Pinnacles National Park Day Hike

 Waning Crescent Moon

Cold nights and shorter daylight hours don't exactly make me want to camp out at Pinnacles National Park right now, but for day hikes, the cool, sunny weather is just about perfect. Yesterday, a Tuesday, it wasn't very crowded, so I had great fun poking around in the drainage of Chalone Creek and Bear Creek off and on the Bench Trail. I have hiked all the park's trails multiple times, but I have never explored this one very much - it's kind of a connector trail between the campgrounds and the more popular trailheads - but if you wander around the stream channels and take the time to study the rocks, it's a nice way to spend a couple of hours. The well-studied geology of the park is as interesting as the volcanic formations are beautiful.

If you plan a camping trip to Pinnacles this time of year, bring some extra blankets. The evening cold is sneaky. Daytime temps of 65-70 degrees F plummet into the teens overnight on a regular basis. But don't let that stop you. As national parks go, this one is relatively uncrowded and the hiking is great in the shoulder seasons. Summertime is hotter than most folks can safely operate on the longer trails, so be prepared. 

The Bench Trail is a good one for families with younguns and for seniors with crummy knees. It connects to the Bear Gulch Trail and the Old Pinnacles Trail near the Bear Gulch Visitor Center if you care to turn it into a longer, more challenging hike. Here is a link to maps of the park's trails.

This year, all I am trying to do is to stay consistent with daily hikes to reach my modest goal of 2,020 miles in 2020. The Bench Trail and some side trips fit right in with that. So far, I have walked a little less than 1,800 miles with one day off due to the fires. I miss the fun of planning and attempting bigger adventures, but the writing is on the wall - I need to adjust my dreams to fit the limitations of aging, so we'll see how that goes. Hikes like the one from yesterday definitely lift my spirits.

I like the Chalone Creek braided stream beds for the variety of rock types washed down from the peaks.

The sky was amazing near the campground.

As I moved upstream in the Bear Creek drainage, the vegetation 

changed and I began to see a tiny bit of Fall color along the trail.

The higher you go up toward Bear Gulch, the outcrops and canyon walls get more and more interesting.

And the views of the sky change as the canyon narrows.

The forty-five minute drive to the Pinnacles from my camp is well worth the time and gas. I hope to make a few more trips to see the High Peaks again later in the year. Support your local parks!

Peace, Love, and Wandering,

Jim