Swirling star trails grace the night sky at Pinnacles National Park in California, the nation’s 59th and newest national park. 23 million years ago, volcanoes erupted, flowed and slid to form the park’s towering rock spires and rare talus caves that you can hike through today. Photographer Aron Cooperman journeyed 45 minutes through a cave to reach Bear Gulch Reservoir in time to capture this spellbinding scene. Photo by Aron Cooperman. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 9/9/16.
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Where Is It: 30 miles north of King City, CA. 250 miles northwest of Los Angeles. 125 miles southeast of San Francisco.
The Birth: Congress changed the name of the Pinnacles National Monument to Pinnacles National Park in 2013. Pinnacles became the 9th National Park in California.
Size: 26,606 acres
# Visitors: 237,677 in 2013, including Velda and I. Attendance peaked in April and was lowest in December. We visited in July … arriving at 8am so we could hike before the day’s heat.
Animals: From Wilderness.org:
(The California Condor) is a visitor favorite. With up to 10-foot wingspans, these large birds are frequently seen soaring over the volcanic cliffs. In 2010, a condor chick made headlines because it was the first time in a century that a condor was hatched in the federal park, a place where these birds once thrived.
Since 2003, Pinnacles National Park has been a part of the California Condor Recovery Program and the park manages about 30 of the birds which are tagged but fly freely.
This endangered species is a visitor favorite. With up to 10-foot wingspans, these large birds are frequently seen soaring over the volcanic cliffs. In 2010, a condor chick made headlines because it was the first time in a century that a condor was hatched in the federal park, a place where these birds once thrived.
Since 2003, Pinnacles National Park has been a part of the California Condor Recovery Program and the park manages about 30 of the birds which are tagged but fly freely.
– See more at: http://wilderness.org/article/pinnacles-campaign#sthash.RTMLvVll.dpuf
This endangered species is a visitor favorite. With up to 10-foot wingspans, these large birds are frequently seen soaring over the volcanic cliffs. In 2010, a condor chick made headlines because it was the first time in a century that a condor was hatched in the federal park, a place where these birds once thrived.
Since 2003, Pinnacles National Park has been a part of the California Condor Recovery Program and the park manages about 30 of the birds which are tagged but fly freely.
– See more at: http://wilderness.org/article/pinnacles-campaign#sthash.RTMLvVll.dpuf
This endangered species is a visitor favorite. With up to 10-foot wingspans, these large birds are frequently seen soaring over the volcanic cliffs. In 2010, a condor chick made headlines because it was the first time in a century that a condor was hatched in the federal park, a place where these birds once thrived.
Since 2003, Pinnacles National Park has been a part of the California Condor Recovery Program and the park manages about 30 of the birds which are tagged but fly freely.
– See more at: http://wilderness.org/article/pinnacles-campaign#sthash.RTMLvVll.dpuf
Choices: The west entrance of the park is near the town of Soledad. The east entrance is 30 miles south of Hollister. There is no road connecting the two; it’s as quick for hikers up to the challenge to hike between the entrances as it is to drive.
Fees: $5 for a 7-day pass.
Staying There: Pinnacles Campground is on the east side of the Park, and offers tent, group and RV camping slots.
Contact Info:
5000 Hwy 146
Paicines, CA 95043
Pinnacles Visitor Center (East Side of Park): (831) 389-4485
California Buckwheat.
Mariposa Lily. Photo by Erv Nichols. From the Park’s Facebook page.
California poppies. From the Park’s Facebook page.
Bitter root. Note that those red dots are not part of the flower. From the Park’s Facebook page.
Shooting Star. Photo Courtesy of Erv Nichols. From the Park’s Facebook page.
Lupine. Photo by Erv Nichols. From the Park’s Facebook page.
Peregrine Falcon. From the Park’s Facebook page.
California Condor. From the Park’s Facebook page.
California Condor. From the Park’s Facebook page.
From the Park’s Facebook page.
Acorn Woodpecker. Photo by Johnathan Nightingale. From the Park’s Facebook page.
More
National Park Service: Pinnacles National Park
Keeping It Wild
Old Pinnacles Trail
Pinnacles National Park: The Rocks
Sacramento Bee: Pinnacles National Park Really Rocks
KQED: Ken Burns on Pinnacles National Park
YouTube: Pinnacles National Park
Hikespeak.com: Pinnacles National Park Hikes
Wikipedia: California Condor
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