Pinnacles National Park is a newer national park. It only became a national park in 2013. Perhaps because it is newer explains the reason why many people aren’t even aware of it. While it is located just 80 miles south of San Jose, it is the 13th least visited national park in the United States. Only a little over 233 thousand people visit in a year. Compare that to the 4 million who visit the popular Yosemite National Park just a few hours east.
We visited the park over Thanksgiving weekend after leaving Santa Barbara. It was actually fairly busy while we were there. Once the small parking areas are full, they start using shuttles to get to the different points in the park. They were in use later in the day on our visit. There are two entrances to the park. One on the east side and one on the west. They do not connect so you can’t drive from one side to the other. In the winter the entrance on the west is not always open during mid-week.
Driving south from Hollister on highway 25 will get you to the east entrance. In itself it is a pretty drive. At the beginning there are some vineyards, and since it was November, the leaves were a beautiful color. That was followed by areas of rolling hills, mostly a light brown during this time.
When you enter the park, you need to stop at the visitor center to pay any fees you owe and get a parking pass. Parking around the center is plentiful. The visitor center has a small gift shop and camping items and food. This is pretty much the only facility available to buy things.
We were directed to drive up and park at the Peaks View parking lot and hike up from there. The lot is small holding maybe 15 cars. However, there is also parking along the road opposite the lot next to the Pinnacles National Park sign. That’s where we parked. Do be careful where you park. We saw tickets on cars which were parked in places that were not designated as parking.
From the parking lot we began our hike along Bear Gulch. The trail stays fairly close to the road at this point and heads to the Bear Gulch parking area which is larger than Peaks View. However, it was full so that’s why we were directed to park at Peaks View
We didn’t mind the walk, however, as the hike up Bear Gulch was really very picturesque. At the beginning the gulch is dry but eventually we came to places where there was water. The amount of water probably depends on the time of year one visits. One of the striking features along the trail here and in other places in the park is the stunning color of the California buckwheat. This is a low growing shrub which turns a deep burnt orange color in the fall that really stands out. A close up reveals nothing that is particularly beautiful, but in mass the color is really intense.
Along the trail there are a number of bridges to cross as you move back and forth across the gulch. Higher up the trail goes through beautiful trees. The beauty is both in the shape of the branches and the color of the leaves that still cling to the trees.
From time to time you can see volcanic formations for which the park is known for. At these lower levels the rock formations are not so striking, but they can be quite colorful and definitely add interest to the landscape as you are climbing up.
The trail is a moderate trail to hike. It is pretty much a single file trail, and there can be sections that are rough. Sometimes the trail will climb, but overall it is not a steep hike. As long as you pay attention to where you are walking, the hike is fairly easy.
The trail ends at the Bear Gulch parking lot. Here you will find a nature center which has information about the plants and animals in the area. If you want a break you can sit and watch a movie. One of the main nature interests at the park is the California condor. They can be seen in the area. We saw a large bird flying above us as we hiked further up, but we could not identify if it was a condor or not.
From the parking lot there are a number of ways that one can go. One trail goes out to a cave. Another trail begins a long hike up around the high peaks. We took the shorter one mile trail that goes up to a viewpoint of the pinnacles for which the park is named. This trail does go up, so it is more strenuous than the trail we had just hiked. It is also pretty much a single file trail, but a little wider. The challenge for me was the rocks that were often protruding on the trail. I tripped a few times until I learned to be more cautious. I found I was watching the trail more than the fantastic scenery around me.
The pinnacles are high rock formations from volcanic action. They can be seen from different places as you walk up the trail as well as rock forms in other locations. There are some interesting trees along the trail as well. These include California oak trees with their wild branches and silvery pine trees with their long needles.
This trail was pretty busy with people going up and down. When you reach the overlook point, it is basically a rock you can stand on. There are views in both directions, up at the pinnacles and down at the trail you just hiked. In the picture above if you look very carefully you can see people standing on the flat observation rock on the right side of the lower rock formation. However, from the rock there are some trees that obstruct the view of the pinnacles some. I found that if you walk just a little further on the trail, there is a spot with a much clearer view of the mountains. From there I was able to get a nice panorama with my phone camera.
Turning around and going back down was of course an easier journey, and we did it fairly quickly. Back at the parking lot there was a shuttle which would take us back to our parking lot. We took it rather than hike back down to the car.
We stopped briefly at the visitor center again. There was a flock of turkeys there, which seemed appropriate the day after Thanksgiving. Maybe they were celebrating their freedom.
If you are up for long hikes, there are certainly other options available in the park that would give you some great experiences. The promo material seems to indicate that spring is a great time to visit with a lot of wildflowers to see. Summer might be a challenge with the heat. In any event visiting Pinnacles National Park is a simple way to spend time in nature and get your exercise in as well. Give it a try.
Have you been to Pinnacles National Park? What was your experience there? Share your thoughts and experiences below.