This is the only time out of 3 trips here that I've been blessed with light quality that actually does the place justice

Campingpost 001 - Pinnacles National Park

I love this place so much. I love this place SO MUCH. So much so that it took a month and a half for me to get this post out! (This trip was in mid-April)

Back in 2017 I was in the depths of Architect Registration Exam studying hell, I booked an Airbnb (one of those ones where it's just a room in some people's house) down near Monterey for a night or two, to "get some studying done." Well, that barely happened, and while looking around on Maps, I noticed that there was a tiny national park I'd never heard of about an hour east. I chose a 10 mile loop that was supposed to hit all the high points, and headed out, wearing the Doc Martens Chelsea boots I had with me and carrying probably way too small of a water bottle. The hike ended up being over 13 miles due to road closures, by far my longest at that point, and I had one of my first Scary Heat experiences, but I had the best time, and it left a big impression on me.

me with a buzz cut, bralette, black ball cap, and round shades, an outfit fit for a daytime techno party — An extremely techno party type hiking outfit

doc marten chelsea boots, definitely not for hiking — An extremely techno party type hiking outfit

ANYWAY that trip isn't what this post is about. This post is about my third trip to Pinnacles, and my first time camping at the campground.

The Campground

First of all, Pinnacles Campground turned out to be lovely! It is managed by a private company, but is right next door to the park, and has trails connecting the two for easy access. I rarely go for car camping sites - I have a mental image of a glorified parking lot with no privacy and loud assholes and just generally way more human activity than I want to see while I'm in nature. But the sites were spaced out well, and in the area I was in, practically each site came with its own giant oak tree. The sites have picnic tables and food lockers as well.

an orange dome tent set up in a clearing next to some oak trees, with another campsite visible in the background, but with ample space in between — The lady at the visitor center said this was her favorite campsite. It's at the end of one leg of the campground, and off on its own from the rest of the sites.

a dirt path next to a small, pretty creek, surrounded by low chaparral covered mountains. the sky is blue with clouds that are turning pastel — Bench Trail and Chalone Creek just before sunset

Rock Sculptures and Towani Pines

Really the two defining characteristics of this place. The trees I'd guess are 20-40 feet tall on average, and provide a sense of scale when looking out over a landscape made entirely of rock shapes

a roughly triangular rock formation, and a pine tree growing out of the base at an angle, with a path between them. They are roughly the same size and shape

a field of boulders seemingly growing right out of the ground, with pine trees sprinkled throughout — This is one of those landscapes that looks like a wizard was just kind of fucking around blasting things with their staff for fun like Tim the Enchanter

a giant rock wall, with a tiny footbridge peeking out of a crack near the bottom — A bridge on the Tunnel Trail, which is a lot of fun as well.

red boulders against a blue sky with clouds

big rock formation with diagonal fissures going all the way across — I love how you can see diagonal cracks like this throughout the park, showing just how much work the San Andreas did to create this place

High Peaks Trail

This trail is fun as hell and made a big impression on me when I was here for the first time years ago. It climbs up into one of the uh, pinnacles? with a series of footholds carved into the rock, and sturdy guardrails. It feels fun and like you're doing something kind of technical or dangerous even though that's not really that true.

One of the things I appreciate most about Pinnacles in general is how minimally invasive all of the human infrastructure is (there isn't even a road that goes through the park - the East and West entrances are completely separate!). This is another example of that level of respectful design, in my opinion. The climbing parts of the trail and the handrails are barely visible from any distance.

These kind of look like they were taken with a shoe; it was clouding up and my phone could not comprehend the light quality. You get the gist though!

footholds carved out of a rock face, and a sturdy enough looking handrail

wooden footbridge going through a big gap in a rock formation

Meadows and Clouds

This section of the High Peaks Trail, which switchbacks up a hot east-facing hillside to reach the rock formations and stairsteps section, was beautifully lush and green this time of year. I don't know if you'd call this a meadow or savanna or what, but it was lovely. And the weird light quality of the weather front moving through just added to the surreal feeling.

a path through a meadow and trees, against a weird grey rainy looking sky

a hillside covered in chaparral, half lit by the sun and half in a big cloudy shadow

Maybe the coolest bird call I've ever heard

I was coincidentally in a canyon, Juniper Canyon, when I heard this incredible descending trill echoing off the rocks.

Canyon Wren 4 26 2024

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a canyon with trees and rock formations, looking out over mountain ridges

Wildflowers

I've avoided Pinnacles in the spring because that's by far its most busy season, but it was a real treat to get to see it at its greenest and most dotted with wildflowers.

red california thistle - a spiky, silvery green base with a cluster of red linear petals

indian paintbrush flowers - sage green leaves and light red lobed petals covered in fine hairs that make them appear extra matte

Lichen

I didn't do any puns here are you proud of me?

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lime green shaggy lichen growing on a tree

spots of orange, black, and lime green lichen on a pale blueish pink rock

Caves and Ferns

Pinnacles is home to multiple talus cave systems, which are not caves in the traditional sense, but rather tunnels formed by massive fallen boulders. These are pretty fun to explore, although were almost too packed with people to enjoy this time of year. The last photo is a little spot called Fern Chamber, which is just a great name. It was filled with giant chain ferns, which can be 5-6' tall.

stairs leading down into a triangular shaped opening to a cave

silhouetted rocks inside a cave, with light washing over the back wall

I did actually see a condor, just as I was leaving the park

(Condors at Pinnacles are a whole thing; the species was down to a double digits a few decades ago due to lots of factors including lead from bullets in their food. They were painstakingly brought back from extinction, and most of the current population (a few hundred now!) live and nest in the park)

My phone had been warning me about low storage all weekend, which I ignored, until it was time to take a video of a condor. It soared over the top of a mountain as I was standing there deleting old pics off my phone. There are lots of lessons to be learned here but I will probably continue to be like this.