One of the newest and least known national parks in the United States is located in the hills of Central California about an hour and a half south of the Bay Area: Pinnacles National Park.
While it may not be widely known across the nation, the park is a local gem that is frequented by locals and savvy travelers alike. While the park is quite small by national park standards, it’s center piece is one of my favorite trails in California, the High Peaks Trail.
With steep climbs, dramatic drop offs, rare condors all over the place, and steps carved into the rock itself, the High Peaks Trail is a hidden gem!
Miles/Elevation:
8 miles
1900 feet vertical gain
About Pinnacles National Park:
The 7th smallest national park in the United States, and the smallest in California, Pinnacles is a recent addition to the National Park System. Officially designated a national park in just 2013, Pinnacles is a relatively unknown member of the club!
While Pinnacles is a recent addition to the National Park System, it has long been protected by the federal government. First protected as a national monument by Theodore Roosevelt in 1908, Pinnacles remained at that level for over 100 years!
The main features of the park are incredible caves, critically endangered wildlife, dramatic rock formations, and fascinating geologic history! The extremely endangered California Condor is the star of the park, and on many of the park’s hikes they can be seen observing the area from the high rocky spires and soaring over the regions hills and valleys.
Formed by volcanic activity about 23 million years ago, the rocks of Pinnacles actually didn’t start where they currently are! Because of the San Andreas Fault and the numerous earthquakes in this part of California, the spires of Pinnacles have actually migrated 200 miles from where they first formed!
Getting to Pinnacles National Park:
Pinnacles is easily accessible from the major cities of the Bay Area and broader Northern and Central California. From the Bay Area, it is about an hour and a half to two hours depending on where you are coming from.
The unique thing about getting to Pinnacles is there are two entrances that are totally disconnected from each other. The eastern entrance contains most of the park infrastructure, including the main visitor center and the park campground. The western entrance is more easily accessible as it is just off Highway 101, a major artery through the state. The eastern entrance lies on Highway 25, an at times winding two lane highway.
Either entrance is about the same distance from the Bay Area, but if you are coming from either the east or the west, one entrance is likely going to be much closer. The drive between the entrances is an hour along the most direct dirt road, and significantly longer if you want to stick to the pavement! So pick one side of the park to focus on per day!
Condor Gulch Trail to High Peaks Trail:
Bench Trail to Bear Gulch Trail:
When I did this hike, I visited on a crazy busy Saturday in spring, probably the best time to be in the park. Temperatures are moderate, the plants are green, and the flowers are in bloom! The previous weekend, I showed up around noon and it was a two hour wait to even get into the park! This time I arrived at around 8:30, and still had to park a little over a mile from the trailhead. Get there early!
Consider purchasing the America the Beautiful Pass if you’re visiting any national parks!
Since I had to park away from the trailhead, I started my hike at the Peaks View Area. This area has a trail which will take you to the main trailhead and parking area. Starting off on the bench trail, you’ll head along the road next to a (likely) dry riverbed towards the peaks. After a short five minute or so hike, you’ll encounter a T on the trail and take a left on the Bear Gulch Trail.
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
Bear Gulch Trail is actually a really nice hike, even though you’ll just be on it to reach the actual trailhead! The trail travels up a small ravine for most of its length. The small creek running through the ravine transitions from above ground to below ground, but the evidence of water is clear. The environment here is lush, and much more green than the surrounding locale. After about a mile with 300 feet of climbing, you will arrive at the Bear Gulch Day Use Area.
Condor Gulch Trail:
Once at the Bear Gulch Area, your hike really begins. From the parking area, you will take the Condor Gulch Trail going up! The first mile of the trail is a steady climb, but it’s not overly steep, and if you’re in good shape it’s pretty manageable, but there is basically no shade, so it can get very hot!
Always follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!
After a mile of ascending up Condor Gulch, you will arrive at the Condor Gulch Overlook. The overlook is a great place to stop and rest while taking in a nice view of some of the high peaks, and if you only have time for a short hike, would make a decent place to turn around.
From the overlook, the trail continues uphill. The trail from this point felt steeper than the first mile to my legs, but I could be wrong about that. Either way, its more climbing until the junction with the High Peaks Trail. Again, there’s very little shade, so go during cool weather or get a very early start!
High Peaks Trail:
Eventually, the Condor Gulch Trail meets up with the High Peaks Trail. This is where you are going to take a left to continue onto the highlight of the park. I took a little break at the intersection, but most of your climbing is done for the day!
From the trail intersection, the High Peaks Trail continues climbing towards the peaks, and eventually loops around the backside. This section of trail provides you with your first views looking west towards the Salinas Valley and the mountains of Big Sur beyond.
After looping around to the backside of the High Peaks, the trail gets interesting. This is where you will encounter the ladders.
Now when I say ladders, I don’t mean wooden or steel vertical ladders, I mean steps carved right out of the rock, big enough for a single foot. You’ll have metal railings to hold onto as you traverse these “ladders,” but if you’re afraid of heights, it will definitely get your heart pumping!
The toughest section of the High Peaks Trail for me is a short stretch of narrow, exposed trail with overhanging rock. If you’re short, it probably isn’t so bad, but for me, at 6’ 4” with a backpack that had trekking poles sticking out of the top, it was a little tight! I eventually had to stop and take my backpack off and almost crawl through!
This section of the hike has another of the park’s highlights, fantastic condor viewing! The condors can be seen soaring over the park, but they also tend to sit on top of the exposed sections of rock! Once the trail gets up to this section, you’ll have almost an eye level view of some of the condor chill spots!
The birds are huge, and can be differentiated from the more numerous Turkey Vultures by their massive size! If you can get a close up view, you’ll probably notice each has a numbered tag used to track their movements and the population’s health!
Eventually, you will have to do a bit of down climbing on the ladders which can be a little disconcerting as you’re looking straight down the side of the mountains! Just be careful of where you place your feet and you’ll be fine!
Descending:
Once you’re down from the ladders, the hike back to your car is pretty straightforward. Continue on the High Peaks Trail as it heads south and downhill. Again, it’s pretty exposed so in the heat it can be brutal! The descent from the High Peaks down to the Bear Gulch Area is about 1500 vertical feet, so it can be tough on the knees!
Overall, it’s a pretty nice descent, and the views are consistently nice. As you reenter the valley, the foliage thickens and turns green. This is a sign that you’re getting close to the Bear Gulch Area!
A short side trip that you may want to take will take you to the Bear Gulch Reservoir. The detour to the reservoir is about half a mile each way, and if you’ve never been, it’s a worthwhile side trip. It’s not an awe inspiring alpine lake, but it’s a nice place to stop!
If you visit at the right time of year, you can also hike through Bear Gulch Cave. The hike through the cave is awesome, but it’s closed for large portions of the year as an important bat habitat. If you can, I recommend hiking through the caves!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 9/10
Overall, the High Peaks Trail is one of my favorites in California, and it’s especially fantastic as a day trip from the Bay Area. The views are continually awesome, though the scenery is most reminiscent of the deserts of Southern California as opposed to the mountains of the Sierra Nevada!
This is a great hike to introduce you to heights, and start getting over a fear of heights! If you someday want to hike the likes of Angels Landing or Half Dome, this is an awesome, manageable, day hike to get you used to exposure and serious heights on trail! Just don’t go in the peak of summer unless you can handle 109 degree heat!
Pros:
- Fun exposed sections of trail
- Condor viewing
- Well graded trail
- Awesome views
Cons:
- Limited parking
- Extreme heat in summer
- Can be very busy
Alternative Hikes:
Moses Spring Trail to Bear Gulch Reservoir
Old Pinnacles Trail Loop – California
High Peaks & Balconies Cave Loop Trail
North Wilderness, Bear Gulch, and High Peaks Trails Loop
When To Visit:
While Pinnacles experiences clear weather pretty much all year, I would recommend visiting primarily in fall and spring. Summer sees extreme temperatures. And when I say extreme, I visited one day in August when the high was 109 degrees! Safe to say that isn’t great hiking weather for most of us!
Winter can be a good time to visit, but it is the season that sees the most rain. If you can find a clear day in winter, it would be a time to visit, though the days are the coolest. Again, fall and spring offer the best combination of clear weather and comfortable temperatures. October and November would be good months to visit in the fall, and March and April would be ideal in the spring!
Links For Further Reading:
Pinnacles National Park (US National Park Service)
Pinnacles National Park — The Greatest American Road Trip
3 thoughts on “First Timer’s Guide to Pinnacles National Park”
Sarah | The Wandering Road
August 23, 2021Thanks for the link back to my Pinnacles post! The High Peaks “ladders” are so unique and fun. Did you happen to see any condors while you were in the park?