After visiting Pinnacles we could see why this park has grown in popularity in recent years. It is located east of Monterey in the heart of the Coastal Ranges, making it a very do-able day trip from the Bay Area. The park is centered around an ancient volcano destroyed by seismic activity leaving behind unique rock formations (pinnacles) throughout the park. Another highlight within the park are the talus caves, basically formed by fallen boulders, which you are welcome to hike through when they’re open.
This is a no-frill park with minimal parking near the main trailheads, but hiking the High Peaks Trail, especially the “Steep and Narrow”, was an awesome experience. This is definitely a place to arrive early on the weekends or holidays to secure parking.
Hiking
There is a west and east entrance into Pinnacles, but the roads do not connect in the park. You are able to access the High Peaks trail from either side with different side trails. We arrived from Eastern park entrance and took the Condor Gulch trail up to High Peaks and the Bear Gulch trail down. At the very top of the High Peaks trail you can choose the “Steep and Narrow” or the Tunnel Trail. We love unique hikes, so we chose to do the “Steep and Narrow”. We’re so proud of the boys for never backing down from a challenge, its been so awesome to see their confidence grow throughout our adventures! This unique section had very steep steps carved into the rock with railings to climb up. We thought it was easier to climb up the steepest section rather than down, so beginning with the Condor Gulch trail was the way to go. This direction will end with the Bear Gulch caves, which is a nice reward at the end. We were able to walk through some of the surface caves, but the lower, darker caves were closed due to the pandemic (they also close seasonally to protect the bats that nest there).
Wildlife
While on the High Peaks Trail look up and you will likely see a California Condor soaring above. We saw a few at the top while we were enjoying our snack. Pinnacles actually co-manages all the wild condors in central California and has been a big part of their recovery program. This is why many condors call Pinnacles home!
Best time to visit:
Spring or Fall would be the best times to visit to see wildflowers or Fall foliage. Summer can be very hot and dry, making the hiking less enjoyable.
Where we stayed:
It is very rural around this National Park and there is no lodging offered in the park, only camping is available. We were staying at an amazing Airbnb in Visalia, CA after our visit from Sequoia and decided to make the 2.5 hour day trip. This would be an easy day trip from the coast as well.
Other things to do:
Make sure they’re open when you go and check out the Lower Bear Gulch Caves, they look cool and you will actually need a headlamp or flashlight. (Its that dark!)
