Reviews of Pinnacles National Park (Park)

Jaganath Achari

Great for day hiking. The trail to Bear gulch caves is spectacular. The park has clear dark skies so great for stargazing too.

Kristina Derosier

The hiking trails here are great and the caves here are really cool. I would recommend doing the Condor Gulch trail which gives you the opportunity to see the endangered California Condors.

Kunal V

Pinnacles National Park is about 2 hours away from San Jose and is a great weekend getaway from the Bay Area. The hiking trails here are great and the caves here are really cool. I would recommend doing the Condor Gulch trail which gives you the opportunity to see the endangered California Condors.

Abhijit Sharang

Pinnacles national park has a beautiful landscape resplendent with Volcanic rock formations. The high peak trail through the bear Gulch caves is quite easy and highly recommended for its views and the spooky experience of going through the caves. To top it all it is only an hour and half drive from the bay area. Lack of signage on the trails and facilities gets a star knocked off.

quanfeng san

Definitely an excellent hiking place to go…truly recommend，try the cool Bear Gulch Cave，better to start hiking before 9am to avoid the Sun hit if you go in summer，don’t miss the high peak trail，and the condor hovering in the air :)

Saurav Shekhar

Good place for a short trip. Go to the reservoir though the bear caves. Then hike to the scouts peak. We spotted plenty of wildlife like fox, Condor eagle, deset

Otto Hovorka

Been there many times and enjoyed each visit. Some trails can be challenging but many to choose from.

Matt Eichinger

One of the weaker national parks I have visited. Not that it’s not worth visiting, but it doesn’t measure up to what I’ve come to expect out of a National Park.

Shay Giannotti

Fun place, lots of people but worth a visit.

Tim Heath, DC

Such a fun place to visit. Book early as it gets full. Great scenery and history. Park ranger are friendly too. Saw condors, deer, lizards, snakes, grounds hogs, and s variety of other animals.

Joseph 종민 Kim

good for visit once or often if near by. it was just good to visit once for all.

Christine Maness

Excellent day trip for those that need easy to moderate trails. While they have harder trails, the reservoir and cave trails are great.

Elijah Smith

Beautiful place. Sometimes their website explicitly says they will be open despite certain conditions, only for you to travel an hour to get there and be told that the website was inaccurate.

Thomas Cera

Awesome park for hiking. Caves, a reservoir, wild flowers, peaks and more along the trails. The condors were amazing.

Karma Weeden

This place is gorgeous, photos don’t even do it justice. Lots of uphill hiking and a ton of views. Don’t forget to take plenty of water!

Joe Gallo

Beautiful, plenty of shade, water at each parking lot. I liked this place overall! The caves are fun so bring a headlamp

Fefi Fofum

Unattractive, hard to get to, hot dusty, poison oak, hilly rocks with colorful lichen. Cal condors struggling with lead bullet carcass feed. Not Recommended ,for 99% of tourists.

Danny boy

You get to see a lot if your driving or walking through. Very accessible

Joel Bruxvoort

Hiking the high peaks trail is spectacular, particularly if go up via the Bear Gulch cave trail. Not that strenuous but not a walk in the park either.

King Peezyworld

Super awesome. Seen 3 condors. Hike to the top!

David Fleck

A treasure of a park, relatively close to the Bay Area. Trails were moderate or strenuous providing a good workout. Caves are a highlight. Make sure to check the park website as there are seasonal closings of the caves and you may want to schedule alternate dates for your visit. Trails are rocky, but obvious. However we wished there were better markers at some of the forks. Overall, a great place to hike and take pics.

Maggie Lau

Unique features where fallen large boulders create a cavern system below. Since the trail is mostly unshaded, I would go in the spring and fall.

Joseph T

This park is for hardcore rock climbers and casual hikers that like a nice view. A variety of trails for infrequent hikers, but arrive before 8:00am if you don't want to walk to the trailhead from one of the overflow parking lots.

Jagdeep Sandhu

Dad son hike. My little man hiked 7.5 miles. Nice place for family time.

Claudia Gomez

Very nice place to hike, my kids loved the cave

Amanda Mitchell

Beautiful. You will see God's country pure and simple

Colin Ransdell

Beautiful Nation park with camping (RV and tent), day visits, ranger station, shuttle to Bear gulch, hiking, climbing, and Condors! Everyone seems to be enjoying the park - based on the smiles on everyone's faces.

Eddie Martinez

Awesome park to visit. Good hiking trails. Bring sun protection and plenty of water.

Steven Mejia

Plenty of great trails to hike. Only wish I had more time when I visited. Will be back soon!

EMILIO ZAMBRANO

This place has an awesome view when you get to the top. Best advice to give is to hike early to beat the heat and also bring lots of water and snacks.

Nick West

Great hiking. Go in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid brutal heat in the summer and for great light. Hang out at the pool in the middle of the day to stay cool.

Sherri Keller

Pinnacles really does not feel like a National Park. It is pretty small scale. The campsite has plenty of room since there are not a lot of visitors. There are some pay showers that have seen better days and it is the only national park with a swimming pool. We hiked a good majority of the park and the trails were fun, but some may be a little tough for those not in hiking shape. The condors were fun to see. Overall enjoyable to visit once but not worth going back to.

L Sanford

It's beautiful. Simple scenery but still awesome. Easy trails so family can enjoy. Definitely worth a visit. Can't wait to go back and explore other trails

Mg 0

And there, right in the middle of rolling Hills, upward pops awesome, unexpected rock formations. Trails surrounded by boulders, along with well-maintained restrooms at certain points and a picnic area, make for a beautiful, slightly rigorous hiking experience in nature. Delightful.

Lacey Marie

I really enjoyed the hikes here. Staff is very friendly as well. Wished the showers were free but as this is a smaller park it's expected. We spent a few nights here and liked it a lot. There are these neat caves there that were made by falling rock that you can hike to and tour. They do require some sense of balance to go through and a flashlight. Some tight squeezes as well.

Humberto Fernandez

Awesome trials. Medium level trail. And caves!!!

Miguel G.

Always worth a visit. The parking lots can fill up so be sure to get here early. There are options for moderate to difficult hikes.

sumit Pawar

Nice place on a cool day. Very hot in the summer. Entrance fee: $30. Some trails and caves were closed. Will revisit definitely.

sudheer sammeta

The trails are good offering you a new experience through as you go through the caves and lake

Frances Wilson

Once I saw a live tarantula here, ate spicy bacon from a mountaintop, and saw shooting stars. Magical, amigos.

Phil Yu

Great place to hike, lots to see, enough shade to block the summer sun, and an interesting came to explore. The balconies are great - 2.5 mile home from the East side, or if you just want to explore the balcony cave, you can enter much closer from the West side, so plan where to park accordingly since the West and East don't connect by car. Not too much wildlife when I went but more should show past afternoon when it cools. Bats can be seen and heard in and around the cave. Definitely recommend!

Angel Briones

Another awesome park !!!!.... Great for hiking or if you want to learn about nature or to just simple get away (cause their is no service for your phone )

Dan Kessler

Very different than other NPs visited. But amazing hikes, caves, and scenery. Will be back again.

smitchell50

Fantastic park. Many miles of hiking trails. Bring lots of water and a proper flashlight (for the bear gulch cave). Get there early as parking lots quickly fill.

Bharat Chandrahas

Really simple national park. Good views and hikes, much less busy than the other parks in Cal

Yaron Sheffer

Amazing views, and easy, but not too easy, trails. All within reasonable driving distance from Silicon Valley. It doesn't get better!

Kevin Vaughan

It's not the most grandeurs of the national parks, but a very convenient detour along the I-5 for a brief visit and hiking. Bring a flash light if you want to make the hiking tour, because it has a small cave mid way through the hike. Otherwise you will have to turn around and back track

J. HAN

Awesome park! Parking space was very limited, so we waited for about 30 mins to get in on the memorial week. Visit the west side of the park, absolutely worth hiking there with a short cave adventure!

Samantha Moore

When driving there from the freeway, it doesn't look like this place has much to offer... Boy, was I wrong! So many amazing sites and hidden adventures! Keep an eye out for California Condors!

Nancy Smith

We had a great campsite. There are drawbacks. No water for restrooms. Portable toilets available. Good camp store. Fun gift shop. Enjoyed despite not physically able to hike. Busy park. Many groups camping from schools and others.

N Bert

This is a good park...it feels more like National Monument than one of the big 59 NPs.

Swan

You have to detour to this park. It makes a great day hike. Awesome pinnacles formed million years ago and cave bats. However bring a flashlight cuz it's total darkness in the caves.

Matthew Oliver

add this to your spot of the most surreal images and rock formations within a days driving distance for Bay area folk. Please visit, be respectful and take in the beauty.

Aldo Rosas

I love national parks, this is one of the most recent additions to the National Park list, one downside it’s that you can’t drive across the park, there’s no way to drive from the East entrance to the West entrance and viceversa.

Lindsey Dillon

This place is neat but it really shouldn't have been upgraded to a national park. It just doesn't have the facilities that most national parks have.

Michael Luder

Great trails. We'll maintained. Helpful staff, professional & friendly. Racoons got attitude.

Eric Lamb

Always crowded, always a line to get into the park. Beautiful volcanic rock cliffs, talus caves in season. Great half day hike on the full loop to the top. Campgrounds, a few with hookups. There's also a Salinas (west) entrance I've never visited.

Matt Hohrath

We stopped in here for a day and did the condor gulch trail. It was definitely an amazing experience climbing up the mountain and seeing the condors souring around you. We went in mid-late June and it was sweltering when we went up Temperatures ranged from mid 90s to mid 100s. Bring plenty of water!

Tobias Kistler

Great park for hiking and climbing. I recommend the balconies cave, it gets really dark at some point. Also, the high peaks trail has stunning views.

Benjapol Piyawanichpong

Fun and scenic hike. Come early to avoid heat and ensure parking spot.

Mehrdad Azadan

We entered the park from East side and parked at the Visitor Center. A free shuttle took us to the Bear Gulch area. I don't know if the shuttle runs regularly, visitors should call the Visitor Center for shuttle information. Parking beyond the Visitor center is very limited and it is a 40 minute walk from Visitor center to the Bear Gulch area. From here to the Bear Gulch Cave is only 0.7 miles. The trail is well marked; once inside the cave, be prepared to go through some narrow gaps where large backpacks should be carried on hand. Flash lights are necessary and depending on the season, water on the cave floor may be a ankle deep. The trek through the cave is amazing and the reservoir vew right after the cave is spectacular. I recommend looping around the cave for the return hike via the Rim trail. Look for tarantulas in September and October as the males are looking to mate. The chances of seeing one are very good. Check the parks's website for cave closure info. The roads to the Eastern entrance (25 and 146) are well maintained; one small area of Hwy 25 is under repair and currently has a stop light to allow only one direction of traffic through (as of 9/28/2019) Next time I will enter from the West to explore Balconies Cave.

Steve Dibble

Such a lovely park! My wife was amazed with the views and the landscape. There are two entrances, and they don't connect, so be careful which one you select. We used the West entrance this time, coming up from Soledad and 101, and while the visitor center was closed, the restrooms were open and very nice! Not as nice when you get to the parking lots, so I recommend using the visitor center first. The main hiking trail is to the Bear Cave. I was surprised at the number of people with very young children on the trail. Inside the caves it is quite tight and steep, and people handing their children down to someone else made me quite nervous. Flashlights are mandatory, and if you have obe that straps onto your forehead, even better. Keeping both hands free is best. A general rule of thumb when climbing is three points of contact on rock at all times, which is hard to do with a flashlight. Enjoy! Plan for heat in summer and bring lots of water.

Gillian Planta

I was fortunate enough to camp here on a Friday night in April, even though I had no idea driving in. We were given the last spot available in the overflow area and it was still fantastic. Hiking was wonderful. Despite the camp area at full capacity, we barely passed anyone on our hike. We really lucked out in picking this spot to try on our first visit from Ontario.

Don D

The natural beauty of Pinnacles with its massive boulders and great cave are perfect for a fun hike. The cave is harder than its looks so bring a good flash light. The ceilings are low in some places tough to transverse. It’s off the beaten path but fun to get too!

Alex O'Donnell

Such dramatic scenery here. Many of the hikes involve caves of one form or another. I think I still prefer the East side of the park, however the West is more accessible if you are driving 101. Take care in the summer as temperatures do often top 100°F.

Sean Renfro

Small, relatively unknown national park with amazing views. Bring lots of water in the summer it gets hot!

Chelleigh Cuddy

Beautiful place for a hike!

Smelling Salts

Amazing place to set up camp and then go for a hike or run on the trails that loop around the mountain. Getting up the mountain is pretty difficult as there're constant switchbacks and steep climbs. Once you reach the summit, there are stairs carved out of the rocks and the only thing stopping you from falling down the mountain are flimsy railings

Patty Smith

We did the 7 mile loop from the parking lot, to the top of the pinnacles, and down around to the caves. This is an excellent hike, the planners did a very good job of making the inclines a very steady increase, so you’re not over taxed. Much of the way is in full sun. Many areas are very narrow. Be sure you’re prepared.

Tomasita Barnasco

Easily one of the most unique state parks I have visited. I was fortunate enough to see the California condor well I was there. Go early ( before 9 a.m ) to really see a good selection of wildlife .

Yara Wilson

Love this place! I can do this again. Very exploratory and interesting, caves are amazing. Bring a flash light even though your phone will do the job.

Jonatan Choi

Excellent hike. Lot of trails. Beautiful views and landscapes. Love it!

Eric Z

Great location to explore for the day. Trails are well marked and a decent amount of shade peppered through out the trail. Get here early during the summer, because this place gets warm quickly. Bring plenty of water and a HEADLAMP, even if you don't initially plan to enter the caves at Balconies. Don't rely on your phone light....because you'll want your hands free to have maximum hand contact with the rocks. Brought my 3yr old and he had issue navigating the slope in, but my 6 and 10yr old were fine. Overall, great time for whole family.

anne lecrivain

Lovely. The reservoir and the caves are worth it.

Ted Kaufmann

Beautiful national park. Offers lots of hikes and caves .. gets pretty hot in summer.

Jared Stapor

Came into the park thinking some of the hikes were going to be a breeze after spending some time in others. Pinnacles offered several very challenging and beautiful trails and the north chalone peak was especially difficult. The caves were also amazing and easy to scramble through. Also spotted several condors flying over

Voravit Thunyapoo

Beautiful and tough for amateur hiker (me). Took me 6 hours to complete because I wasn’t rushing it. Enjoy the view and make some lunch in between. Bring plenty of water and stretch!!

Kathryn Hetzendorfer

So beautiful! The caves are really fun to crawl through - we almost missed the space you have to scramble up at the back. The trails on the hills are built into the natural rock and the view from the top is amazing, plus lots and lots of condors!

Maggie Wagner

This is one of my all time favorite national parks! The hikes are challenging and the views are spectacular. This time the condors were out and about and the mountain was decorated with wildflowers. Lots of sun exposure so bring sunscreen, a hat, and plenty of water!

אשר שמיר

We want early evening and the weather was great. We did an hour walk to see some counders.Not busy and nice view. Much smaller than other national parks.

魏廷宇

Please prepare a bottle of water(1 liter ), and suncream, a hat. Maybe need flashlight when you go down to the cave trail. The flashlight of cell phone is not far enough,watch you step and your head.Because the stones are sharp in dark cave,you can rise one hand to touch the stone and to know how height to keep a distance with your head.

Byron Olson

When I was a child I was told the California Condors would be extinct before my children could ever see one. At Pinnacles we were able to see Condors flying around in the wild. To me it felt like seeing living dinosaurs! There are many other interesting birds throughout the park including quail, wild turkey, and turkey vultures. They have plenty of moderate hiking paths and a reasonable campground as well. Definitely an amazing experience.

Alan B

Don’t go in summer. 104 on the road, 114 on the trail. Site 74 is a yellow jack nest. Not spectacular, but very interesting. We saw condors ,pretty close up , one mile walk from Bear Gulch parking.

Brant Brumbeloe

Amazing place. Great hiking. Home to 33 Condors.

Diane Kolber

Fabulous National park. We hiked 2 East side trails, which were totally different from each other, on this quiet Summer Friday. One was rocky with caves, shade, boulders and a reservoir replete with striped snakes. The other a path up to the top of the planet in full sun with manzanitas, wildflowers, and multicolored rocks.

Sergius Master

Great view! Great journey! But hiking is not very easy, especially if temperature is higher than 100 F

Tricia Day

Interesting geologic formations. Not many people. Worth the trip for a day hike. Caves and views.

William Sanford

Great place to get outside and hike. Also good for a picnic.

Damon Tighe

Great park to spend a weekend at. Lots of good trails that give you chances to experience boulder caves, volcanic ridges and dry hot chaparral. In spring the area is wonderful for flowers. Lots and lots of ticks so preparer accordingly.

Michelle Paul

This place is truly very cool. I could have spent all day out here except it was just too hot to walk around. Very interesting place.

April Pierce

Nice quiet campground and the caves and reservoir were spectacular.

Colony Cogan

Very beautiful but bring LOTS of water with you and also you have to hike most of the time to see sights you can’t just drive and get out of your car and take pictures

Steve Maggio

I'm from the east coast and never heard of this park, but boy was it amazing! The pictures don't do it justice. It was such an awesome experience walking through the caves, seeing the Pinnacles next to the huge rock faces, seeing the wildlife, flowers, etc.. I would 100% recommend going there if you're on the fence.

Dan Stocks

Great hiking trails.... plenty to see...take lots of water....

Felicia Gadbois

Beautiful national park. Offers lots of hikes and caves .. gets pretty hot in summer.

Matt McGarry

Wildflowers, so many bird species, and a campground with power. Lots of interesting hikes and a peaceful/serene setting. Lots to appreciate.

Eric Hartman

Just over an hour drive from Monterey if you are there for DLI or NPS it is a great place to go hiking. There are a several easy to navigate trails with caves, rock climbing and a tunnel on the 7 miles that we walked. No dogs allowed on the trails, it would be tough for most dogs on some of the steep areas anyway.

Michael M

This places rocks cool caves and nice scenic resevior to hike to

Nellie

Absolutely loved it. It has a nice short trail that goes through the caves and then up along the balcony with very beautiful views. There are one or two spots through the caves that are a little tricky to get through, but otherwise I thought it was a nice family hike. There are other trails as well. Really great scenery, and not too crowded!

Josh Ratiani

I was pleasantly surprised by how scenic Pinnacles was. It has miles of hiking trails, interesting caves, and beautiful wildflowers in addition to its namesake rock formations. The wildlife is amazing and probably what the park is best known for.

Charlie Heck

LOVED my short morning excursion. The rain has turned the greens greener and the red redder, well worth it!!

Vishwesh Rege

A new and relatively less interesting of all the national parks out there. Did the Moses Spring trail followed by the Bear Gulch Cave trail here. The trail leads to the Bear Gulch reservoir which is located at the "pinnacle" of the trail amidst some large monolithic rocks. Then took the Rim trail back down. The entire trail itself is only about 2 miles. Recommend trying the hike inside the cave instead of the alternate Moses Spring route. It's cool inside and there's a stream flowing through it's entire length. Didn't see any condors unfortunately but crossed paths with a deer and a gang of pheasants.

wei p

Would've been better if we didn't have to wait an hour in line to get in. The bear gulch cave was just ok, smaller and less dark than I imagine a cave to be. The reservoir was smelly. The hike and view for the high peaks trail was quite nice.

Chris Purdy

This is a national park for everyone from extreme athletes to toddlers. I have not been to the west side but the eastern entrance has tons to do. Watch out for weekend traffic, if going for the day, they are understaffed and over booked most of the year. Bring binoculars and be ready to hike through a surreal world of desert and mountains combined.

Trachemysta

This an unconventional national park: small and it is all about hiking. It was a pleasant surprise, the wilderness, massive boulders, caves, trails, overlooks, flowers...really worth visiting to have an unique experience. If you are lucky enough you can even watch condors.

J Martinez

I loved it. Great place to take your family to hike and see the caves. I will definitely come back but maybe a cooler part on the year. We did the Balconies cave loop and loved every minute.

Ariel Jensen

It is $30 to reserve a parking space & camping spot. The campground includes parking, a spot for your tent, a fire pit, a bear locker, & a picnic table. There is running water nearby as well as bathrooms with stalls & soap & water. There are showers & a pool by the visitors center, which I didn't take advantage of but the swimming looked fun. There was a shuttle to the Bear Gulch Cave hike. A portion of the hike was closed for the bats, but it was still worth it. The Cave is interesting & cool (in temperature & radness), the hike is short, & the Reservoir is a beautiful view. A great place to spend the weekend!

jama singley

The mens/women's bathrooms were disgusting. Grossest bathrooms of the 28 National Parks we have visited. Yuck I notified a Park staff member and she said "I pass it on". I gave 5 stars to Park Ranger Beth who did a great job on the nighttime wildlife PowerPoint presentation. But the bathrooms were so nasty that I deducted 3 stars.