Panum Crater Parking

Great to add for your trip to see the South Tufa. Exit off the 120 road and look for the Panum small brown sign. Road is bumpy and narrow with a few turnouts. Decent size parking lot and an information sign to learn more about the rocks. We did the Ridge Trail, which is a nice loop around the crater. Warning is does get very windy at the top! But it gives you nice views of the Tufa area from above and an excellent view of the rest of the valley. We went in the beginning of October and the temperature was perfect.

Sweet crater and lots of interesting rocks about 1/2 mile down a dirt road, best for cars with a little bit of clearance. Great views of the lake and valley

Road to the parking lot a bit rough for a 2wd. Views worth it for sure. Highly recommend going both into the plug and on the easy perimeter rim trail.

A bit of a climb on the trail around the crater in dry, gravely, sage-brush terrain (note: last section is a very steep ascent, but you can take alternate route to the right around bottom of crater that brings you right back to parking lot; be sure to bring water!), but the breathtaking views of South end of Mono Lake and mind-boggling expanse of open land is absolutely worth the trek!

Great spot for a nice hike, beautiful scenery nice rocks to explore

Cool views from the top of the Crater! Interesting rock formations inside the crater, 20 minute hike 👍

The forest service roads that are used to access the Panum Crater, provide excellent distributed camping opportunities, and have quite good cell signal. I used them frequently when climbing in Tuolumne, when I wasn't able to secure a campsite in the park.

Great hiking trail and lots of obsidian so be careful!

Really cool hike over an "active" volcano (Last eruption was 650 yrs ago). Cool obsidian and pumice rocks. You can lift a boulder! Great views from the top of Mono Lake, Lee Vining, the country's youngest mountain chain, and the surrounding valleys.

Yes on the rim...yes on the plug! Wow what a juxtaposition...young volcano Panum crater overlooking ancient sea bed of Mono Lake!!

As a parking lot, it's a parking lot. But the place it's reserved for access to..... I went there in 1987, and stayed overnight, in the car, on the way north. Woke up early in the morning, and walked to the crater. Got into the crater, and as I was walking around, I realized that the only thing I could hear were my feet crushing the dirt and rocks beneath. As this realization dawned on me, I stopped, and just listened. A sense of awe, and overwhelmingly surreal silence captured my attention. I'd never heard silence before. Not to this degree. I'd been out in the mountains before, and places where there was quiet. But something would always disturb the silence. Not there, not then. I called to the person I was with, and pointed it out to them. We stood there, and listened, as the morning brought life to the crater, and all the various creatures awoke, and began their day. It was awesome, and something that has stayed with me for almost 32 years now. Definitely worth doing as long as you can avoid being stopped by the park service, and told to leave.

Parking is located down a dirt path just north the mono lake trail & navy area. To the base of the dome it's about a quarter mile walk and it's free!

Rough dirt road. Only 1 other car there

Nice, easy walk. Well kept trails.

Beautiful place to hiking and explore around the lake

I loved the crater itself, not the parking!

Good view of the lake during the rim trail

Good trail

Interesting tour. Beautiful scenery.

Beautiful and parking was easy