If you are planning Pinnacles National Park hiking adventure, please, review this guide. Even if you know some information about this Park, please, note that a lot of things have changed in the last two years for Pinnacles. If you have never been to Pinnacles before, this guide is a MUST read.
Pinnacles National Park was always one of the least visited Parks in California. If you were looking forward to crowd-less, peaceful National Park hiking, Pinnacles didn’t fail to deliver.
When Covid-19 hit people started to look for more outdoorsy activities and they “discovered” Pinnacles trails. Pinnacles is located in close proximity to San Francisco Bay Area (about 1.5 hours drive) so it makes for a great day trip and many of Bay Area’s 7 million residents quickly came to the same conclusion as well.
As a result the crowds grew significantly bigger but the Park itself didn’t. In fact, Pinnacles National Park is one of the smallest National Parks in California and in the U.S. in general. It only has 30 miles of trails and 2 entrances that are not connected to each other by road. So tourists come to explore either Eastern or Western part which limits their hiking terrain even more. You can, potentially, hike from one part of the Park to the other but it is a strenuous hike and then you will also need the strength to get back, therefore not many people do it.
So here is what you need to know before you start for Pinnacles National Park hiking adventure:
Pinnacles National Park Hiking Tip #1: When to go
If you plan to go on the weekend or on a national holiday you must reach Pinnacles National Park by no later than 8.30 am to find parking near the most popular hiking areas. My strong suggestion is to go on a weekday. That’s what we did during our Pinnacles National Park hiking trip this February. We went right after a significant storm, on a very cold winter day but even then the parking at Bear Gulch day use area was full by 11 am.
Many people go hiking in Pinnacles National Park in spring to see the wildflowers and thus the crowds will be even bigger.
In summer Pinnacles has brutally hot weather, often over +100F, so I don’t recommend Pinnacles National Park hiking from end of June through September. The best trails in the Park are moderate to strenuous so heat exertion is a real threat.
Late fall, winter and early spring is probably the best time to explore Pinnacles trails but beware of heavy rains and floods during wet months.
Pinnacles National Park Hiking Tip #2: What is there to see?
Pinnacles National Park is famous for 2 main things: rock formation, a.k.a. “pinnacles”, and caves. Pinnacles can be seen on many of the Park trails but caves are unique to only a couple of trails that I will describe below.
To a lesser extent Pinnacles is also famous for California Condors, a rare and endangered bird that was almost extinct in the wild until a special conservation program has been started in California and about a dozen birds were released in the park. The Condor population in Pinnacles National Park is still small but growing. To see these birds in the wild you must climb high in elevation – more details below.
Pinnacles National Park Hiking Tip #3: The Best Pinnacles Trails
If you plan Pinnacles National Park hiking in its Eastern part, the best and the most highly trafficked Pinnacles trail is Moses Spring to Rim Trail Loop at the Bear Gulch day use area. It is 2.2 miles round trip moderate trail that gives you a complete flavor of the park: you will see cool rock formations, caves and a pretty water reservoir as a bonus.
PRO Tip: Do the loop counter clockwise so that you are going down in the caves, it is much easier on the knees because there is a bunch of steps.
Condor Gultch Trail is 1.7 miles one way moderate Pinnacles trail also starting from Bear Gultch. It offers fantastic views of High Peaks and potentially an occasional condor.
PRO Tip: the two Pinnacles trails mentioned above are the best for Pinnacles National Park hiking with kids. They are the shortest and the least strenuous but I wouldn’t say they are easy. The stairs become a horrible bottleneck when careless parents take young kids to Bear Gulch. The stairs are so narrow (and a little dangerous) that you can’t pass anybody, people can’t even go up and down at the same time. You have to wait till the entire queue gets down at snail pace, until you can go up, and the same applies the other way around. I strongly suggest not taking kids under 3 on caves trails unless you carry them in travel carriers on your back: it is dangerous for them and disrespectful to other visitors.
If you plan hiking in Pinnacles National Park’s Western part, then the best trail to explore is Balconies Cave Loop Trail. This Pinnacles trail is a moderate 2.4 miles round trip that also gives you the best flavor of Pinnacles National Park hiking with stunning vistas and a cave.
The trail starts from Chaparral Trailhead, it will lead you into the Balconies Cave and when you exit the cave, turn left to return on Balconies Cliffs Trail to close the loop.
Pinnacles National Park Hiking Tip #4: Other things to consider
If you are planning your Pinnacles National Park hiking trip specifically to see the caves, please, bear in mind that they are not open to the public all the time. The caves may be closed due to weather conditions, for example, during the rainy season when they may be flooded. Also, these caves are prime habitat for bats and when the bats are having babies the caves will be closed for several weeks so that tourists don’t disturb them. Please, check NPS website before you go to see if the caves are open.
The caves in the Park get dark in places so a flashlight is a must. I strongly recommend a headlight so that your hands are free because you will need them to scramble along in places, hold on to guard rails, etc.
There is no food or water sold in the park at the trailheads. There is a small convenience store at the campground near the East side entrance. If you are visiting Pinnacles National Park in warm months, bring PLENTY of water with you.
Pinnacles is a great place for hiking with kids because they will love to explore those caves but these trails are not good for strollers and are not accessible.
Please, see our detailed video review of Pinnacles National Park hiking trip to help you plan your adventure:
Conclusion
If you found this Pinnacles National Park hiking guide useful, please, share it with others as it may help them in their travel plans too.
If you like National Parks hiking in general, please, check out our other National Park itineraries. Enjoy your trip!
P.S. If you wanted to see condors in Pinnacles National Park and were not successful I suggest visiting a great California Condor exhibit at the Oakland Zoo:
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