pinnacles national park

America's newest National Park is an easy drive from the San Francisco Bay area. Despite this, it feels remote. There are several attractions in this small, but diverse Park. First, there are wonderful hiking trails to the spiny pinnacle rock formations that offer dramatic views. The second draw is that these hikes offer the opportunity to spot the large soaring California Condors and their vulture neighbors. Finally, an unexpected pleasure are the trails that go to and through bat caves.The Visitor Center is tiny and doesn't have the displays or explanatory movies found in other Parks. But, as always, the Park Rangers are informed, friendly and helpful.If you don't visit this Park, you are depriving yourself.

All you Bay Area/Los Angeles types got lost in trip planning this year didn't you?You got all tied up trying to find campgrounds in the Crown Jewels, pining for summer.Guess what? Your overlooking America's newest National Park. And prime time to visit is RIGHT NOW.Pinnacles is crazy fun. Accessible caving, rock climbing, Condor watching, hiking and all the benefits of the NPS.Currently, the wildflowers are booming and the temps are perfect.What, my silly little fellow campers are you waiting for?LouieCK

Over time I hope to see all of the U.S. National Parks, so on our way back from LA, we stopped by Pinnacles. It was designated a national monument by Theodore Roosevelt, but it didn't become an official national park until Barack Obama made that declaration in January 2013 making it the "newest" park.Despite being February it was a sunny day when we visited. There are two roads in, but they don't go across from one side to the other, so you have to make a choice. It's a great place for a picnic and short trail walks, but there are many longer treks as well. No hotel is attached to the park or even nearby, so you'll be camping if you stay.

We entered the park from the west. There is a one lane road for about 9 miles outside of Soledad to the Visitor's Center. The Ranger was very informative, and suggested which hike we should do. The formations are exquisite, and we had the park almost completely to ourselves. It was so quiet and peaceful. There are no services in the park, but there are picnic tables near the trailhead where you can enjoy your own food. The trails are well marked, and the footing is very good. Note that two of the trails have caves, and flashlights are a must. We chose to hike Balconies Trail and hiked above one of the caves. There is an incline, but not too steep, and very manageable. If we would have seen a California condor, the day would have been perfect!!!

I'm not going to lie, I didn't expect much heading to Pinnacles. I had never even heard of the place, nor did I know it was a national park (it was a national monument originally and was converted to a national park just a few years ago). The park was packed, as we went on the free Valentine's Day/President's Weekend, but it was still amazingly quiet for the crowd. One complaint was the shower situation—only 4 showers total! Not to mention, it cost 50 cents for 3 minutes. I just hate getting nickel and dimed, especially when the showers aren't even that nice. My only other complaint was the staff, which was a bit overzealous and went about swearing after coming over to check on our fire. Give somebody a uniform and a title and you know what happens...Nonetheless, the experience overall was great. My husband and I went on a six-mile trail run along the Bench Trail then hiked another eight miles from Bear Gulch to the Reservoir, then connecting to the High Peaks Trail. Just make sure you bring plenty of water and headlamps for the Bear Gulch Caves. It's no Yosemite or Yellowstone, but Pinnacles is definitely worth seeing. I suggest going in the spring or fall, as I venture to guess that summer is miserable.

Beautiful park! And nice camping area. We will bring the tent next time. The only minus was the crowdiness (Valentines day, free entrence fee) and lack of parking. We couldn't start from the parking lot we wanted and had to walk 4k extra along a booring transport way to get to the start of the trail. Hope they will use more shuttle buses in the future!

I took the balconies trail (west entrance) I went took the loop to the right, would definitely suggest going the other way. When I got to the caves, I had a flashlight which was okay, but would definitely wish i would've brought my headlamp instead. You literally have to crawl down boulders on your rear end and use your hands (you know, the ones that are holding your flashlight) to crawl through. That part is very short though and very cool. I was walking with a gentleman and his daughter who I think was around 7 or 8. She did very well on the trail, while I was having trouble breathing (hahah) There were other couples with smaller children on the trail and I honestly do not know how they made it through the caves. When I first started, I thought Moderate? no way is this moderate, but once you hit the caves, the level definitely increases. I waited to get to the park at 0930 as to get a map and try to get help at the visitors guide shack. I got the last spot in the first parking lot. there is an overflow, but it adds an extra half mile to your walk. I would suggest getting to the park early!!!The map was no more useful than the one I found on the internet, and turned out to be not useful when on the trail and trying to figure out which loop to take. I asked people on the trail, who ended up giving me false advise. I made the loop as intended- just not the way I had planned. Overall good trip, lots of places to have a picnic lunch. Clean Bathrooms, park rangers in the parking lot talking to guests.I also emailed the park asking for advice on how to do two trails I wanted on opposite ends of the park (since you can't drive through) and was surprised to receive a prompt, knowledgeable, and helpful answer.

I am a cautious hiker and try to plan excursions that match my skills. The Balconies Trail in Pinnacles National Park (West Entrance) was so poorly described that it became one of the most frightening and dangerous walks I have taken. This trail is described as easy to moderate with minimal elevation gain and some scrambling over rocks. When we stopped at the ranger station and bought a trail guide I specifically asked if the trail was well marked and was told that it was. We first went along the Balconies Cliffs portion of the trail; a delightful hike, reasonably well marked. We reached the marker that directed us towards the Balconies Cave. The trail was not well marked but we crossed a small metal walkway and arrived at a pile of rocks. There was nothing to indicate that one should climb aver these rocks to reach the cave. I was ready to turn back, thinking we missed the turnoff but my husband climbed over the rocks and went on to find the cave entrance. I followed, and there began a terrifying experience. As directed we carried flashlights. However the white arrows at random spots on the walls went in opposite directions making it difficult to decide where to go. We reached a spot that seemed to lead out. My husband managed to climb up the steepest area but I was unable to follow because I could not find an intermediate foothold that would allow me to reach a stopping point safely. I couldn’t climb up or down. Thankfully a climber came from the opposite direction and I used his foot as a place to push off from and both he and my husband helped me reach safety. He was the only other person that we encountered on the trail and I don’t know what would have happened had he not appeared. This is a National Park with a ranger and printed material about the trails. I would never describe this climb as just some scrambling over rocks. It might not be difficult for someone with adequate experience but nothing warned me that this was a hike I should not take. I am lucky, someone appeared who could help, it was dry and not slippery and I emerged unscathed, others might not be so lucky. I have contacted the National Park Service about this situation.

We visited this park for a weekend getaway, and had a wonderful time. We hiked to the Bear Gulch Cave, the overlook, and to Balconies Caves. All 3 hikes were different, and offered beautiful landscapes and some really neat bird sightings. There are several trails we didn't attempt this visit, and if you are a rock climber there are several cool locations to climb. We camped overnight, and my only issue with the campsite was the size of the bear locker. We have a regular size cooler, and we had to rip the lid off so it would fit inside. Overall I would recommend a visit to this National Park.

Amazing how rugged this park is considering it is only a short distance off the main freeway to San Francisco.We arrived late and could not take advantage of a visit to what seemed a very nice visitors center. However the gates stay open until 8 P M , so we were able to drive to the end of the road-we were on the west side-to see the rock formations with the sun streaming down on them.

This was my first visit to this beautiful National Park, but my partner had been there several times as a child. We took a 3 hour hike (Condor canyon to High Peak trail, then down through Bear Gulch cave and back to the Bear Gulch day use area). We didn't arrive until about noon and had to park at the east entrance and take a shuttle in, which required about a 20 minute wait (not too bad). I recommend arriving earlier (especially if the weather is hot), but for us (in January) this was not a problem. I'm looking forward to returning sometime soon and exploring more trails.

This is a lovely national park with miles of trails, exceptional scenery and condors! I'm from Colorado and have hiked in many beautiful places and this ranks right up there. Be aware there are 2 entrances on opposite sides of the park with access to different hikes. we entered on route 146 and came to the Chaparral ranger station. The small visitors center was understaffed so a small line formed for people needing info and to pay for parking. The trails at the trailhead were not well marked and we were among several people searching for the appropriate trail. Once on the trail however it was absolutely beautiful, one of the best hikes I've ever done which is saying a lot. We did juniper canyon to the high peaks loop including the tunnel trail - 4.3 miles total. At the top a condor flew back and forth just above our heads for about 5 very special minutes! I was extremely disappointed with the number of visitors who seemed to think that leaving orange peels and toilet paper on the trail was acceptable. Education in trail etiquette needs to be stepped up in California. If you plan to cave, bring a headlamp!

I only have 1 day to spent, but coming from SF, stayed in Monterey on early Jan 2015, I learned there's a National Park near by. Therefore, it is a must visit place for me.Because, although Monterey has so much to offer, but there is nothing compare to visiting mother nature's greatest creation. Especially it is 1 hour away from Monterey. Try to plan early, leave from monterey at 9am so you can enjoy the drive and not feel rushed.PArk opens at 9.30am-5pmBring your foods and drinks. Go to restroom before start hiking.Top your fuel (although there's one gas station in between on Hwy25) Bring sun block (if you plan to come on summer), hat and some snack in case you get hungry.there are no trash can, so please clean after yourself if you use the bbq site area, keep the national park clean.No, your Cell phone won't work, so enter your address in your car GPS way ahead, so you don't get heart attack like I do. just kidding.Bring some... alcohol wipes, neosporin, bandages, for the just in case situation.wear comfortable hiking shoe, don't do flip flops.you're gonna walk in between big rocks, don't look silly and wanting to look 'stylish'. go Yosemite if you want to be seen.This place is not crowded, I recommend you to come early go home before sunset.There are park rangers, the trail is fairly easy, but depending on your own body condition, you should always walk on steady pace to reduce short breath. the Moses Spring trail is the shortest hike for me and my friend who never hike on regular basis.We enjoyed the walk.Be careful when you walk under the big rocks, don't hit your head on the rock, it hurts.Oh, if you live locally, please do buy the annual pass instead of the 1 time pass. I plan to come back within a year to explore different hike site. May you enjoy the short hike.

We went to both sides of the park, but the West side is the best. Best caves and best scenery. Get there early as parking is limited

Not a great big park. Be sure you check to see which side you want to enter on. This is very important if you only have one day. You cannot visit both sides and hike in one day. We decided to go in on the east side. Did the six mile hike through one of the caves. We took the high rim trail to the Condor Gulch trail. That was a great hike. Highly recommended.