A Worthy Alternative for a No Ski Day: A Windy Exploration of the Panum Crater

Panum Crater

 

 

Date: January 7, 2022
Place: Panum Crater, lee Vining, California
Coordinates:
Length: 2.3 miles
Level: moderate

 

The chikas had their winter break extended through the first week of January, so I booked us a ski week in Mammoth Mountain Resort. On our forth day there however, the winds were simply too strong to do any skiing so we decided to go hiking instead. I received a wonderful list of recommendations for hiking trails from members of the Eastern Sierra group and Panum Crater was my first choice for that day. Panum Crater is a small volcano located near the southeastern shores of Mono Lake. Every time we visit the South Tufa area of Mono Lake we drive past that volcano, and each time I tell myself that one day I'll go up there and explore. That day has come at last.

The access road to Panum Crater is a dirt road exiting from highway 120. According to Google Maps hwy 120 is seasonally closed from its junction with highway 395 but that's not true - it is closed further east, past the South Tufa area.

There is a small parking lot by Panum Crater, with an information kiosk, but nothing else. I looked at the trail leading up to the crater's rim and decided that we didn't need our snow shoes for that. A short distance up that trail however, I turned back to the car to fetch my hiking poles - the trail was too slippery.

It's a quarter a mile hike up a mild slope to the rim of the crater. There was a great view from there of the snowy road we came with, through the big flat that lies northwest of the Mono Craters.

Panum Crater is a plug volcano, meaning the magma rose up slowly, forming a lava dome in the crater's center. Lassen Peak is also a plug volcano, a much, much larger one. 

There was a trail going up the plug but the chikas and I chose to go around it along the rim trail.

Panum Crater Magma Plug

The rim was fairly narrow and the whipping wind made it hard to walk while maintaining our balance on the narrow path. The crater's slopes were not  all that steep but it would have been unpleasant to roll off to either side. I was glad to have brought my hiking poles and soon I relinquished one of them to my younger chika, who struggled hard to maintain her footing.

The inner side of the rim reminded me of a castle's moat, protecting the plug from outside invaders. I wondered if it ever gets flooded.

The 'Moat'

The wind aside, the air was clear and the sky mostly sunny. There was a great view all around and I loved seeing the Mono Craters all white with snow. The Mono Craters were also high on my list of hikes for today, but eventually we didn't - the brutal wind made even the relatively short and easy Panum Crater hike a challenging one for us.

View Southeast

We curved around the crater counterclockwise. On the east side I saw a large pine growing on the inner slope of the rim. I guess it does accumulate enough water there to support a full grown tree.

the other side of the rim, view to the northeast, was Mono Lake in its (modern era's) full glory. The South Tufa area looked so small far below! I regretted not having my regular camera with me. Not having planned for any hikes on this trip I had left it at home. All the photos poster here were taken on my phone and I didn't want to zoom in fearing I'd get a too low resolution image. We had visited the South Tufa area only three days before, when the high winds made us quit skiing after only three hours.

Mono Lake

 Curving westward, I saw more trees growing inside the rim's perimeter. As expected, the north-facing side supported more plant life.

The rim isn't level. Going counterclockwise meant a steady uphill walk. That walk would have been easy on a dry surface and low wind conditions. The steepest part of the rim however, was on the crater's north side, and the snow cover there was deep and slippery, and the powerful wind slowed our progress to a crawl.

The Rim

We completed the rim trail. I looked wistfully at the plug but the chikas wouldn't hear of it. I looked down at the parking lot and noticed another vehicle there. As I watched, the other car took off and went back toward hwy 120. I pulled the car key out of my pouch and handed it to my chikas, telling them to go down to the car on their own. I knew I wouldn't have another chance to explore this place anytime soon and I wanted to go up there now. I told them I won't be long but I knew they didn't mind - there was cellular reception there and they'd be busy with their phones for a long while before getting impatient.

We separated ways. The chikas went down the outer slope to the car and I went down the inner side, to the plug trail. The trail down was covered in deep snow and for a moment I regretted not having my snow shoes with me. But the connector trail was pretty short and soon I was at the base of the plug. I took two steps up the trail and stopped. I had just remembered that is was about lunch time, so I took my mittens off and texted the chikas a reminder that there were snacks packed in the trunk. Now I was sure that they won't call me down too soon.

Up the Plug

The way up the plug was strewn with interesting, colorful rocks. I knew they were all of volcanic origin, but that's where my knowledge ended.

Volcanic Rock

Except for obsidian. I knew that rock from its shiny, black glass-like appearance. I knew of it's usefulness to the native people here when their ancestors lived according to their traditional ways. The local Monache people made arrowheads from obsidian, and they traded it with other nations too, for it was a very valuable commodity.

Obsidian

It was a short hike to the top of the plug but there the trail ended. I could see where hikers before me had walked, forming little paths between the rock formation. I knew I could stay there for a long time, exploring the place.

Lonely Bush

Two large basalt formations were the most prominent feature up the plug. They were the summit pinnacles of that little volcano. I was too close to them to be able to capture both in a single frame. Even one was difficult to capture in a way that shows its grandeur. I couldn't back away for perspective because I already was at the edge of the plug.

The Summit Pinnacle

From up close though, I was able to inspect the features of the volcanic rock. There were many of them. I liked best the circular patterns in the photo below.

Rock Pattern

I meandered to the north side of the plug. From there I could capture both summit pinnacles in a single frame. In the backdrop of the black basalt rocks are the snow-covered Mono Craters (left) and the Sierra Nevada mountain range (right).

The Summit Pinnacles

The day, which started bright with mostly blue sky, has darkened. The wind intensified, and ominous-looking clouds were rushing east over the mountains. A storm was coming, it was time to go back.

The Storm Rolls Over the Sierra Nevada

I made my way down the plug, back up the rim, and down the outside slope to the parking lot without stopping for any more photos. The wind seemed to blow right through my winter clothes. I was alone on the trail but I had my COVID mask on my face nonetheless, just to block some the wind. I opened the car's trunk and threw my poles inside and I noticed that the elder chika was sitting in the driver's seat. Without saying a word I closed the trunk and slid into the passenger seat next to her. She looked at me with mild surprise and then grinned and turned on the engine. This little snowy dirt road was a perfect off-asphalt first for her, and she made sue I documented the event and sent the photo to Pappa Quail to be proud.

Road Out

It was past lunch time when we were back on the road. Lee Vining was all closed up so we ended up having lunch in June Lake Village, where we stayed indoors watching the snow flurries coming down. All that wind, but only flurries to show for it. When we finished lunch we drove to Silver Lake trailhead at the end of the road and snow-shoed around until nightfall. Not having skied that day turned out not to be a downer after all because we had a very cool hike at a most fascinating and beautiful place - the Panum Crater by Mono Lake.

Many thanks to members of the Eastern Sierra group for recommending this hike!