Sure enough, just ahead a group of quiet onlookers motion us to approach slowly. We can’t believe our eyes. Around the bend, two turkey-sized California condors are perched mere feet from the trail.
May 25–26, 2024
Driving up the coast from L.A., we land in the quiet town of Hollister for the duration of our visit to Pinnacles. For being a lesser-known park, it is quite busy with visitors on this particular Memorial Day weekend. So busy in fact that the upper parking lots are full, forcing us and other late-comers to park two miles down trail at the visitor center. Lessen learned.
After hiking the added mileage to the Bear Gulch parking lot, we introduce ourselves to the park with a hike up to Bear Gulch Reservoir. The route through Bear Gulch cave is closed seasonally to protect a colony of Townsend’s big-eared bats, so we hike an alternate path to the water. Along the way we hear trickles of the creek through the rocks below us in the cave teasing us in the arid and dusty climate. But soon enough we climb up a primitive staircase and arrive at the reservoir. Smaller than expected, we walked along the edge peering into the muddy water. Our intention was to make this a stop along our hike to the High Peaks, but with the sun beating down and the extra mileage to hike, we instead decide to end our hike early and return to Bear Gulch closer to sunset when parking spaces will begin to open up.
The trek up High Peaks Trail winds up 1,300 feet to a lookout just south of the High Peaks. Here we spend the last few hours of daylight, soaking in the clear sky and panoramic views. The golden hour light filters through the dusty atmosphere casting the rocks in shades of deep orange and red all around us. At this point, we have the lookout to ourselves as most hikers have already turned in for the day. We don’t have enough time to finish the loop so we head back to the car in the cool of the evening. Though given a rocky start, it is not a bad ending to our first day in Pinnacles.
The next day we rise at 4:30 am to hike the Condor Gulch Trail to catch the eastern light on the High Peaks. While sunlight creeps down the rocks, the valley begins to wake up in the dawn hours. Deer rustle in the bushes. California Quail flutter in shrubs. A rabbit scurries across the path while a squirrel grabs a breakfast of seeds nearby. The peaceful morning feels good in the soul. Our short sunrise rendezvous ends back at the car for a quick breakfast of oatmeal and dried fruit before a hike back up to the High Peaks Trail to complete the loop left the night before.
Along the trail we spot birds circling overhead. Hoping to see the famed California condor, we are disappointed to learn they are simply turkey vultures, a common mistake by most visitors. We pass the overlook from the night before and begin the steep and narrow section—one of drops, handrails, and precipitous stairways. Weaving through the monolithic peaks, we round a corner to a father and son bursting with excitement. They tell us two condors have landed right off the path just ahead. Eager to see the birds, but a bit skeptical at the reality of the encounter, we quicken our pace.
Sure enough, just ahead a group of quiet onlookers motion us to approach slowly. We can’t believe our eyes. Around the bend, two turkey-sized California condors are perched mere feet from the trail. They put on a show, roughhousing with each other in a bout of shoving and fluttering. We take a moment to snag some photos before moving on letting others enjoy the close encounter too. With spirits high, we descend the loop back to our car feeling accomplished for the day.
Because there are no roads crossing the park, we drive 1.5 hours to the less-visited western side. The one-lane road overlooks some of the most beautiful wine-country California has to offer as we wind our way up to the Chaparral Parking Area for sunset. With a couple hours to kill before dusk, we test out the Balconies Cave Trail returning via the Balconies Cliff Trail. The cave is more or less a pile of rocks to hike under, but at one point the trail becomes so dark a flashlight is necessary. We return to the parking lot for the best sunset views in the area. Rosy fingers of light trickle up the rocks as the last bit of sun is extinguished. We drive back to the hotel with that view cemented in our minds, a proper conclusion to our Pinnacles adventure.
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