Pinnacles National Park was the 59th National Park and California’s 9th to be designated. It was established as a national monument in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt and promoted to national park status in 2013 by President Barack Obama.
Pinnacles is about 2 hours from San Francisco and almost 5 hours from Los Angeles in Central California off highway 25 that runs parallel to the 101. Note: The park is split into two sections as there isn’t a road that runs entirely through the park. Something to factor in if you’re pressed for time.
This was one of those passing-through trips on the way back home to Los Angeles from San Francisco so we decided to do the east side where the points of interests were closer together and easier to get to.
We made the Bear Gulch Cave our destination and meandered up to the reservoir to take in the view and have a snack and took the high route back down to the shuttle drop-off.
The hike itself was pretty easy but it was so much fun because you get to climb through fallen rocks that have formed caves. Some areas got really dark and you need a headlamp or flashlight to enter.
Good to Know:
- The park is split into two districts, east and west, and there is no road that connects the two sides. The main park visitor center is in the east district.
- Some parts of the cave get really dark so bring a flashlight/headlamp.
Pinnacles National Park
5000 Highway 146
Paicines, CA 95043
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