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Pinnacles National Park

Photo: Brocken Inaglory / CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

🏜️ Canyons & deserts

Pinnacles National Park

Soledad, CA · Gabilan Range, Central California Coast

About

Pinnacles rises from the chaparral hills east of Soledad, California, a maze of spires and crags left by an ancient volcano that the San Andreas Fault dragged nearly 200 miles north. Scramble the High Peaks trail past towering rock and squeeze through the boulder-jammed Bear Gulch and Balconies talus caves. Look up and you may spot a California condor, one of the rare birds reintroduced here, riding the thermals on a wingspan near 10 feet.

Highlights

High Peaks Trail through dramatic volcanic spiresBear Gulch and Balconies talus caves (bring a flashlight)California condors soaring overheadSpring wildflowers across the chaparralTwo separate entrances, east and west, not connected by road

Getting there

5000 East Entrance Road, Paicines, CA 95043

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The United States National Parks63 places

The United States National Parks

All 63 of America's national parks in one place: the geysers and canyons, glaciers and giant sequoias, coral reefs and live volcanoes the country set aside for everyone. From the Grand Canyon to the Everglades to the wilds of Alaska, this is the complete collection, each one worth building a whole trip around.