Pinnacles National Park East to West and Back Again

Save the date & join Weekend Hikers and Beyond for a day-long adventure at Pinnacles National Park as we hit some highlight trails from the east side, to the west side, and back again. During our adventure we will traverse through dark talus caves, over rugged high granite boulders, and will even try to spy a condor or two.

Note: ⚠️RAIN CANCELS this event.

Essentials

• Where: Pinnacles National Park EAST Entrance, 31300 Airline Hwy, Paicines, CA 95043.
  Meet at the Bear Gulch Day Use Area Parking by 9:00 am. Please note that it can take an additional 10 minutes to get from the east entrance station to the Bear Gulch Parking Area, depending on traffic.
• Duration: All day, but will return before sunset
• Distance: 10+ miles depending on which trails are open
• Effort: This hike is Moderate to Strenuous with elevation changes up to 2,000 feet
• Entrance fee: $30/car or a National Parks Pass
• No dogs allowed on the trails, see policy for service animals
• Links: AllTrails info, entrance fees & pass options, NPS maps

Meet at Bear Gulch Day Use Area Parking.
Water is only available at the parking lots on the east and west sides of the Pinnacles.
Restrooms are at the parking lots, and there are pit toilets at the top of High Peaks Ridge.
Canceling: If you RSVP yes, but change your mind, please change your RSVP to "no" ASAP as we will most likely not have any cell service once out of King City.

We will start hiking promptly at 9:15, so please come early to find parking, or if no parking is available at Bear Gulch, you will need to hike in from another parking lot, such as Manzanita or Old Pinnacles. The shuttle from the campground may not be available in November. Please budget this into your departure time. It takes approximately 2 1/2 hours to drive from Arroyo Grande to the Bear Gulch Parking Area. For most map apps, you can search for Bear Gulch Day Use Area, Paicines, California.

Bring

• Shoes or boots with good tread.
• At least 2 liters of water to start the hike. There will be a tap available to refill your water containers at Bear Gulch and Chaparral day use areas.
• Lunch and multiple snacks for the trail (salty snacks, protein, electrolytes, etc.)
• Flashlight or headlamp (required for the caves)
• Hat, sun protection, and layers
• Trekking poles (optional)

Itinerary
The first trail takes us to the Bear Gulch Cave, if open. The cave has low passages and stretches of uneven terrain. You must be ok with traversing tight, dark, and possibly wet spaces. There are narrow rock stairways and some low-clearance spots. Either a flashlight or headlamp is required. If the cave is closed, we will take the bypass trail. After the Bear Gulch cave we will ascend to the reservoir and hike up to the High Peaks rim. Here we will take a strenuous section known as “Steep and Narrow.” We will then descend to the west side of the park, past the Chaparral parking and trailhead, stopping to refill water if necessary. Then it’s on to the Balconies Caves (yay — more scrambling through cool talus caves) if they are open. Leaving the caves we will take the Old Pinnacles Trail to the Bench and Sycamore trails back to the Bear Gulch parking area.

If you are running late, and miss us at the trailhead, you can find us during one of our scheduled breaks listed in our hiking itinerary below.

The following are approximate distances.
Start at Bear Gulch Parking lot

• 0.5 miles ~ Moses Spring Trail
• 0.7 miles ~ Bear Gulch Cave Trail (if open)
  East to West / headlamp or flashlight required for caves

Short break at the Bear Gulch Reservoir

• 0.4 miles ~ Rim Trail
• 1.5 miles ~ High Peaks Trail

Water/Snack break at "the saddle" / pit toilets available

• 0.7 miles ~ High Peaks Trail - steep and narrow section
• 0.6 miles ~ Tunnel Trail
• 1.2 miles ~ Juniper Canyon Trail

Chaparral Parking Area: Snack / Lunch Break, water and bathrooms available

• 0.4 miles ~ Balconies Cave Trail (if open) hiking west to east, headlamp or flashlight required.
• If the cave is not open we will take the Balconies Cliffs Trail, which is 0.8 miles
• 2.3 miles Old Pinnacles Trail
• 0.6 miles Bench Trail
• 1.0 miles Sycamore Trail

End at Bear Gulch Parking Area

Optionally, join us for dinner at one of our favorite post-hike destinations in King City:
Tacos La Potranca de Jalisco
201 Broadway St, King City, CA 93930

Disclaimer
This Meetup group, its organizers, and its members, take no responsibility for any injuries or accidents that may occur during events. By joining this event you take full responsibility for your own safety. Please ensure that you are in good health before participating and understand that there is risk involved in your participation. This Meetup group does not certify the qualifications of any of its organizers or trip leaders, and they are not responsible for your safety. We are all just participants. By participating you acknowledge you have read this Disclaimer and agree to its terms.