Loop Taken: (Starting from Old Pinnacles Trailhead) Old Pinnacles Trail – High Peaks Trail – Tunnel Trail – Juniper Canyon Trail – Balconies Trail – Balconies Cave Trail – Old Pinnacles Trail
Length of Trail: 8.5 miles
Difficulty: Moderately Difficult (1600 foot gain over the first 2.5 miles, then back down again. Balconies Trail to Old Pinnacles Trail is flat and easy.)
Exposure: Mostly sunny; depending on the time of day, the last third of the hike may be shaded
Included: Amazing rock formations & views of the park, cave scrambling, creek crossings
Pinnacles National Park is one of those gems that has been so close by throughout my life, yet I’ve never managed to make it there before. President’s Day weekend was the perfect time to finally visit, as the National Parks waive admission fees during the holiday weekend, and it can get very hot here during the summer & fall.
If you’re a geology fan (or just a fan of rock scrambling), Pinnacles is a slice of heaven. There are so many giant formations to admire, and a couple of the park’s trails take you up & under boulders and through caves. But there are also beautiful views of the park, wildflowers, and creek crossings that make this described trail particularly lovely.
The drive to Pinnacles took about 2 1/2 hours from Oakland, as it’s located about 45 miles southeast of Gilroy. No dogs are permitted on the trails, so Rufus the Master Hiker wasn’t able to join us this time.
For this loop, we parked at the Old Pinnacles trailhead and started off to the left on the Old Pinnacles trail, which wanders along an empty creekbed.
After about a mile, the trail reached a junction with High Peaks Trail, and we turned right on High Peaks to start our climb. This was admittedly a challenging section of trail for me; High Peaks wandered consistently uphill, gaining about 1600 feet in two miles. But every time I stopped for a breath and swig of water, there were beautiful views of the park to the east to reward me.
After about 1.5 miles, the trails stopped their relentless switchbacks and continued uphill through green meadows.
After reaching a junction with Condor Gulch Trail, we were able to see magnificent views of the volcanic formations to the north and the highest peaks of the park to the south. The beauty around us made the difficult climb completely worth it.
After enjoying the views, we continued a gentle climb on High Peaks trail, wandering through awesome rock formations. We were also able to see the Balconies formation from here.
The trail finished its climb at a junction, and we continued straight on Tunnel Trail. The trail was aptly named, as we wandered through formations and a boulder tunnel, with views to the west.
We turned right on Juniper Canyon trail, which wandered consistently downhill. My knees were yelling at me by the end of this trail, but it was a welcome change from the uphill climb at the beginning of the hike. After about .8 mile, the trail started to flatten, wandering through shaded green areas and over creeks.
At the end of the trail, we reached the Chaparral Trailhead picnic area, which made for a perfect spot to take a break and enjoy the views of the rock formations we had just climbed through.
When we were ready to get back on the trail, we headed left on the Balconies trail at the edge of the parking lot. After the steady uphill & downhill climbing of the first half of the hike, the flat terrain was very welcome. Machete Ridge towered over us and was a beautiful site in the golden afternoon sunlight.
We soon reached Balconies Cave Trail and started the “adventure” portion of the hike. Before entering the cave, we scrambled over & under big boulders. Once in the cave, we had to use our headlamps and watch our footing while scrambling through the darkness. You don’t get to have this much fun on every hike, that’s for sure!
Once out of the cave, we made a short scramble over rocks and boulders. Balconies Trail continued through a pretty wooded area and over several crossings of Chalone Creek. Fragrant wildflowers accompanied us along the way.
After 1.3 miles, we continued straight on Old Pinnacles Trail, returning to the trailhead parking lot. The flat trail was a welcome wind-down after the hill climbing and rock scrambling, and we took in the final views of the formations above us. A lovely way to end a day of Pinnacles adventures!
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