Pinnacles High Peaks
Pinnacles National Park · near Paicines · Central Coast
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 5.3 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,400 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Spring (Mar-May) for wildflowers & mild temps; avoid summer heat
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- Pinnacles NP entrance fee (~$35/vehicle, 7-day). No hiking permit. The east and west entrances do NOT connect by road. Condors best at dawn/dusk.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 0 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Endangered California condors overhead · Volcanic spires and pinnacles · The 'steep-and-narrow' section with foot-notches and handrails · Panoramic ridgeline views
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- The classic Pinnacles hike - volcanic spires, the thrilling 'steep-and-narrow' section, and California condors overhead. A spring hike (wildflowers; summer heat is dangerous with no shade up top). Come early for condors. The east and west park entrances don't connect by road.
The guide
The High Peaks loop is the signature hike of Pinnacles National Park - a strenuous circuit through the eroded volcanic spires t…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Pinnacles High Peaks — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.4779, -121.1847