Pinnacles — High Peaks Loop
Pinnacles National Park · near Soledad / Hollister · Central Coast
Trail Running
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Distance
- 8.4 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,600 ft
- Best season
- Oct–May · dangerous summer heat (inland)
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No running permit. Pinnacles National Park entrance fee ($30/vehicle). East and West entrances do NOT connect by road. Talus caves may close seasonally for bats/flooding.
What is here
- Features
- Volcanic spires & the High Peaks steep section · California condors overhead · Talus caves en route · Otherworldly rock scenery
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Trail Running detail
- Surface
- technical
- Intl tip
- The East and West entrances don't connect by road — the High Peaks loop is most often run from the East (Bear Gulch) side. Talus caves close seasonally (bats, flooding) — check status. Bring a headlamp for the caves. Watch for condors. No services inside; stock up in Soledad or Hollister.
The guide
Pinnacles National Park is one of California's most surreal trail-running landscapes — a shattered volcanic wonderland of tower…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Pinnacles — High Peaks Loop — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.4906, -121.1825