This year for the 4th of July, we did not want to drive a lot but we were still looking for an camping trip. We looked at several possible options but they were all booked (some booked over a year in advance). My wife got the idea to check out Pinnacles National Park. It’s so close to the Bay Area that you can drive to it in less than 2 hours (excluding traffic). Pinnacles is known as a climbing mecca (in winter months), for its California condors and for the large bat population living in the caves.
We were expecting a lot of people during the 4th of July weekend and yes the campground was almost full but you read it right, on the busiest weekend of the year, there was still space left in the campground.
Pinnacles National Park Entrance
Pinnacles, I found out, is the best kept secret in the Bay Area. Granted, it was hot (108F/41C) but the campground has a swimming pool and a lot of shade. The days are hot and the nights are quite cool actually. The secret is to adjust your schedule to do activities very early in the morning or after 6pm when it starts to cool down. During the midday hours, you lounge by the pool or in the shade and relax.
The campground swimming pool
A spot at the campground
One day, late in the afternoon, we went for an easy hike (almost always in the shade) to see the Bear Gulch reservoir. It starts at the Bear Gulch Nature Center and follows the creek all the way to the reservoir. The hike is short (1.5 miles) and pretty flat (240ft). You even go thru the Bear Gulch cave, which is really cool (punt intended).
Bear Gulch Nature Center
Bear Gulch reservoir hike
Hiker going into the cave
The reservoir was really low (California has been enduring a very serious drought for the past two years) and was murky. It was interesting to see that the re-introduction of the red-legged frogs was successful in this reservoir.
The next day, we planned to do the High Peaks to Condor Gulch hike (5.3 miles round trip, 3 to 5 hours, Elevation: 1,300 feet). Because of the temperature and the fact that I wanted to be at sunrise at the top of peaks, we started the hike at 1am, and even with the cool night, I was sweating profuselly while going up. I can’t imagine doing this hike in the middle of day in summer, it must be way too hot. Since my trip in Indonesia where we did all our hikes at night, I became a fan of those. I enjoy walking with just my headlamp. The issue at Pinnacles National Park, it’s an area with a number of mountain lion that are active during the night.
We did not see any but we heard bobcats and coyotes in the distance.
Our first stop was at the junction of High Peaks trail and Tunnel trail, where we had a great view of the sky. The moon had set after midnight, so the night was really dark (or at least as dark as it could be). We lingered there for about an hour to enjoy and take pictures of the Milky Way.
Milky Way at Pinnacles National Park
Milky Way with the city glow from Pinnacles National Park.
After the break including some hot coffee, we kept walking towards the summit and High Peaks. We got there one hour before sunrise, when the blue hour was just starting. It was an amazing experience to see the sun rising from the top of the Pinnacles.
Pinnacles National Park at sunrise
Then it was time to hike back to the campground for breakfast and a well deserved rest.
Besides the colonies of bats, Pinnacles National Park is home to two huge birds, first and the most known one is the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus). That bird is huge (10ft and 26lb), it’s the largest north american bird and one the rarest bird you can see in the world. The second one is the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura), those are so common they nest near the campground. Each evening, a flock of them flies over the campground and nests in a nearby tree. It’s impressive to see those relatively large birds fly low over you and perch. The tree they use is bending by the weight of those birds.
Turkey vultures coming at sunset to perch near the campground.
Turkey vulture and the moon.
We have also found that summer is a great time to visit Pinnacles, because around it, there are tons of apricot orchards. When we went, we found a lot of road-side shops selling just picked apricots, peaches or nectarines. Nothing for me feels like summer than a really riped apricot or peach. From the road, we could see apricots being dried in the sun.
Sun drying apricots
California in summer time
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