Pinnacles National Park is a very new “National Park”, but has been a “national park” for over 100 years. Originally designed as Pinnacles Forest Preserve in 1906, Theodore Roosevelt took the required steps to make it Pinnacles National Monument in 1908. Adjacent lands were purchased over the decades until the acreage reached its current 26,606. Congress passed legislation making it an official “National Park” in 2012 and President Obama finished the process by signing it in January 2013.
Pinnacles is located in the southern portion of the Gabilan mountain range, about 80 miles from San Francisco Bay and 40 miles from the Pacific. The park’s namesake peaks are the remnants of a volcanic explosion 23 million years ago – the current location is thanks to the movement of the San Andreas fault which pushed the Pinnacles 195 miles northwest of the volcano.
Like any large refuge Pinnacles National Park is home to a wide variety of animal life, but it’s best known for wildlife of the flying variety. Over 150 species of birds have been seen in the park. The rocky areas are popular perches for several types of raptors, including falcons and golden eagles. Biggest of all are the California Condors. Pinnacles is part of a program to reintroduce these massive birds into the wild and over 30 condors currently call the park home.
Pinnacle’s geography makes it a popular spot for hiking and rock climbing. In addition to the 30 miles of hiking trails, there are two major caves inside the park. Access to Bear Gulch Cave and The Balconies Cave is limited by season to protect the bats that live inside. Pinnacles Campground is located inside the east side of the park.
While there are roads that go deep into the park there are none that traverse the park from the east to west (or west to east), so you have your choice of entering from one side or the other. The nearest places to stay for a visit to Pinnacles National Park are in the more populated valley on the west side in the towns of King City, Greenfield and Soledad. The nearest mid-sized city is Salinas, about 40 miles northwest of the park.
