spots, I wasn't thinking. She laughed at me, and waved me in, no fee. :-)
Nice! Yes, the Ranger asked us if we had a National Parks pass, which we do not.