Panum Crater, East Sierras step 6 ...more info
Mono, CA (190 miles away)
http://www.monolake.org/visit/panum
Directions
Map
Suzanne's Review
- 2012-08-09
Palo Alto, CA
I recommend either going with a group or tagging along behind one, as I did! Otherwise you won't understand what you're seeing.
I was expecting to see a big crater. No, you see a mountain that fills up most of a crater. There are 2 hikes: Plug Hike (the mountain is called a "plug") or Rim Hike (you go around the crater's rim). I did half of the rim hike, then did the plug hike.
The plug hike is a little harder when it's hot, but more interesting. Once you enter the plug, you can see the obsidian and "squeeze-ups" that were formed at the time of the volcanic eruption. ("Squeeze-ups" are lava that got pushed up between two rocks, like toothpaste being squeezed upward from a tube.) The squeeze-ups are spire-shaped obsidian, around 10' tall.
The trail is gravel - pumice and obsidian pieces. Hiking boots would have been better than shoes, because the gravel got into the shoes. And there are (gravel) switchbacks. But tennis shoes were fine, I just emptied them out once on the trail, and again, afterwards.
Plan on a couple of hours to really see Panum Crater.
To see the rest of my itinerary, search for "East Sierras".
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