A Day at Pinnacles National Park

03/27/24

Fog defined the morning. It soaked everything, spilling over the land with the viscosity of a chowder that's been left in the sun too long. We drove up the 101, northbound, until reaching King City. There, we stopped at a little gas station to load up on some grub. I purchased myself a burrito. It was pipin' hot. Nearly burnt my fingers off just touching it. But it was good and gave me the nutrients that I needed. Sometimes gas station burritos are the best form of fuel, able to quell crippling hunger and offer enough energy to put a double espresso shot to shame. Other times they give you nothing but severe bowel trouble. It's a gamble for sure, but totally worth it. Them things is tasty! 

We left King City in search of the 25, which would take us to the junction with the 146 which would lead us to the east entrance of Pinnacles National Park. I had low expectations. Grace had been wanting to see the park for some time and had invited me to come along. I ain't never been before, but I had a good idea of what to expect. Lots of pointy rocks, spread around on some hills, reaching high into the sky. Wildflowers. Animals. People hiking with wayyy too much sunscreen. That sort of stuff. 

We drove into the hills, escaping the clutches of the fog. Before long we arrived at the park and drove straight to the Bear Gulch Nature Center, hoping to nab a spot before it got too busy. The nature center itself was closed, but the lot right next to it served as a starting point for one of the most popular loop hikes of the park. 

We started our day hiking up the Condor Gulch trail. Several people were hanging around the trailhead, using the bathroom and taking off jackets and putting them back on and securing their packs and such. Oddly enough, there actually weren't that many people out on the trail. On our way up, we saw a team of folks all wearing condor shirts and carrying radios and heavy packs making their way down the trail back to the parking lot. A few families were out and about, along with a few elderly folks hiking in groups of three or four. We moseyed up the trail, slowly gaining elevation until we reached a ridge of sorts that gave us some nice views of the namesake pinnacles for which the park is named. 

Condor Gulch Trail

The Pinnacles

Sooner or later we reached the junction with the High Peaks Trail, which would take us up close and personal to the pinnacles. I will say that "pinnacles" might be a bit of a misnomer. Sure there were some fingers and spires of rock jutting up towards the sky, but most of the rocks were all fused together, like fingers tightly pressed up against one another. These pinnacles weren't done yet; looked like they needed to marinate a few more million years before they'd be ready. Labeling aside, they were still very cool. Kinda reminded me of Sandstone Peak area in the Santa Monica Mountains. 

The High Peaks Trail wound its way through the formations, well marked and well traveled. As we progressed it was as if we were being transported into a forest made of stone. Huge pillars and slabs of rock lined the trail, some of them covered in colorful lichen and moss. In the shadier sections we found lots of miner's lettuce and ferns and super soft grass. It was a very interesting trail, one that I'm sure was quite difficult to create. In one section, the trail fused with a large formation, stone steps carved into the rock and a handrail provided for protection. It was here were we spotted the one and only condor that we would see all day. It swooped right over us, flying low and silent, gliding off towards who knows where. In one second it was there, in another it was gone. Very magnificent bird. I felt grateful and honored to be able to travel through its domain. 

The section with the steps and handrail was super narrow and would only allow one party of hikers to cross at a time. Lucky for us, hardly anyone else was up there. We breezed through this narrow section without any traffic jams. From there the trail lost elevation, dropping down out of the pinnacles towards Bear Gulch Reservoir. Winding in and out between formations, we caught glimpses of the view to the west, noticing that the fog from earlier in the day was busy disintegrating in the face of the bright yellow sun. 

Spring colors seemed to elevate the scenery into something quite astounding. I bet the place is a lot less interesting in the summer when it's 100+ degrees and everything is shriveled, desiccated and dead. Weather-wise it was almost perfect, with several buzzards and ravens and crows and a whole other assortment of flying creatures zooming up above, filling the sky with their varied songs and whistles and calls. Everything, even the rocks themselves, seemed to be pulsing with life. Must have been the color. Everything was hyper-saturated with a brilliant springtime glow. Purples, yellows, oranges, and green. Lots of green. Nearly every shade. As grass it flowed between the pinnacles like a velvet river. As moss it cascaded over the rocks like a waterfall. As trees it clung to the cliffs, outstretched like the tentacles of a hungry anemone waiting for its next meal. Flecks of orange and neon lichen clung to the pinnacles, and several patches of wildflowers lined the trail, small and colorful, awaiting their full bloom in the coming weeks. 

Bear Gulch Reservoir

We took a small break at the reservoir. A few families were scattered around the edges of the water, picnicking and chatting and enjoying the scenery. Some hikers, instead of stopping, continued along the trail, heading for Chalone Peak. I caught several glances of a fire tower situated on the top of the distant peak while on the High Peaks Trail. Looked cool. Definitely gonna save that one for another time. 

From the reservoir we descended a narrow rock stairway into the depths of a large talus cave. Some people were making their way back up into daylight, all of them with headlamps and shoes soaking wet. We passed a "point of no return" where one could continue along a well maintained trail, avoiding the cave entirely. We chose to stick to the cave. We took out headlamps of our own and entered the darkness. 

We immediately got our feet wet. There was a steady flow of water running through the cave, shin deep in some parts. We ran into one party going the opposite direction, letting them pass first as it was an extra tight section. There was one guy in the group hiking barefoot. Yowch! 

The cave was surprisingly long, filled with chambers ranging in size from phone booths to dance halls. Every so often some light would shine through the cracks in the utterly gargantuan boulders that made up the base, sides and roof of the cave. And the water in which we were traveling broke off into a massive cascading waterfall, dropping several stories down a pitch black chute. We followed this waterfall off to the side, climbing down a series of stairs and bridges. 

We exited the cave and continued with our loop, eventually making it back to the Bear Gulch Nature Center. From there we left the parking lot and drove to the visitor center and the camp store, both contained within the same building. We left the park and made our way to the west entrance, an endeavor that would take us over an hour to complete. There's no road that connects the east and west entrances of the park. Gotta drive all the way back to King City and start all over again. But the drive is quite pleasant; very similar to the scenery you'd find driving on State Route 166. 

As we progressed the crystal blue sky became marred with clouds. Soon the whole sky became swollen with a blanket of grey, stretching as far as we could see. The change was so significant and so fast that it looked and felt like a whole new day. 

The west side had a nicer visitor center than the east, but it was closed. It was a whole lot quieter as well—hardly a soul was there (probably because it was closed, I reckon). We drove all the way to the end of the road, parking at the Balconies Trailhead, bound for the "Balconies Cave." Here we found more people, but not much. Seems like most everybody hangs out on the east side of the park. 

Moss Waterfall

This part of the park had formations very similar to those found at Piedra Blanca in the Sespe Wilderness, but these ones were several times larger. The Balconies and Machete Ridge towered above us, each one several stories tall. Walking along the trail, following the crystal clear creek, it was hard to imagine that we were in central California and not somewhere deep in the wilderness of the Escalante or Zion National Park. Several spur trails marked with carabiner icons branched off the main route, each one leading to a primo climbing spot. What with all the cliffs and spires and boulders, this place is a climbers paradise. 

The canyon narrowed, the moss covered trees disappeared, and soon we were at the mouth of the cave. This one was a whole lot colder than the other. The water running through it must have come directly from the mountain 'cause brother, it was COLD. Felt like needles sticking into our feet. The cave wasn't completely dark until the very end, where it ducked under a huge boulder and descended a slick staircase into a chamber with walls saturated with water. 

Everything in that chamber seemed to be oozing with water. Don't know where it came from. Very confusing. Adding to the confusion, the cave then made a hairpin u-turn to the right, dumping us out into the daylight in a spot that looked much like the entrance. But it wasn't. We were on the other side of the cave, having walked in a straight line from point A to point B. Maybe I wasn't paying attention. Maybe I was distracted. But there's NO WAY we walked in a straight line the whole way. It just doesn't make sense. "Balconies Cave" isn't a proper name. "Cave of Bewilderment" is more fitting. 

The Balconies

Machete Ridge

The cave trail met up with the Balconies Cliffs Trail which we took to get back to the parking lot, making a nice little loop to finish the day. The trail took us up out of the canyon and onto the lower part of the Balconies, offering views of the stunning Machete Ridge and some of the higher pinnacles that we'd visited earlier in the day. We passed a few hikers on their way to the cave, some turning around after learning that there were tight spots and that they needed headlamps and that their feet were definitely 100% gonna get wet. We made it back to the parking lot in what seemed like no time and all, and with that we had completed our day at the park, nothing left on the to-do list except the super long drive back home. 

Though this park lacks the grandeur and scale and beauty of some of the other parks I've visited, it more than makes up for these things with its peace and quiet. It's relaxing, restful, serene; walking through those formations filled me with the same sensation of tranquility and repose that I feel while visiting Pine Mountain Ridge. It absolutely worth a visit if you have the time. I will definitely be back.