Backyard Beauty

Make the trek to Pinnacles National Park as it celebrates 10th year

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK C. ANDERSON

Forgive 2,000-foot-high Machete Ridge in Pinnacles National Park for scoffing at a 10-year anniversary. (Or for that matter, a 100-, 1,000- or 10,000-year anniversary.)

The iconic rock formation is the result of an ancient volcano formed…23 million years ago.

But to the humans who travel from across the planet to gawk at the increasingly famous tumble of spiky spires, it’s a big deal. This year, Pinnacles is celebrating 10 years of national park status. It was January 2013 when President Barack Obama, at the urging of Rep. Sam Farr and other local lawmakers, made the onetime national monument the ninth national park in California, the most of any state.

The youngest is also the smallest.

Compared to, say, Death Valley (3.37 million acres) or Yosemite (747,956 acres), the roughly 26,000-acre Pinnacles National Park can seem microscopic.

Salinas Valley Tourism and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Craig Kaufman likes to call it a “boutique” national park.

And that might be a feature, not a flaw. The coziness means Pinnacles’ biggest draws can be accessed in a day or two of adventure.

The headlining element: those megalithic rock formations, complete with swooping California condors, the largest bird on the continent.

The igneous outcroppings present a geologist’s fantasy: breccia, flow-banded rhyolite, pumice lapilli tuff, volcanic glass (aka perlite), and quartz- and feldspar-studded dacite. Translation, for the less rock nerdy: There are a lot of colors, textures, shapes and strata to soak in. They also draw rock climbers from around the world. As much as anything, the rocks provide the cathedral for hiking trails that criss-cross microclimates, more than 30 trails all told, many of them breathtaking in figurative and literal ways. Any direction taken within Pinnacles’ confines predictably includes oak woodlands and grasslands, pockets of chaparral and canyon landscapes that shoot off in any given direction. Two mainstream must-dos: 1) The two caves (Bear Gulch and Balconies), which invite a flashlight and Instagram posts; and 2) Bear Gulch Reservoir, which inspires hikers to drop anchor for a picnic paired with reflections of the surrounding rocks on the water. In short, it’s one heck of a backyard.

That’s official language, BTW. It comes from Kaufman—who says, “I still think a lot of locals, or even the regional population, doesn’t realize the natural asset that is in their backyard.”

And from Anna Velazquez, mayor of Soledad, “Part of my job is being able to highlight this amazing nature in our backyard,” she says. “How do we not lose sight of how special it is?”

Velazquez grew up the daughter of farmworkers in Soledad and has lived there essentially her entire life. She remembers picnicking and playing in and around the park with her family as a kid.

Back then the motto for her hometown blared from a billboard next to Highway 101: “It’s Happening in Soledad!”

That slogan shifted when Pinnacles was granted a national-park pedigree. The new calling card for the town of 24,778 inhabitants: “Gateway to the Pinnacles.”

That was something Soledad’s City Council secured as a trademark ASAP, and now appears throughout the city.

“The park designation has brought a lot,” she says. “New way-finding signs are important, but we’ve also put more effort into marketing to capture increased tourism and economic development with an emphasis on the park, to make sure we have the connection to Pinnacles.”

The sheer quantity of European and Asian languages heard on recent hikes suggest PNP’s reach is growing. Park attendance hit 275,023 in 2022 compared to 224,476 the year before it got the national park nod.

Velazquez observes real change, with more to come, including a shipping container village in her town, starring boutique eateries, wine tasting and Pinnacles themes.

“We’re really looking at possibilities of who Soledad is and who Soledad can be, while being in close alliance with the park,” she says. “We want to make sure people coming here don’t leave our city without really coming in—to enjoy the park but also go downtown—and experience the local small town charm Soledad still has.”

HIKING PINNACLES

As the travel-hiking app, AllTrails, puts it, after nearly 5,000 hiker reviews: “If you’re looking for elevation gain, Pinnacles National Park has you covered.”

The Condor Gulch Trail to High Peaks Trail Loop is most popular for a reason, traversing 5.6 miles (and gaining 1,630 feet in altitude) through caves, wildflower-accented landscapes and (yes) rock formations. Clockwise is the consensus choice for the approach; ample water is compulsory.

The longest trek links together the North Chalone Peak, High Peaks, Balconies and Condor Gulch trails to the tune of about 20 miles and 5,308 feet of total ascent.

Not all walkabouts are as ambitious. Others prove flat and mellow but no less spectacular. From the west, Prewett Point Trail works as an easy-going, time-efficient and ADA-accessible jaunt starting at the West Pinnacles Visitor Contact Station, which features interpretive panels.

EXPLORE NEXT DOOR

Pinnacles is many things at once: an almost spiritual experience; a wonderland of unrivaled wildlife populations; a geological phenomenon; an iconic ridge appearing on local wine labels and other merch; and—particularly if you tempt the 7.9-mile High Peaks Trail and 1,425-foot elevation gain—a heck of a hike.

Getting there involves a choice. The eastern gate (in San Benito County) is reached by driving south from Hollister, while the western entrance (in Monterey County) is approached through Soledad.

While the West Side hosts a visitors center, the lodging possibilities are a touch stronger on the East Side, which also provides the park’s campgrounds. The experience from either side delivers unique adventures, and demands different tack.

Here are some of our favorite places to stay, eat and drink, or pick up picnic supples, on the way in and out of Pinnacles. Each entry is flagged “E” for eastern approach (San Benito County) or “W” for western approach (Monterey County).

RESTAURANTS

Cocuyo’s Restaurant (W)

Here whole-roasted fish, savory huaraches, loaded tortas (the Cubano is loco) and quesabirria are joined by a bunch more authentic specials. The converted house it occupies is cute, the family-run staff is sweet and—this just in—it’s the mayor’s favorite spot in town.

185 Kidder St., Soledad
(831) 237-5004
facebook. com/profile.php?id=100057595983529

The 19th Hole Booze & Food (E)

Tres Pinos brings outsized flavor to its modest population of 921. The 19th’s name nods to the now-closed Pinnacle Hills Golf Course, but the booze and food are very much alive, from 4pm Wednesday through Sunday. Think cowboy-strength cocktails and “hard rider” half-pound burgers, “hole fire” wings, Buffalo shrimp Caesar salads and oak-fired rib-eye steaks.

7071 Airline Hwy., Tres Pinos
(831) 628-0100
facebook.com/the19thholetrespinos

Windmill Restaurant (W)

Regularly voted the best restaurant in the city by locals, Windmill spins a lot of plates and checks a lot of boxes. Some of those include country breakfasts, big salads, loaded potatoes, ambitious sandwiches, thick steaks, big burgers and specialties like the enchiladas supreme, across breakfast, lunch and dinner.

1167 Front St., Soledad
(831) 678-1775
facebook.com/windmillsoledadrestaurant

TASTING ROOMS

Eden Rift Vineyards (E)

The east side of Pinnacles unlocks incredible— and underappreciated—wine country. Eden Rift presents one of its gems (see also neighboring Calera and DeRose) for 1) balanced chardonnays, focused pinots and old-vine zinfandel, and 2) a breathtaking estate-turned tasting/event space with welcoming lawns and historic architectural California terroir to match the vino.

10034 Cienega Road, Hollister
(831) 636-1991
edenrift.com