Day 34: Pinnacles National Park
National Park #13
Pinnacles likely won’t make it to the top of anyone’s National Park rankings, but if you want to disconnect and try out some truly challenging and breathtaking hikes (literally at times), Pinnacles has you covered. Plus, there’s a good chance you’ll see a California Condor.
Located near the San Andreas Fault, the pinnacles here are believed to be the extinct, eroded remains of a 23 million year old volcano. About 3.5 hours north of LA, this one definitely feels like a trip into the wild. While we took the more direct route up Hwy 101 to save time, we’d suggest taking the more scenic trip up Hwy 1 through Monterey and swinging back down to the park.
We started the morning with the Moses Spring Trail to the Bear Gulch Reservoir, a solid little hike that will get you warmed up for the bigger climbs ahead. The reservoir is a beautiful end point to this hike, which also includes some solid rock scrambles and a small cave or two.
In the afternoon we tackled the Condor Gulch to High Peaks Trail Loop, a fun little 5 mile trip that takes you up about 1300 feet into the high peaks. If you’re very lucky, you’ll spot a couple California Condors once you get high enough into the peaks. The views from up here are spectacular, and well worth the hike. You can also safely ignore the “narrow/steep trail” warnings even if heights aren’t your thing. There are a couple tight spots but the handrails are helpful and you’re never over any sheer drop-offs. The full loop then pops you back out near the Moses Spring/Bear Gulch Reservoir trail from the morning. If you are pressed for time, you could easily do this trail together with the Moses/Bear Gulch trail in about 4-5 hours.
It’s also worth noting that we only did the eastern side of the park. There is a separate entrance on the west side (the two do not connect) which we didn’t explore. If you have 2-3 days, it’s definitely worth popping over to the west to get the full experience.
What you need to know:
This one is all about the hikes and most have some elevation gain. Bring lots of water.
If you have the time, take HWY 1 from LA or SF to get near the park.
There is literally no cell service once you get about 30 minutes outside the park. The only place we got service inside was once we’d gotten near the top of the peaks.
There is one campground here located as you enter the east side of the park. The visitor center (which has limited hours) does have wi-fi you can purchase, but it doesn’t reach much beyond the parking lot.