It happened again – a park that you will mention to others who have never heard of it is the one that gives you such a special memory that you can’t forget about it. Pinnacles National Park fits that for us (as does Lassen Volcanic). Pinnacles National Park is located about 3 hours south of San Francisco. Pinnacles is protected for a few reasons but primarily because it is a key nesting habitat for California Condor and while I can’t guarantee you will see one, I will confidently say that you will. The more you are willing to hike into the High Peaks area, the more likely you will see them up close!
2 Days in Pinnacles National Park
A key note for any visit to Pinnacles National Park is that there are 2 distinct entrances to the park and they are not connected by road. They are, however, connected by trail and if you intend to hike to the High Peaks as your primary activity you can get there from either side. The East side is more developed, has more visitor services, the only campground, and has access to the Bear Gulch Cave area. The West side is special in its’ own right and provides the ability to visit the Balconies Cliff Trail. We stayed in an Airbnb in Hollister and, while not close, it was not unreasonable to drive down to either side of the park for the day.
Day 1: West Side – High Peaks Loop and Balconies Cave Trail
High Peaks Loop
Our first day we visited the West side and headed straight to the Chaparral Parking area after a very brief stop at the West Visitor Contact Station. Both have a restroom and you will want to use it before you head out. The parking lot is large and did not fill up during our visit. Our priority on this day was to visit the High Peaks area early because the weather was warm and we knew we wanted to get the hike done before it got too hot. We set off, and while the first part at 1.2 miles to the High Peaks loop isn’t long, it does have significant elevation gain of 1,215 feet and by the time you are back at your car will have logged a total of 4.2 miles.
If you have time to do one thing in the park, do this hike or the equivalent High Peaks trail from the East entrance. The climb up is scenic and pretty and before long you will see the condor soaring above you and resting on the rocks and trees over your head. Once you get up to elevation the High Peaks loop is unique, adventurous, and I should say only doable by the sure footed and those who can face a reasonable fear of heights. You will climb ladders cut into the rocks and have the potential for a very real life threatening injury if you were to slip and fall. There is your fair warning!
And yet, despite all of that, it is worth it! The hike itself is memorable, doable, and we stood and marveled at the intimacy of being up in the birds’ habitat and that feeling you get when you have had a special moment in nature. After we finished the loop, we descended and headed off to our second destination of the day – the Balconies Cave Trail.
Balconies Cave Trail
Also leaving from the Chaparral Parking Area, the Balconies Cave trail is a good afternoon relief from the heat as the conditions inside the cave itself are cooler than being in the open heat. This is a good time to mention that you will absolutely want to prepare for these hikes with water and some snacks! We did not do this hike as a loop as we weren’t that excited about being in the open heat on the return, so instead we did the cave both directions and it worked fine.
One word of caution is that during our hike “Joy Joy” felt something bite her in the cave as she placed her hand along a rock to brace herself. Being from the upper-Midwest, we have a certain ignorance about the type and seriousness of these situations in the Southwest despite having extensively visited the area. When we got to better lighting we saw the bite location and sure enough there was what looked like small dots on her hand and some swelling. As we made a prompt return trip to the car we stopped at the Visitor Center and the lone employee on the entire West side of the park informed us that she had no first aid training and didn’t know if we should be concerned about what had bit her. This sure was not helpful!
We stopped at a small clinic in Soledad where we were informed that they don’t see patients under 16. We then headed on to Salinas, where we were told that they were not accepting any additional patients for the day. By this point we just headed back to Hollister and knew that if her bite was serious we were closer to more significant and capable medical facilities. In the end we didn’t know what bit her but were grateful that the swelling went down and was not serious. To our knowledge she doesn’t sleep hanging from her ceiling upside down, can’t shoot spider webs from her hands, and doesn’t shed her skin at regular intervals as one piece…
Day 2: East Side – Moses Spring trail to the Bear Gulch Cave and Reservoir
For our second day in Pinnacles National Park we headed into the more popular and developed East side. The entrance road was much wider (the West side is very narrow in spots) and the Visitor Center was a more interesting spot to visit and learn more about the park and show the Ranger our Junior Ranger books.
We had one primary goal this day and it was to hike the Moses Spring trail up to the Bear Gulch Cave and Bear Gulch Reservoir. This was a great hike and while the upper cave was closed during our visit (as is very typical) we enjoyed the lower cave and the cool hike along the creek. The reservoir was pretty and worth the visit.
We descended down, drove the road to the Old Pinnaces parking area to view that last area of the park, and headed to the Visitor Center to check on the all important ice cream that provides critical sustenance on a trip like this!
Pinnacles National Park surprised us in the best of ways. We highly recommend putting this park on your bucket list.
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