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Pinnacles National Park, Paicines, CA

Photo: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor Adventure

Pinnacles National Park

5000 East Entrance Rd · Paicines, CA

Why you should go…

Pinnacles protects part of the Neenach Volcano, which erupted 23 million years ago and was carried 195 miles northwest along the San Andreas Fault. You hike among rock spires on the High Peaks Trail, climb, and walk through the Bear Gulch and Balconies talus caves when they are open. A California condor program has run here since 2003. The east and west sides are joined only by foot trails, and the park asks you to carry a liter of water per person per hour of hiking.

  • #national park
  • #hiking
  • #talus caves
  • #rock climbing
  • #california condors

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Pinnacles National Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Tours
    Family Favorite

    Princess Monterey Whale Watching

    $50+

    Narrated whale watching and wildlife cruises on Monterey Bay aboard two large heated vessels departing from Old Fisherman's Wharf.

    22 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Discovery Whale Watch

    $50+

    Narrated whale watching cruises departing daily from Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf.

    22 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Tours
    Family Favorite

    Little Mermaid Glass Bottom Boat Tours

    Under $25

    Cruise Monterey Harbor on a glass bottom boat to spot sea otters, seals, and kelp forest life.

    22 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Central Coast Scuba

    $50+

    Family-owned dive shop offering guided scuba and snorkeling tours plus PADI and NAUI certification courses in Monterey Bay.

    22 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Old Fisherman's Wharf

    Free

    Historic waterfront pier in Monterey lined with seafood restaurants, shops and whale-watching operators.

    22 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

    Under $25

    Look down on McWay Falls, an 80-foot waterfall that drops onto a Big Sur beach, from a trail above the cove.

    36 mi awayMore like this