The trip to the Pinnacles National Park (PNP), California, has been a much-anticipated visit which finally came to fruition this weekend, May 20, 2023.
The Pinnacle National Park caters to the varied interests of its global visitors. There is hiking, climbing, birdwatching, picnicking for those who just want to chill among nature, watching the birds, admiring the different types of trees, flowers, plant and listening to the communication of the birds intermingling with the noise of the insects, all the while, little reptiles scramble past hoping not to be seen or sunbathe in the warm sunshine. Those who hike will also be rewarded with the sight of water, little creeks flowing by and caves (depending on current conditions – don’t want any boulders making a pancake out of us) to explore. The park is also known to be a great place to stargaze.
Since there is no road connecting both sides of the park, we (from the Bay) had to choose between the East Entrance (accessed through Hollister) or the West Entrance (accessed through Soledad). It is better to fill up at the gas stations in these towns before the journey into the park.
Our Plan:
The park does not allow dogs on trails though they can hang out on the paved areas. Since this quick trip was to treat our senior pooch, Jay, to a new place, we chose the West Entrance as you can see the stunning forms of the ancient landscape from the parking lot itself.
The family, wanting to get to the park’s west entrance early in the morning, decided to stay at Soledad for the night and travel to the park the next morning.
Driving from the East Bay, it took about one and a half hours to reach Soledad’s Motel 6( a pet friendly, no frills but adequate place). Straight to the Pinnacles from our east bay area would’ve taken about 2 hours but no one wanted to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to make the trip and there is no camping on the West Entrance side of the park, hence Soledad.
The Drive:
The drive, in itself, was nice once we ignored the bay area traffic. We could see the green hills giving way to summer gold, though it’s spring. A few blooms of yellow, white and purple lined, intermittently, along the hillsides and bordering the roads.
From Soledad to PNP, the farmlands and vineyards along the route are vibrant green in contrast to the golden brown of the neighboring hills and mountains. Cows grazed on the slopes, enjoying a pleasant sunny spring day among colorful spots of wildflowers. It was a lovely sight to see even though most of the wildflowers seemed to be done for the season.
As we drove to the park at 7:15 am, the morning mist enveloped us, ghostly silhouettes of trees showing themselves at the last minute. The road is winding and narrow and turns into a single lane in some places. We had to be careful driving, not just because of cars on the narrow roads but it was also due to little bunnies hopping across the road. Thankfully, the sun soon broke through lighting up the hillsides exposing the famed geological features.
Pinnacles National Park:
The Pinnacles National Park was formed in the course of millions of years. Violent events involving the San Andreas Fault with opposing movements of the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, the ensuing volcanic and catastrophic earthquakes, the crash, rise and movement of land along with centuries of weather driven erosion – all resulted in the kind of topography we are now lucky to see at this newly (comparatively) minted US national park.
– The PNP was designated: A National Monument – 1908
A National Park – 2013
– Designated Area allotted: 26,000 acres including about 3000 acres of protected wilderness.
– Within and around the park: Wildflowers, Chaparrals, Caves, Woodlands, Canyons, Creeks, various species of birds like jays, woodpeckers, turkey vultures and the famed Condors, reptiles like lizards, predators big and small, bats, frogs, deer, insects,
etc.
Parking & Photography:
Photo ops are plentiful at both, the Visitor Center and the Chaparral parking lots.
There are very limited parking spots in the West Entrance of the Pinnacles National Park.
The one at the Chaparral Parking area fills up very quickly. We were lucky to get the last available spot though it was only around 8:15 am!
The drive to this parking lot opens to THE view! This fantastic, fascinating landscape can be seen clearly from this particular parking lot, providing ample opportunity for anyone who loves landscape photography or who have limited mobility and would love to have a picture taken with these iconic structures.
Our Jay’s Experience:
It turned out to be a great place to relax with my senior pooch who, though he can’t go on long hikes anymore, can now stretch his legs in a new environment, sniff all the new smells and listen to all the new sounds. He absolutely loved this experience. His tongue hanging out most of the time as he walked slowly, his happy face said it all! It was worth the visit even though his folks couldn’t do the longer hikes with him in tow. For a short hike, Wjp and I took turns staying with our boy while the other went for a short nature walk.
Our Time-Crunched Experience:
There weren’t many cars at the first parking lot near the Visitor Center when we reached around 7:30 am. A short walk along the Prewett Point Trail, with its golden tips of tall grass waving in the breeze, opens up beautiful views of the hills, open woodlands and the very first sight of the massive range of volcanic spires. Gorgeous!
Another short hike from the Chaparral parking lot is enough to open your eyes to an amazing view of giant volcanic behemoths on either side, dwarfing the spectator.
Nature does put us all in our place, doesn’t she? As the human gaze takes in these monoliths and the massive boulders within the caves, one can’t help but be in awe, reflecting on the history and drama that took place years ago and whose product is now on display.
Walking along this trail, a vast landscape of diverse beauty awaited us. Flat lands alongside grassy hills, wildflowers and various kinds of oak spread out, adding interest, color and character. Pretty little brooks meandered along and then you come across a cave. The huge fallen boulders balanced above other fallen boulders can be quite intimidating to a first-time hiker. The route through the cave can differ in width, from a comfortable walk-thru to an uncomfortable squish-your-bod-thru.
Though I did see large birds flying above, I couldn’t really identify them. They were too far above, and I had forgotten to get my binoculars. (Tip: Absolutely necessary at this park: pair of binoculars, lot of water, food, sturdy shoes, full tank of gas, proper flashlights, compass – old fashioned one, map). Still, sitting next to Jay in the parked car, I did manage to see some smaller birds like the jay and a bigger one that I think was a turkey vulture – Yay!
Talking about parked cars, it got warm very quickly though it was only 9:30am. Thankfully, it was a pleasant spring day and, with the windows down, the interior of the car was still cool. One can only imagine how hot the park would get on a summer’s day.
Throughout the park, it is easy to forget that civilization is just a few miles away. In the natural silence, all I could hear were the call of the birds and the sounds of the insects. A writer or anyone hankering for peaceful solitude, this is the place to spend hours listening, observing, writing or just enjoying the private time. For others who want to quietly socialize or unwind after a good hike, there are picnic tables at the picturesque parking spot.
There is no camping on the West Entrance side of the park. So, we couldn’t do the night sky watch. However, we do plan on coming again, just us humans next time and hopefully we will be able to catch up on all the natural wonders that the Pinnacles National Park has for us.
