Pinnacles National Park

We’re going to discuss what you should know about Pinnacles, tips for planning a trip there and answering the question, is Pinnacles National Park worth visiting? Let’s get to it!

Pinnacles National Park is one of the few lesser known national parks in California, because it’s smaller than some of the National Parks with more entrances, campsites, facilities, etc. But it has a some unique differences to offer like wildlife and geographic history that make Pinnacles worth visiting.

Where is Pinnacles National Park California?

Located in Central California, Pinnacles is a 2 hour drive San Francisco and 2.5 hours from Big Sur and the coast. This makes it a perfect National Park to stop at on a California Coast Road Trip along Highway 101. That’s what we did!

Pinnacles has two separate entrances that don’t have a connecting road. If you are camping at Pinnacles, then you will take the East Entrance to get to the campground. The park ranger at the entrance told us that some people drive to the other side of the park if they have a full day or two to visit - but we have a great hike suggestion that will allow you to see views of the west side of the park!

What is Pinnacles National Park known for?

Pinnacles National Park is home to the critically endangered, California Condors. These birds are scavengers with wingspans of about 9.5 feet! I have come to learn a lot about these fascinating creatures and encourage you to do your own research if you are interested in wildlife or planning to visit Pinnacles. This is a great place to see them, but they can also be found in Southern California, Arizona and Mexico.

The park is also known for the Pinnacles, which are the rock formations that were created by an extinct volcano that moved 200 miles from its original location along the San Andreas fault. You can learn more about this when visiting Pinnacles as well as the history of the Native Americans and Spanish that used to live in the area.

Pinnacles National Park Camping

There is one designated campground accessed via the East Entrance of the park. There are bathrooms available, a small shop where you can buy things like snacks and water, and there is even a pool! It gets hot at Pinnacles in the summertime, so this would be a great way to cool down after a day of hiking. The individual campsites are quite private with picnic tables, fire pits, but little shade cover.

You can book a campsite by visiting the parks website here: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234015

Things To Do

The best way to see Pinnacles National Park is by hiking!

Our favourite hikes are:

Condor Gulch Trail to Overlook - 1.9 mile out & back
Balconies Cave Trail - 2.6 mile out & back (caves have been closed during the pandemic)
Condor Gulch Trail to High Peaks Trail - 5.5 mile loop ** this is the best one
High Peaks Trail to Old Pinnacles Trail - 12.2 mile loop

Other things to do at Pinnacles include:

Visiting the Bear Gulch Reservoir (via balconies cave trail or condor gulch to high peaks trail)
Explore the caves (bring a flashlight)
Rock climbing
Photography (Pinnacles is a great place for night sky photography, as well as photographing the unique rock formations and wildlife like the California Condors)

Tips For Visiting Pinnacles National Park

Pinnacles can be very hot in the summer! Temperatures can get to over 100ºF (38ºC) during some days in July and August and may not be the best time to visit if you are sensitive to heat. We visited during the summer and though it was hot, it also reduced the crowds on the trails and the nights were a lot cooler.

Note: There are also a lot of flies around the campground in the summer.

For most, the best time to visit Pinnacles would be the spring time, with fall and winter being good options also as the winters at Pinnacles are typically mild. I recommend reserving at least a full day or two to visiting Pinnacles.

Note: There is not much to see from the road and most of the park is best explored on foot.

Is Pinnacles National Park Worth Visiting?

Yes, in my opinion, if you like hiking and camping then Pinnacles National Park is definitely worth visiting! If you are more into seeing places by driving through, then it might not be worth the trip for you and a better option would probably be Sequoia & Kings Canyon.

If you want to see more of Pinnacles and the hikes we mentioned, watch our YouTube video here.