We’re lucky to live 1.5 hours away so it was a quick weekend trip to Pinnacles once it was finally sunny.

All the campsites were booked so we just packed up some camping essentials JUST IN CASE, we were able to get a walk up camp site. I had tried calling all week but they were either not answering or the line was busy. I had no luck in asking. So, we went half prepared with the essentials and a Safeway bought sandwich each.

Head towards the Eastern entrance of Pinnacles. That’s where the campgrounds are and West and East entrances do not connect through the park. There’s some interesting history on why there’s no through road that the park ranger can tell you.

When we got to the Pinnacles campgrounds, the shuttle lines were long and there was no parking. We went into the store to pay for the $30 park entrance fee. The campgrounds/store is also there and we got lucky and there was one more rv site for $36! Campsites are $23. We didn’t mind paying $13 more for the space.

We parked the car at the rv site, put our sign up and decided to walk 3 miles on the bench trail to the park entrance rather than wait in line for the shuttle.

The Bench trail was nice, and you see a stream and there’s a lot of shade in the beginning. We were told to go to the nature center so they can help plan our hiking path.

the person who helped us suggested the Bear Gulch Caves Trail, the Moss springs trail, to the reservoir then to rim trail and back. This was a good hike and was about a 3 mile loop that’s mostly shaded and went through cool caves! We saw really awesome rock formations, a lot of rock climbers and birds of which we think are potentially condors. I won’t lie, it was hot as hell and dry up there. But the scenery was unique. We ended up walking the bench trail back so we did about 11 miles that day. Here are some pictures from our day!.

I was exhausted! We got ice cold beer and popsicles amongst other snacks at the campground store before it closed at 5pm.

Setting up our tent was difficult. It was our first time since I bought the tent. I have a mountain hardware optic 2.5. It’s a bit difficult to put together and it was also hard to pound in the stakes at the rv site since it wasn’t dirt. We ate our sandwiches before sunset and saw the presentation on Pinnacle national park’s history at the amphitheater.

It gets really cold at night, especially in the early mornings so even though you think you won’t be cold, wear something warmer.

We were going to do the Condor and High peaks hike in the morning but… we didn’t get good sleep and decided we were over camping 🙂

Home we went!

Overall, I wouldn’t say Pinnacles is a must visit, but if you’re local or in the area that makes this a short weekend trip, then going when the weather isn’t too hot yet is a good idea!

Pro tips:

– There’s no reception inside Pinnacles and probably 15 minutes outside of the park either so download google maps to have it readily available offline.

– also download some music, books and movies while you’re at it because hey, no reception.

– bring mosquito repellent! Crucial for camping.

-bring a headlight for the caves! here’s one I recommend (we used it and only $11)

– there’s a lot of potable water there so no need to buy bottled water at the store.

– go to the nature center and watch the movie.

– if you stay at the campsites, see if there’s an evening event at the amphitheater

-pick a site close to the bathrooms.

– for camping/rv- check in is at 3pm, check out is at 11am

– we weren’t prepared and didn’t bring any but hey weed’s legal in California and perfect for camping.