Explore Arnold
Columns of the Giants
A cliff of hexagonal basalt columns beside Highway 108, with a short interpretive walk to their base and an ice field that survives the summer in the rubble. Fifteen minutes, and the best geology stop on the corridor.
First things first
First things first
The Columns are the exposed face of a basalt flow that filled this canyon roughly 150,000 years ago and cooled into tall, near-perfect hexagonal pillars. Frost has been prising them loose ever since, so the base is a talus slope of broken columns lying like felled timber.
They stand immediately beside Highway 108 near Pigeon Flat, about two hours from the cabins by way of Sonora. A flat quarter-mile interpretive trail crosses the Middle Fork Stanislaus and leads to the foot of the cliff.
Geography
Where Columns of the Giants sits
The Columns are the exposed face of a basalt flow that filled this canyon roughly 150,000 years ago and cooled into hexagonal pillars, later cut and polished by glaciers.
A patch of ice usually survives the summer in the shaded talus at their base, insulated by the broken rock.
It is about 80 miles from Chalet Bruin and Koda Loft via Sonora — roughly two hours.
- Region
- Central Sierra Nevada, upper Highway 108
- County
- Tuolumne County
- Elevation
- About 6,300 ft
- Nearest town
- Kennedy Meadows in season; Strawberry for services
- Getting there
- Highway 108 east near Pigeon Flat, with a quarter-mile interpretive trail
The walk and what to look for
The path is short, level and suitable for almost anyone, with signs explaining the flow, the columns and the glaciation that cut the canyon and exposed them. Look for the polished, striated rock surfaces where ice ground across the top of the flow, and for the way the columns curve where the lava cooled unevenly.
In the shaded rubble at the base, a patch of ice usually survives all summer — insulated by rock, fed by winter snow, and cold enough that the air pouring out of the talus is noticeably chilly on a hot afternoon. It is a good trick to spring on children who have been in the car too long.
Practicalities
There is a small parking area, a picnic spot and a campground close by, with toilets seasonally. No water, no shop, and patchy or absent phone signal — the nearest services are back down at Strawberry or Kennedy Meadows in season.
Do not climb on the talus. The blocks are loose, some weigh tons, and the slope is actively shedding new ones. Stay on the path, keep children in sight and admire the columns from the base.
Season
Highway 108 is plowed to Kennedy Meadows in winter, but the stop itself is snowbound and the parking area unmaintained in the cold months. Late May through October is the practical window, and the ice patch is at its most surprising in July and August.
This is one of a string of short stops on the way to Sonora Pass — pair it with Donnells Vista, Kennedy Meadows and the pass itself for a full day out of Arnold.
Where to stay for a Highway 108 day
Everything above Strawberry is forest, water and rock, with almost nowhere to sleep. Basing in Arnold puts the whole corridor within a day's reach and gives you a kitchen and a hot tub at the end of it.
Nearby
Keep exploring
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
How long is the trail at the Columns of the Giants?+
About a quarter of a mile, flat, from the highway parking area to the base of the cliff. Fifteen to thirty minutes is plenty.
Is there really ice in summer?+
Usually, yes — a patch survives in the shaded talus at the base, insulated by the rock, and the air coming out of the rubble is noticeably cold.
Can you climb the columns?+
No. The talus is loose and actively shedding blocks, some weighing tons. Stay on the path and view them from the base.
When is it accessible?+
Roughly late May through October. The stop is snowbound in winter even though the highway is plowed as far as Kennedy Meadows.