California · Hiking · John Muir Wilderness · Near Mammoth Lakes

Pumice Butte

Pumice ButtePhoto: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
3.9 mi
round trip
497 ft
climb
9,538 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Jun–Sep
best months

Is Pumice Butte open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Inyo National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Inyo National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Pumice Butte is a 3.9-mile out-and-back hike in the John Muir Wilderness, within the Mammoth Ranger District of Inyo National Forest in California. The trail sits at about 9,000 feet, with the high point reaching roughly 9,500 feet. The Forest Service manages the land, and the route is rated hard with a one-way climb of about 500 feet. The trail is natural-surfaced and accessible only to horses, which are allowed. Bikes are not permitted. The climb is the most comfortable from July through August, when typical averages from a nearby weather station run from a high of about 71°F to 70°F, with lows in the upper 30s. That station sits several hundred feet lower, so temperatures on the butte run a bit cooler. Deer Creek is about half a mile away, and the Pacific Crest Trail passes within about a mile and a quarter. Climbers can head to Crystal Lake Wall, about 1.8 miles out, and Lake George Campground offers a place to camp within about 3 miles.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Lake George Tract

    Campground

    Campground · 2.6 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    Lakefront

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 4 mi
  • If it rains

    Twin Falls view

    Viewpoint

    On your way back · 4 mi

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in Mammoth Lakes

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · Jun–Sep

    Best time to visit Pumice Butte

    Best months: June–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      41° / 13°

    2. Feb

      38° / 12°

    3. Mar

      42° / 15°

    4. Apr

      45° / 22°

    5. May

      54° / 27°

    6. Jun

      65° / 33°

    7. Jul

      71° / 38°

    8. Aug

      70° / 36°

    9. Sep

      65° / 32°

    10. Oct

      57° / 26°

    11. Nov

      47° / 20°

    12. Dec

      40° / 12°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tuolumne Meadows Rs, CA, 26.9 mi away at 8,694 ft. The station sits about 800 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Deer CreekPhoto: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Deer Creek

Next door

3.37-mile out-and-back trail in California with 625 ft gain.

Upper Crater Meadows TrailPhoto: C.D. Miller, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Upper Crater Meadows Trail

~2 min drive

1.56-mile out-and-back trail in California with 379 ft gain and 8,957 ft max elevation.

Duck PassPhoto: GSEC, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Duck Pass

~6 min drive

7.22-mile out-and-back trail in California with 2,154 ft gain.

HIKE

Fish Creek

~6 min drive

28.68-mile out-and-back trail in California with 3,399 ft elevation gain.

Mammoth CrestPhoto: inkknife_2000 (14 million views), CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Mammoth Crest

~3 min drive

Mammoth Crest is a 3.31-mile out-and-back trail in California with 1,213 feet of elevation gain.

Crystal LakePhoto: inkknife_2000 (14 million views), CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Crystal Lake

~4 min drive

0.27-mile out-and-back trail to Crystal Lake in California

John Muir TrailPhoto: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

John Muir Trail

~2 min drive

8.1-mile out-and-back hike in California with 2,542 ft gain/loss and 8,939 ft max elevation.

Rim TrailPhoto: Moo.The.Cow, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Rim Trail

~5 min drive

2.86-mile out-and-back hike in California with 1,533 ft gain/loss.

RED CONES CUTOFFPhoto: Hike395 (talk · contribs), CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

RED CONES CUTOFF

~4 min drive

1.44-mile loop trail in California with 342 ft elevation gain

HIKE

Fish Creek

~6 min drive

9.14-mile hard out-and-back trail in California.

Route details

Distance
3.9 mi round trip
Climbing
About 497 ft
Summit
9,538 ft
Difficulty
Hard

Season

Season: Year-round.

Questions about this route

How long is the Pumice Butte on Pumice Butte?

About 3.9 mi round trip.

How much elevation gain is on the Pumice Butte?

About 497 ft of climbing round trip.

How hard is the Pumice Butte?

It is rated hard.

When is the best time for the Pumice Butte?

Year-round.

Conditions and forecast on Pumice Butte

Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.