Pinnacles Talus Caves
Pinnacles National Park · near Paicines · Central Coast
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 2 miles
- Elevation gain
- 275 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Spring or fall; check the cave closure calendar first
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- Pinnacles NP entrance fee (~$35/vehicle). Flashlight required. SEASONAL BAT CLOSURES: Bear Gulch Cave is fully closed mid-May to mid-July (pupping) and partially closed at other times; Balconies Cave closes intermittently. Check the NPS cave-status page before visiting.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 0 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Talus (boulder) caves you scramble through · Bear Gulch Reservoir · A Townsend's big-eared bat colony · Waterfalls in the wet season
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Scramble by flashlight through Pinnacles' talus caves - Bear Gulch (east) and Balconies (west). CHECK THE NPS CAVE-STATUS PAGE FIRST: they close seasonally for bats (Bear Gulch is shut mid-May to mid-July). Bring a light; great for families.
The guide
Pinnacles is one of the few places you can hike through a cave that isn't a cave at all - talus caves, formed where huge boulde…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Pinnacles Talus Caves — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.4785, -121.1838