We had to move our trip to Death Valley because of the unexpected week at Bob’s Performance Center! So, our next stop—Greenfield, California, which is located near Pinnacles National Park.
Slowly but surely, we made it over the mountains into California and we found ourselves in farmland for hours. We must have passed well over 100 tomato trucks on the highway. We also followed the California Aqueduct for miles and miles. Our campground is nestled between fields of lettuce. We have enjoyed watching the workers harvest the crop! It is quite a fascinating process. We are located in the Salinas Valley which is one of the major and most productive agricultural regions in world. In fact, this area is known as the “Salad Bowl of the World” because of its production of lettuce!
I chose this particular campground because it boasted as being just minutes away from Pinnacles National Park! What I didn’t know was that it was 20 minutes via a one lane curvy road from the west entrance. There is no connecting road through the middle of Pinnacles!! The boys and I went to check out the park and get the lay of the land before going back and hiking with Ken. We entered the west entrance, drove a few minutes up the road into a dead-end parking lot. I looked around for where the road may have turned off or something, but then in small red letters on the map, I saw, “Drivers Note: No Roads Cross the Park!”
We also saw a notice on the closed visitor center that it is tarantula mating season, so be aware of tarantulas on the path. And to top it off, the park did not seem all that impressive. It may have been because of the picture I had created in my mind or because we had just come from some pretty impressive parks, but I could not quite find the awe-inspiring beauty in this park.
Pinnacles was originally established as a national monument in 1908 by President Roosevelt and then was designated a national park in 2013, making it the 59th National Park. The park gets its name from the towering rock structures that seem to swell out of the earth. The rocks are believed to have been a part of a volcano field. Over time, the San Andrés fault split the volcano and as the pacific rim plate moved north, it carried the pinnacles with it! Wind and water have eroded the volcanic rock giving it the look of pinnacles. These rocks are home to many plant and animal species, probably most well known for the California Condor. Fault action and earthquakes have also created beautiful talus caves. Huge boulders topple from above and wedge into narrow gorges creating caves.
On Sunday, we drove the hour drive to the east entrance for a day of hiking. After seeing the tarantula sign, I decided this would be a good place to hike with Ken!! We started out with the popular Bear Gultch Trail which allowed us to climb through one of the famous talus caves! The boys then begged us to do the High Peaks Trail.
5 hours later and 1,800 feet in elevation, with weary legs, we had accomplished this 6 mile strenuous trail. It was difficult and hot and long but so worth it! The adventurous hike took us up and then across the pinnacles on a steep, narrow trail. There were steps carved into the rock and occasional railings to make the crossing possible. The scenery was incredible and the views were vast. It was here at the top that we saw condors nesting and flying above us with their 9 1/2 foot wingspan. It was a sight to behold! Hiking in the heart of Pinnacles changed all of our minds about the beauty of this national park!
(And we did see some of those tarantulas they warned us about crossing the path! Eeek!)
An argument broke out on the trail and the boys all asked if we could survey our faithful blog readers 😉 to settle the disagreement once and for all! The boys found this rock on our hike and argued over what it looked like! Comment below and tell us what you think it resembles.
